Overview: How to Set the PHP Version per Directory in cPanel
This guide explains How to Set the PHP Version per Directory in cPanel step‑by‑step and why it matters for security, uptime, and performance. It’s written for small and medium businesses that rely on Blackhawk MSP for proactive, managed IT support in the Bay Area and beyond.
- ✅ Clear, actionable steps
- ✅ Best‑practice notes from our MSP engineers
- ✅ Links to related services and help
Tip: If you’re short on time, contact us — we’ll handle this for you and verify everything is working.
Do you want to use different PHP versions per directory? You can do this using cPanel and the dot htaccess file.
1. Log in to your cPanel account.
2. In the Software section, click on MultiPHP Manager.
3. The first thing we need to do is to get the code generated by cPanel.
4. Scroll down to the bottom of the page. Select your domain from the left side of the screen. You can view the PHP Version from the drop-down menu on the right. Please, select the appropriate PHP version from it and click on Apply.
5. First, open the /public_html/.htaccess file in the cPanel File Manager, and you will find the code generated by cPanel. 
6. After you copy the code, should you wish to set the PHP to version 8.1 in the directory forums, create a .htaccess file in the directory /forums/ and paste the code generated in the previous step.
7. Congratulations, now your directory forums is using PHP 8.1. Should you wish to set any other directory to use the same version of PHP as well, you would only need to copy the code from the .htaccess file and paste it into that directory.
Now, reset your PHP version from your primary domain. Should you wish to use a different PHP version on any directory, follow steps five and six, generate the code, copy that code from /public_html/.htaccess and paste it into the directory where you want to set the selected PHP version.
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Need help? Blackhawk MSP can do this for you, verify success, and document the change. Call 1‑925‑218‑4000 or open a ticket.
