There are many files and folders present in the WordPress directory and you should know that .htaccess is one of the most important files. It’s important to know the correct way to edit this file.
Whenever you install WordPress, set the permalink structures, and save them. The .htaccess file gets generated. It means you can solve the issue when you don’t find this file in the file manager of your web hosting.
As you know, most of the people use the shared web hosting. And it’s really important to keep your website optimized because shared servers have the limited resources.
Most of the experts suggest you add the code to the .htaccess WordPress file. How can you do if you don’t even know the exact location of this file?
Every now and then, it’s recommended to learn the basics of WordPress and the cPanel provided by your web hosting company.
I am going to walk you through this process.
A step by step Guide to edit the .htaccess WordPress file
You may be wondering something technical. Well, even if you don’t have any knowledge about coding or the technical aspects of WordPress, you can easily accomplish this
Step 1
Log into the cPanel using your web hosting account. At many web hostings, you may find an AMP with many tools and resources.
The ultimate goal is to find an icon of cPanel. Click on that to open it and you have to find the Files’ section. It’s because to access the website data, you need to open the file manager.
Open the file manager. Depending on your web hosting, the appearance of the cPanel may be different but the options will be similar.
Step 2
If you are hosting only one website, you can find its data in the root directory (public_html) but if you have multiple websites, you will see the different folder names.
Depending on your website’s type, you have to open its data. For each WordPress installation, you will find wp-content, wp-includes, wp-admin, and many files.
Search for the .htaccess file in the list.
Many people complain that they don’t find this file along with other folders and files. It’s because the file is hidden and it can’t be seen until you check the box to display all the hidden files.
It can be done by clicking on the Settings’ button. It’s present at the top-right corner of the screen. In your cPanel, it may be somewhere else.
Once you do that, a popup will appear. You have to check the box of “Show hidden files” and save it.
Now refresh your root directory and you can find the .htaccess file. Many web hostings ask you to choose this option when you open the file manager.
It’s your responsibility to keep that in mind.
Step 3
Now is the step to know the process to edit this file. Just right-click on the .htaccess file and you can easily find an option to “Edit” it.
Depending on your web hosting, either a new tab will open or a popup will appear. It will consist of the default WordPress codes.
For a fresh installation, only the redirect code will be available. Some people get confused when they see the codes. Well, you don’t need to edit anything.
You just need to copy your code and paste it into this file. Once you do it, save the file and come back to the root directory.
Refresh it and you’re done.
Why do You Need to Edit this WordPress File
Many WordPress users ask as if what’s the need to edit this file when they can accomplish the task using the plugins? Well, it’s always better to avoid plugins.
More plugins tend to impact the page loading time of the website.
Let me mention a few things you can do using this file.
- Enable browser cache
- Disable directory browsing
- Protect wp-content folder
- Protect wp-includes folder
- Block bad bots
- Create custom error pages
Each task requires a custom code to add to the .htaccess WordPress file. The same question can be asked again.
You can do a few of the above-mentioned things using a security plugin. Just to clarify, even the security plugin adds the code to the .htaccess file.
Most of the people don’t understand how WordPress and its plugins work.
What Will Happen if You Delete this File and How to Create a New One
As discussed earlier, it’s one of the most important files and its absence can alter the SEO settings of the website. It’s because the permalink structure of the website is dependent on this file.
If you have set the custom permalinks for the better SEO and you delete this file, there are chances that most of the pages and posts on your website will show the 404 error.
And I am sure, you don’t want to encounter any such error. And in some cases, the WordPress login page is shown blank.
So it’s better to keep it safe. And to create it you just need to log into your WordPress dashboard, go to Settings>>Permalinks and you can set your favorite SEO friendly permalink structure.
Save the settings and a new .htaccess file will get generated in the WordPress directory of your website. To check it, you have to follow the above-mentioned steps.
WordPress is a user-friendly content management system but to manage your website, you have to learn a few things about the web hosting.
Most of the companies are offering cPanel. Many are also providing Plesk. As per my experience, cPanel is a lot easier than anything else.
Even if you get stuck somewhere, you can easily find the tutorials. Most of the guides related to WordPress are written based on the usage of cPanel.
As you have already seen, you can edit the .htaccess WordPress using it. I hope you will not face any kind of difficulty. Even if you do, keep the steps in your mind.
