It can be challenging to upgrade PHP in XAMPP without losing data, but if you carefully follow these instructions, it is achievable. Here is a generic how-to for updating PHP in XAMPP:

Before making any changes to your development environment, always make a backup of your data and configuration files.

Step1: Backup Your Projects:

Copy your htdocs folder to a safe location, or create a backup of your project files. This step is crucial to avoid any data loss.

Step 2: Backup Your Databases:

Export your MySQL databases using the phpMyAdmin tool or command-line tools like mysqldump. Save these SQL dump files in a safe location.

Step 3: Backup Configuration Files:

Make a copy of your php.ini and httpd.conf files, which are located in the php and apache folders within your XAMPP installation directory, respectively.

Go to this path C:\xampp old\php

Step 4: Install the new version of PHP in XAMPP

Go to official website Xampp :- https://www.apachefriends.org/download.html

To do this, open the XAMPP Control Panel and click the “Add” button. Then, select the “PHP” option and browse to the new version of PHP that you downloaded in step 3. Click the “Install” button to begin the installation process.

Step 5: Start Apache and MySQL

Start Apache and MySQL services using the XAMPP Control Panel.

Step 6: Import Databases

Use phpMyAdmin or command-line tools to import your MySQL databases from the backup you created.

Step 7 :Test Your Projects:

• Place your backed-up project files into the htdocs folder.
• Access your projects through a web browser to verify that they work with the new PHP version.