Resetting your .htaccess file to default

The .htaccess file is a crucial part of many content management systems, such as WordPress, Joomla, PrestaShop, Drupal, Magento and WordPress Multisite. It controls various important server settings, such as redirects, friendly URL rules and security.

Sometimes it may be necessary to revert the .htaccess file to its default state, especially if improper changes have caused problems on the site. Below, we’ll cover how to reset the .htaccess file to default on different platforms.

It is usually located in the public_html folder in your document and can be accessed easily using your browser (logged into your hosting such as CPANEL) or even using an FTP manager such as Filezilla.

WordPress:

In WordPress, the .htaccess file is mainly used for URL rewrite rules and redirects. To reset it to default, you can simply remove it or rename it via FTP. WordPress will automatically generate a new default .htaccess file when necessary.

# BEGIN WordPress

RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]

# END WordPress

Joomla:

In Joomla, the .htaccess file is used to control URL rewrite rules, security and redirects. To reset it, you can rename or remove the existing .htaccess file and then access the Joomla administration interface. Go to Global Configuration > Server > SEO Settings and then click on “Save and Close”. This will regenerate the default .htaccess file.

##
# @package Joomla
# @copyright Copyright (C) 2005 - 2014 Open Source Matters. All rights reserved.
# @license GNU General Public License version 2 or later; see LICENSE.txt
##

##
# READ THIS COMPLETELY IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE THIS FILE!
#
# The line just below this section: 'Options +FollowSymLinks' may cause problems
# with some server configurations. It is required for use of mod_rewrite, but may already
# be set by your server administrator in a way that dissallows changing it in
# your .htaccess file. If using it causes your server to error out, comment it out (add # to
# beginning of line), reload your site in your browser and test your sef url's. If they work,
# it has been set by your server administrator and you do not need it set here.
##

## Can be commented out if causes errors, see notes above.
Options +FollowSymLinks

## Mod_rewrite in use.

RewriteEngine On

## Begin - Rewrite rules to block out some common exploits.
# If you experience problems on your site block out the operations listed below
# This attempts to block the most common type of exploit `attempts` to Joomla!
#
# Block out any script trying to base64_encode data within the URL.
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} base64_encode[^(]*\([^)]*\) [OR]
# Block out any script that includes a script tag in URL.
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} (<|<)([^s]*s)+cript.*(>|>) [NC,OR]
# Block out any script trying to set a PHP GLOBALS variable via URL.
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} GLOBALS(=|\[|\%[0-9A-Z]{0,2}) [OR]
# Block out any script trying to modify a _REQUEST variable via URL.
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} _REQUEST(=|\[|\%[0-9A-Z]{0,2})
# Return 403 Forbidden header and show the content of the root homepage
RewriteRule .* index.php [F]
#
## End - Rewrite rules to block out some common exploits.

## Begin - Custom redirects
#
# If you need to redirect some pages, or set a canonical non-www to
# www redirect (or vice versa), place that code here. Ensure those
# redirects use the correct RewriteRule syntax and the [R=301,L] flags.
#
## End - Custom redirects

##
# Uncomment following line if your webserver's URL
# is not directly related to physical file paths.
# Update Your Joomla! Directory (just / for root).
##

# RewriteBase /

## Begin - Joomla! core SEF Section.
#
RewriteRule .* - [E=HTTP_AUTHORIZATION:%{HTTP:Authorization}]
#
# If the requested path and file is not /index.php and the request
# has not already been internally rewritten to the index.php script
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/index\.php
# and the request is for something within the component folder,
# or for the site root, or for an extensionless URL, or the
# requested URL ends with one of the listed extensions
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} /component/|(/[^.]*|\.(php|html?|feed|pdf|vcf|raw))$ [NC]
# and the requested path and file doesn't directly match a physical file
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
# and the requested path and file doesn't directly match a physical folder
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
# internally rewrite the request to the index.php script
RewriteRule .* index.php [L]
#
## End - Joomla! core SEF Section.

PrestaShop:

In PrestaShop, the .htaccess file mainly controls URL rewrite rules and site security. To reset, you can rename the existing .htaccess file to something like “.htaccess_backup” and PrestaShop will regenerate the default file automatically.

RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /prestashop/

# ~~start~~ Do not remove this comment, Prestashop will keep automatically the code outside this comment when .htaccess will be generated again
# .htaccess automaticaly generated by PrestaShop e-commerce open-source solution
# http://www.prestashop.com - http://www.prestashop.com/forums

 

SetEnv HTTP_MOD_REWRITE On


RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^kool-story-bro.net$
RewriteRule . - [E=REWRITEBASE:/prestashop/]
RewriteRule ^api/?(.*)$ %{ENV:REWRITEBASE}webservice/dispatcher.php?url=$1 [QSA,L]

# Images
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^kool-story-bro.net$
RewriteRule ^([0-9])(\-[_a-zA-Z0-9-]*)?(-[0-9]+)?/.+\.jpg$ %{ENV:REWRITEBASE}img/p/$1/$1$2$3.jpg [L]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^kool-story-bro.net$
RewriteRule ^([0-9])([0-9])(\-[_a-zA-Z0-9-]*)?(-[0-9]+)?/.+\.jpg$ %{ENV:REWRITEBASE}img/p/$1/$2/$1$2$3$4.jpg [L]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^kool-story-bro.net$
RewriteRule ^([0-9])([0-9])([0-9])(\-[_a-zA-Z0-9-]*)?(-[0-9]+)?/.+\.jpg$ %{ENV:REWRITEBASE}img/p/$1/$2/$3/$1$2$3$4$5.jpg [L]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^kool-story-bro.net$
RewriteRule ^([0-9])([0-9])([0-9])([0-9])(\-[_a-zA-Z0-9-]*)?(-[0-9]+)?/.+\.jpg$ %{ENV:REWRITEBASE}img/p/$1/$2/$3/$4/$1$2$3$4$5$6.jpg [L]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^kool-story-bro.net$
RewriteRule ^([0-9])([0-9])([0-9])([0-9])([0-9])(\-[_a-zA-Z0-9-]*)?(-[0-9]+)?/.+\.jpg$ %{ENV:REWRITEBASE}img/p/$1/$2/$3/$4/$5/$1$2$3$4$5$6$7.jpg [L]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^kool-story-bro.net$
RewriteRule ^([0-9])([0-9])([0-9])([0-9])([0-9])([0-9])(\-[_a-zA-Z0-9-]*)?(-[0-9]+)?/.+\.jpg$ %{ENV:REWRITEBASE}img/p/$1/$2/$3/$4/$5/$6/$1$2$3$4$5$6$7$8.jpg [L]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^kool-story-bro.net$
RewriteRule ^([0-9])([0-9])([0-9])([0-9])([0-9])([0-9])([0-9])(\-[_a-zA-Z0-9-]*)?(-[0-9]+)?/.+\.jpg$ %{ENV:REWRITEBASE}img/p/$1/$2/$3/$4/$5/$6/$7/$1$2$3$4$5$6$7$8$9.jpg [L]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^kool-story-bro.net$
RewriteRule ^([0-9])([0-9])([0-9])([0-9])([0-9])([0-9])([0-9])([0-9])(\-[_a-zA-Z0-9-]*)?(-[0-9]+)?/.+\.jpg$ %{ENV:REWRITEBASE}img/p/$1/$2/$3/$4/$5/$6/$7/$8/$1$2$3$4$5$6$7$8$9$10.jpg [L]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^kool-story-bro.net$
RewriteRule ^c/([0-9]+)(\-[\.*_a-zA-Z0-9-]*)(-[0-9]+)?/.+\.jpg$ %{ENV:REWRITEBASE}img/c/$1$2$3.jpg [L]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^kool-story-bro.net$
RewriteRule ^c/([a-zA-Z_-]+)(-[0-9]+)?/.+\.jpg$ %{ENV:REWRITEBASE}img/c/$1$2.jpg [L]
# AlphaImageLoader for IE and fancybox
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^kool-story-bro.net$
RewriteRule ^images_ie/?([^/]+)\.(jpe?g|png|gif)$ js/jquery/plugins/fancybox/images/$1.$2 [L]

# Dispatcher
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -s [OR]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -l [OR]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -d
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^kool-story-bro.net$
RewriteRule ^.*$ - [NC,L]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^kool-story-bro.net$
RewriteRule ^.*$ %{ENV:REWRITEBASE}index.php [NC,L]


#If rewrite mod isn't enabled
ErrorDocument 404 /prestashop/index.php?controller=404

# ~~end~~ Do not remove this comment, Prestashop will keep automatically the code outside this comment when .htaccess will be generated again

Drupal:

In Drupal, the .htaccess file is essential for configuring URL rewriting and protecting sensitive directories. To reset, simply rename or remove the .htaccess file and Drupal will create a new default file the next time the site is accessed.

#
# Apache/PHP/Drupal settings:
#

# Protect files and directories from prying eyes.

Order allow,deny


# Don't show directory listings for URLs which map to a directory.
Options -Indexes

# Follow symbolic links in this directory.
Options +FollowSymLinks

# Customized error messages.
ErrorDocument 404 /index.php

# Set the default handler.
DirectoryIndex index.php

# Override PHP settings. More in sites/default/settings.php
# but the following cannot be changed at runtime.

# PHP 4, Apache 1.

php_value magic_quotes_gpc 0
php_value register_globals 0
php_value session.auto_start 0
php_value mbstring.http_input pass
php_value mbstring.http_output pass
php_value mbstring.encoding_translation 0


# PHP 4, Apache 2.

php_value magic_quotes_gpc 0
php_value register_globals 0
php_value session.auto_start 0
php_value mbstring.http_input pass
php_value mbstring.http_output pass
php_value mbstring.encoding_translation 0


# PHP 5, Apache 1 and 2.

php_value magic_quotes_gpc 0
php_value register_globals 0
php_value session.auto_start 0
php_value mbstring.http_input pass
php_value mbstring.http_output pass
php_value mbstring.encoding_translation 0


# Requires mod_expires to be enabled.

# Enable expirations.
ExpiresActive On

# Cache all files for 2 weeks after access (A).
ExpiresDefault A1209600

# Do not cache dynamically generated pages.
ExpiresByType text/html A1


# Various rewrite rules.

RewriteEngine on

# If your site can be accessed both with and without the 'www.' prefix, you
# can use one of the following settings to redirect users to your preferred
# URL, either WITH or WITHOUT the 'www.' prefix. Choose ONLY one option:
#
# To redirect all users to access the site WITH the 'www.' prefix,
# (http://example.com/... will be redirected to http://www.example.com/...)
# adapt and uncomment the following:
# RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^example\.com$ [NC]
# RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.example.com/$1 [L,R=301]
#
# To redirect all users to access the site WITHOUT the 'www.' prefix,
# (http://www.example.com/... will be redirected to http://example.com/...)
# uncomment and adapt the following:
# RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.example\.com$ [NC]
# RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://example.com/$1 [L,R=301]

# Modify the RewriteBase if you are using Drupal in a subdirectory or in a
# VirtualDocumentRoot and the rewrite rules are not working properly.
# For example if your site is at http://example.com/drupal uncomment and
# modify the following line:
# RewriteBase /drupal
#
# If your site is running in a VirtualDocumentRoot at http://example.com/,
# uncomment the following line:
# RewriteBase /

# Rewrite URLs of the form 'index.php?q=x'.
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ index.php?q=$1 [L,QSA]


# $Id: .htaccess,v 1.90 2007/10/05 14:43:23 dries Exp $

Magento:

In Magento, the .htaccess file plays a crucial role in site security and URL rewrite rules. To reset, you can rename the existing .htaccess file and then run Magento’s clear cache command so that it generates a new default .htaccess file.

############################################
## uncomment these lines for CGI mode
## make sure to specify the correct cgi php binary file name
## it might be /cgi-bin/php-cgi

# Action php5-cgi /cgi-bin/php5-cgi
# AddHandler php5-cgi .php

############################################
## GoDaddy specific options

# Options -MultiViews

## you might also need to add this line to php.ini
## cgi.fix_pathinfo = 1
## if it still doesn't work, rename php.ini to php5.ini

############################################
## this line is specific for 1and1 hosting

#AddType x-mapp-php5 .php
#AddHandler x-mapp-php5 .php

############################################
## default index file

DirectoryIndex index.php

 

############################################
## adjust memory limit

php_value memory_limit 512M
php_value max_execution_time 18000

############################################
## disable magic quotes for php request vars

php_flag magic_quotes_gpc off

############################################
## disable automatic session start
## before autoload was initialized

php_flag session.auto_start off

############################################
## enable resulting html compression

#php_flag zlib.output_compression on

###########################################
# disable user agent verification to not break multiple image upload

php_flag suhosin.session.cryptua off

###########################################
# turn off compatibility with PHP4 when dealing with objects

php_flag zend.ze1_compatibility_mode Off

 


###########################################
# disable POST processing to not break multiple image upload

SecFilterEngine Off
SecFilterScanPOST Off

 


############################################
## enable apache served files compression
## http://developer.yahoo.com/performance/rules.html#gzip

# Insert filter on all content
###SetOutputFilter DEFLATE
# Insert filter on selected content types only
#AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html text/plain text/xml text/css text/javascript

# Netscape 4.x has some problems...
#BrowserMatch ^Mozilla/4 gzip-only-text/html

# Netscape 4.06-4.08 have some more problems
#BrowserMatch ^Mozilla/4\.0[678] no-gzip

# MSIE masquerades as Netscape, but it is fine
#BrowserMatch \bMSIE !no-gzip !gzip-only-text/html

# Don't compress images
#SetEnvIfNoCase Request_URI \.(?:gif|jpe?g|png)$ no-gzip dont-vary

# Make sure proxies don't deliver the wrong content
#Header append Vary User-Agent env=!dont-vary

 

 

############################################
## make HTTPS env vars available for CGI mode

SSLOptions StdEnvVars

 

 

############################################
## enable rewrites

Options +FollowSymLinks
RewriteEngine on

############################################
## you can put here your magento root folder
## path relative to web root

#RewriteBase /magento/

############################################
## workaround for HTTP authorization
## in CGI environment

RewriteRule .* - [E=HTTP_AUTHORIZATION:%{HTTP:Authorization}]

############################################
## always send 404 on missing files in these folders

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/(media|skin|js)/

############################################
## never rewrite for existing files, directories and links

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-l

############################################
## rewrite everything else to index.php

RewriteRule .* index.php [L]

 


############################################
## Prevent character encoding issues from server overrides
## If you still have problems, use the second line instead

AddDefaultCharset Off
#AddDefaultCharset UTF-8

 

############################################
## Add default Expires header
## http://developer.yahoo.com/performance/rules.html#expires

ExpiresDefault "access plus 1 year"

 

############################################
## By default allow all access

Order allow,deny
Allow from all

############################################
## If running in cluster environment, uncomment this
## http://developer.yahoo.com/performance/rules.html#etags

#FileETag none

WordPress Multisite:

In WordPress Multisite, the .htaccess file is responsible for URL rewrite rules and redirects between sites. To reset, you can rename or remove the .htaccess file in the root of your WordPress Multisite. WordPress will automatically recreate the default .htaccess file as needed.

RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]

# uploaded files
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?files/(.+) wp-includes/ms-files.php?file=$2 [L]

# add a trailing slash to /wp-admin
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?wp-admin$ $1wp-admin/ [R=301,L]

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -f [OR]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -d
RewriteRule ^ - [L]
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?(wp-(content|admin|includes).*) $2 [L]
RewriteRule ^([_0-9a-zA-Z-]+/)?(.*\.php)$ $2 [L]
RewriteRule . index.php [L]

Always remember to back up the .htaccess file before making any changes, so that you can restore it in case of problems.