GoDaddy Help

My .htaccess file was renamed

Your .htaccess (hypertext access) file was migrated but renamed during auto-migration. This includes any .htaccess files that are not in the root directory. A .htaccess file is a hidden file where you can turn features on or off to protect your site and redirect traffic.

When WordPress is installed, it includes a predefined .htaccess file with a default structure to support permalinks. Permalinks define how your site is navigated and how the URL appears to your site visitors.

Warning: Always back up your site before troubleshooting or making any changes.

If your previous .htaccess included custom settings, you can rename the file back to .htaccess. Be sure to choose to overwrite the existing file. To rename your .htaccess file, follow these steps.

  1. Connect to your hosting account with FTP.
  2. Once connected, go to the root directory for your WordPress site, which is the folder containing your site.
  3. Locate the .htaccess.disabled file and rename it to .htaccess. This is a hidden file. You may need to adjust the settings in your FTP app to see it.
  4. (Optional) If you have additional .htaccess files in other folders, repeat step 3 in each of those folders.

Related steps

If the .htaccess file causes an error on your site and needs to be disabled, you can automatically create a new one by resetting your permalinks.

More info

Share this article