Which PHP version does PrestaShop need? Table for 1.6, 1.7, 8 and 9

Which PHP version does your PrestaShop need? It depends on the PrestaShop version: 1.7.8 runs on PHP 7.1 to 7.4, PrestaShop 8 on PHP 7.2 to 8.1, and PrestaShop 9 on PHP 8.1 to 8.4, or up to 8.5 from 9.1 on. The catch is the calendar: PHP 8.1 stopped getting security fixes on 31 December 2025, and PHP 8.2 stops on 31 December 2026.

Here are the two tables you need, one for PrestaShop and one for PHP, what they mean for your store when you put them side by side, and what to decide before the end of the year.

Which PHP version does each PrestaShop version support?

This is the range PrestaShop gives in its system requirements for each version. PrestaShop 9.2 isn't in that table yet, so its row comes from the 9.2.0 installer, which checks the PHP version before it lets you install.

In every row, the version PrestaShop recommends is the highest one. Going above it isn't an option: the PHP after the last one in the range is marked as not supported, and the store may simply stop working.

Until when does each PHP version get security fixes?

Each PHP version goes through two stages. During active support it gets all kinds of fixes. Then come the years of security fixes only. After that, PHP doesn't fix it any more: in the words of php.net, anyone still using it "may be exposed to unpatched security vulnerabilities".

What does this mean for my store?

Put the two tables together and the picture is clear:

• PrestaShop 1.6 and 1.7: the highest PHP they accept, 7.1 or 7.4, hasn't had security fixes from PHP since 2022 or earlier.
• PrestaShop 8: it stops at PHP 8.1, which lost its security fixes on 31 December 2025. PrestaShop still releases updates for version 8.2 (the latest, 8.2.8, came out in August 2026), but the range doesn't change: its installer still stops at 8.1.
• PrestaShop 9 on PHP 8.1 or 8.2: on 8.1 you're already outside support; on 8.2 you have until 31 December 2026.
• PrestaShop 9 on PHP 8.3, 8.4 or 8.5: covered until the end of 2027, 2028 or 2029.

In short: today, only a store on PrestaShop 9 can run on a PHP that PHP itself still fixes. And from 1 January 2027, only on 8.3 or later.

What is the real risk of an unsupported PHP?

Nothing switches off on 1 January. The store keeps selling, the back office opens as usual. The risk is the next serious flaw: PHP fixes it in the versions it supports, and for the rest you depend on your hosting provider or a paid extended support service bringing the fix over on their own.

We saw it in October with PHP2Shell: stores on PrestaShop 9 with a supported PHP got the fix as a normal update, and the rest had to ask their host whether they'd installed a patch. And since a patched PHP keeps the same version number, you can't tell from the back office.

What should I do before 31 December 2026?

First, look up your two numbers: in the back office, Advanced Parameters → Information shows the PrestaShop version and, a little further down, the PHP version. Then find your case:

1. PrestaShop 9 on PHP 8.1 or 8.2: move to PHP 8.3 or 8.4 (8.5 if you're on 9.1 or later). It's usually a setting in your hosting control panel. Make a full backup first and check that your modules and theme accept the new version.
2. PrestaShop 8: no PHP it accepts still gets security fixes from PHP. The way back to a supported PHP is upgrading to PrestaShop 9. Until then, ask your host whether they patch PHP 8.1 themselves, and for how long.
3. PrestaShop 1.7 or 1.6: same answer, with a bigger jump. Whether to stop at 1.7 or go straight to 9, how long it takes and what it costs, we explain in upgrading PrestaShop 1.7 or 1.6 to 9.

The upgrade to PrestaShop 9 is done without closing your store, keeping products, customers, orders and Google rankings. A small store starts at 690 € (US$859), and the full details are on our PrestaShop 1.6 and 1.7 to 9 migration page.

Some of your store's addresses change with the new version; to keep those rankings, follow our 301 checklist for migrating PrestaShop without losing SEO.

Will my modules work on PrestaShop 9?

It's usually what holds an upgrade back, more than PrestaShop itself: a module nobody updates any more, or a theme built for 1.7. Before setting a date, make a list of your modules and check with each developer that there's a version for PrestaShop 9.

Every module in our catalogue works on PrestaShop 1.7, 8 and 9: the same module for all three, so it comes with you when you upgrade, and it's the team that wrote it that answers if something doesn't fit.

Need help with your PHP version?

Tell us your PrestaShop and PHP versions. We'll tell you whether changing PHP is enough or whether it's time to move to PrestaShop 9 and, if it is, give you a fixed price.

I want to upgrade my store

For your technical team

The PrestaShop installer enforces the range in install-dev/install_version.php: _PS_INSTALL_MAXIMUM_PHP_VERSION_ is 7.4 in 1.7.8.11, 8.1 in 8.2.8, 8.4 in 9.0.0 and 8.5 in 9.1.0 and 9.2.0; the minimum is 7.1.3, 7.2.5 and 8.1 respectively. Packages patched by distributions or control panels keep the version number, so php -v doesn't tell you whether a backported fix is in: check the package revision (rpm -q, dpkg -l) against your provider's advisory.