Disable error_log via htaccess

The error_log file in your public_html directory captures PHP errors. If it is growing large or you want to disable error logging to a file, you can control this through .htaccess or .user.ini.

01. Disable Error Logging

Create or edit .user.ini in your public_html:

log_errors = Off

02. Redirect the Log (Better Option)

If the issue is that error_log is publicly accessible or growing too large in public_html, move it outside the web root:

error_log = /home/username/logs/php_errors.log

Create the logs directory first: mkdir ~/logs

03. Hide Display Errors (Keep Logging)

If you want to keep logging errors to a file but stop showing them to visitors in the browser:

display_errors = Off
log_errors = On

This is the recommended production setting. Errors are written to the log file for you to review, but visitors see a clean error page instead of PHP stack traces.

04. The error_log File Is Huge

It is safe to delete error_log. A new one is created automatically when the next error occurs:

rm ~/public_html/error_log

If it keeps growing quickly, fix the underlying PHP errors rather than just deleting the file. Check cPanel > Metrics > Errors for the most recent entries.

For more on .htaccess and PHP configuration, see Complete Guide to .htaccess.

Quick Recap

1. Disable logging - log_errors = Off in .user.ini (not recommended)
2. Redirect the log outside public_html (better option)
3. Hide from visitors - display_errors = Off with log_errors = On
4. Safe to delete the error_log file, it recreates automatically
5. Fix the errors rather than just hiding them

PHP error management · Last updated March 2026 · Browse all htaccess articles