Install profile

Q: Which install profile should I choose?

Drush uses standard when you leave the profile out, unless a profile in the codebase is marked as a distribution. Its documentation advises minimal for a bare minimum installation.

Q: Where does Drupal remember which profile a site uses?

In the core.extension configuration, under the key profile. Core's DrupalKernel reads that key and exposes it as the install_profile container parameter.

An install profile defines the modules, themes and configuration a new Drupal site starts with. You choose it once, when you run the installer.

Aprende DrupalGlosario de Drupal Last updated October 26, 2026

An install profile, also called an installation profile, is a special extension that Drupal reads while it installs a new site. It sits in its own folder and has an info file of type profile. Drupal core ships three of them, and the installer records the one you used in the site's configuration.

How install profiles work in Drupal 11

A profile is a folder named after the profile, holding profilename.info.yml. The Drupal.org guide lists optional extras: a .install file, a .profile file, a config folder and a translations folder. Downloaded and custom profiles go in the profiles directory of the web root; the README in that directory says so.

The info file uses these keys, according to the guide and the core profiles:

install lists modules to install. The guide says these can be uninstalled later.
dependencies lists required modules that cannot be uninstalled.
themes lists themes to install. The guide says this does not make any of them the default theme.
distribution is an optional block that turns the profile into a distribution.

Configuration shipped in the profile's config/install folder is imported during installation. The Standard profile in core 11.4.10 has both a config/install and a config/optional folder.

Core 11.4.10 includes three profiles:

Profile	Purpose according to its info file
Standard	A site with commonly used features already set up.
Minimal	A bare start for building a custom site; aimed at advanced users.
Demo: Umami Food Magazine (Experimental)	An example site that shows some of what Drupal can do.

The 11.4.0 release notes say the Article and Page content types were removed from the Standard profile and recipe, so a new Standard site starts without a content type.

The installer picks a profile in this order, from install.core.inc: the only profile available; a profile named in the installation parameters; the first profile that is a distribution; the only visible profile. Otherwise it shows the choice to the person installing.

Example

A minimal custom profile is a folder profiles/acme_site with one file, acme_site.info.yml:

name: Acme site
        type: profile
        description: 'Starting point for Acme sites.'
        core_version_requirement: ^11
        install:
          - node
          - block
        themes:
          - stark

Install with Drush by passing the profile name: drush site:install acme_site. After installation the core.extension configuration contains profile: acme_site.

Install profiles and recipes

Drupal core also ships recipes. The Drush documentation describes the first argument of site:install as a profile name or the path to a recipe directory, and gives the example drush si core/recipes/standard. The Standard recipe in core 11.4.10 is described in its own file as providing a standard site with commonly used features pre-configured.

Common mistakes

Following old guides to the letter. The Drupal.org guide still shows a standard_install() call. The Standard profile folder in core 11.4.10 contains no .install file, so read the current core profiles.
Using the demo profile for a real site. Umami is a demo, and its name in core 11.4.10 carries the word Experimental.
Putting a custom profile in the wrong folder. Place it in the web root's profiles directory, not in modules.
Expecting listed modules to be locked. Modules under install can be uninstalled later; only dependencies are required.

For marketing and content teams

The profile decides what your modules, themes and starter settings look like on day one. Ask your developer or agency which profile your site was installed with, because it explains why a fresh site already has certain modules or roles, and which starter features you did not choose yourself.

With DXPR

DXPR describes DXPR CMS as a distribution that brings Drupal, the AI page builder and DXPR Theme together, curated and maintained by DXPR. A distribution is an install profile packaged for reuse.

Sources

Questions about install profiles

A distribution is an install profile packaged as a ready-made site starter. Technically the profile gains a distribution key in its info file, with a name and an optional language and install settings. When one is present, the installer selects it automatically instead of asking.

Drush uses standard when you leave the profile out, unless a profile in the codebase is marked as a distribution. Its documentation advises minimal for a bare minimum installation.

In the core.extension configuration, under the key profile. Core's DrupalKernel reads that key and exposes it as the install_profile container parameter.

Not in Drupal 11.4.10. Core still ships three profiles and records the active one under profile in core.extension. Recipes are a separate mechanism, and the Drush install command takes either a profile name or a recipe path.

Cite this definition

"Install profile." DXPR Drupal glossary, https://dxpr.com/hc/documentation/learn-drupal/drupal-glossary/install-profile. Last updated October 26, 2026.

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