Installing 3CX

Are you an SMB with Less than 10 Users?

Before you start installing 3CX check if this is the right 3CX for you. For companies with less than 10 users we recommend 3CX SMB. It's a FREE and ready-to-go communications solution for up to 10 users. Technically you will have a shared instance together with other 3CX users. You will not have to worry about licensing, hosting or instance management or security. You’ll get most of the PRO features and no charge at all and you will still enjoy advanced features such as Call queueing, Ring groups and more.

All you will need is an account at a SUPPORTED SIP TRUNK provider to get your numbers - they will give you the phone lines which you can connect to your 3CX for inbound and outbound calling.

If you have more than 10 users you will need a dedicated 3CX instance. With a dedicated instance you have more control, more features, but of course you will need to buy a license, and then decide whether to run and manage 3CX by yourself or have it done by 3CX.

Step 1: Hosted by 3CX, Self Hosted or On Premise?

Hosted by 3CX

First you need to decide whether you want 3CX to host your system or whether you want to do it yourself in a private cloud or on premise. Advantages and requirements of Hosted by 3CX

  • Leave System and Operating System management to us
  • All 3CX upgrades and updates are done automatically
  • We will monitor your system 24/7 for system & security issues
  • This service does not include technical support
  • See the full list of hosting conditions here.

Private Cloud

If you prefer to run 3CX in your own private cloud you can do so if you use Google, Amazon, Amazon Lightsail, Azure or DigitalOcean as your cloud provider. You will have to be pretty technical and familiar with this cloud provider as you will be doing your own instance management.

On-Premise?

You can also install 3CX on Windows or Linux (Virtualize with VMware, Hyper-V or KVM) and run it in your office. You must have:

  • A manageable DNS server (e.g. Microsoft DNS or DNS on your firewall) and configure split DNS to ensure that your 3CX FQDN resolves to the 3CX host machine’s IP on your LAN, and from the internet to your public IP. Read how to create an FQDN using split DNS.
  • A static IP.
  • A proper firewall on which you are able to configure the ports correctly for VoIP to pass. See our Firewall & Router Configuration guide.

Step 2: Deploy 3CX

Once you have decided, signup at https://www.3cx.com/signup/. Now you will need to select which 3CX you have decided to go for.

Hosted by 3CX

  1. Select “3CX Hosted” and click “Next”.
  2. Choose a personalized domain (FQDN) - Each 3CX install requires an FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) via which you can login to the webclient. 3CX can set this up for you. This can not be easily changed later.
  3. Set Extension length - Specify the number of digits for your PBX extension numbers. This cannot be altered later. Click “Next”.
  4. Select your country and timezone. Click "Next".
  5. Your system will be created. You can then proceed to the next step and login to the Admin console to configure the system.

Self-Hosted (Private Cloud)

  1. You will need to do a number of steps in your cloud provider before you continue. See the step by step guides below
  1. Google Cloud
  2. Amazon AWS
  3. Amazon Lightsail
  4. DigitalOcean
  5. Azure
  1. Now select “Self Hosted (Private Cloud)” and click “Next”.
  2. Choose a personalized domain (FQDN) - Each 3CX install requires an FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) via which you can login to the webclient. 3CX can set this up for you. This can not be easily changed later.
  3. Set Extension length - Specify the number of digits for your PBX extension numbers. This cannot be altered later. Click “Next”.
  4. Select your country and timezone. Click "Next"
  5. Choose the cloud provider platform you want to deploy 3CX on. 3CX will be setup in your cloud provider account.

On Premise

  1. Select “On Premise”.
  2. Choose a personalized domain (FQDN) - Each 3CX install requires an FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) via which you can login to the webclient. 3CX can set this up for you. This can not be easily changed later.
  3. Set Extension length - Specify the number of digits for your PBX extension numbers. This cannot be altered later. Click “Next”.
  4. Select your system preferences, i.e. country, language, time zone and prompts.
  5. Choose your preferred platform, Windows or Linux.
  6. Download the installation file and follow the instructions.

Step 3: Sign in to the Admin Console

  1. After deployment is ready, you will be automatically taken to the 3CX Web client.
  2. You can login using the password you set during signup.
  3. Change the password. This will make the 3CX Admin Console password different from the customer portal password.
  4. Now click on the “Admin” button on the left hand side to go to the 3CX Admin Console and setup your system.

See also

  • On-premise installs:

Last Updated

This document was last updated on 16 January 2026

https://www.3cx.com/docs/manual/install/