What are all these htaccess files?

Understanding .htaccess Files on Your Hosting Account

If you look through your hosting account files and see several .htaccess files in different directories, this is completely normal. The .htaccess file is a configuration file used by the Apache web server to control how your website behaves on a per-directory basis.

Why Are There Multiple .htaccess Files?

cPanel and various web applications create .htaccess files automatically. Some common sources include:

• cPanel creates .htaccess files when you set up password-protected directories, redirects, or error pages through the control panel
• WordPress creates a .htaccess file in your site root for its permalink URL structure
• Security plugins like Wordfence or Sucuri may add rules to the .htaccess file to block malicious traffic
• Softaculous may add .htaccess rules during application installation

What Do They Do?

.htaccess files can control many aspects of your website, including URL redirects (301 and 302), password protection, custom error pages (like a custom 404 page), PHP settings, file access restrictions, and caching rules. Each .htaccess file applies to the directory it is in and all subdirectories below it.

Can I Delete Them?

Be very careful before deleting any .htaccess file. Removing the wrong one can break your website, disable password protection, or prevent your CMS from routing URLs correctly. If you are unsure whether an .htaccess file is needed, rename it to .htaccess.bak instead of deleting it. That way you can restore it easily if something breaks.