How can I change the default page / document?

Create a .htaccess file, include the below information into it and upload it to the public_html directory. If you cannot create a .htaccess file because you are using Windows, simply name it htaccess and rename the file after it is uploaded with your ftp client.


DirectoryIndex filename.html


This would cause filename.html to be treated as your default page, or default directory page. You can also append other filenames to it. You may want to have certain directories use a script as a default page, that is not a problem either.


DirectoryIndex filename.html index.cgi index.pl default.htm



In some cases the default file does not exist and you will wanto to have the default page be a URL or address. In such a case use the following: 


RewriteRule ^/?$ /home [L,R=301]

/home being the URL you would like to set as the default address for the domain.



  • 564 Users Found This Useful

Was this answer helpful?

Related Articles

Add Flash Chat to your Website

We ran into this website recently which allows you to easily insert a flash chat room into your...

vBulletin fsockopen() [function.fsockopen]: unable to connect

When setting up mail in vBulletin be sure you are using localhost for the mail server along with...

Change your Websites Favorite Icon

How to change your website's icon for your internet browser. Create a 16x16 pixel icon image...

Reseller: Unable to find an IP address in when creating an account

When creating accounts be sure to select a package in the package field. You can create a package...

Create a 410 Redirect for Missing Files

A redirect which is often forgot about is the 410 redirect. This is search engine friendly in the...