What filename does my PHP initialization file need to use?
PHP initialization files can manage form, server, and environmental variables as well as server-side cookies, temporary directories, error display, and error logging. You can look at the directives these files can control in PHP's documentation.
The file name your PHP initialization must use depends on the type of hosting account you have (more info).
| Type | Filename | Location (more info) |
|---|---|---|
| Web Hosting - Linux with PHP 5.6 (info) | php56.ini |
Root of account (one per account) |
| Web Hosting - Windows with PHP 5.4 (info) | .user.ini1 |
Root of account (one per account) |
| All Other Web Hosting | php5.ini |
Root of account (one per account) |
| cPanel 4 | .user.ini1 |
/public_html (one per account) |
| Plesk | .user.ini1 |
Website root (one per website) |
| Managed WordPress | .user.ini1,3 |
/html (one per website) |
If you don't see the file that you need listed in your hosting account, you will need to create a file with the filename listed above for your hosting type. If changes to your PHP initialization file are not taking effect, we have troubleshooting steps available here.
Web Hosting accounts running Windows with IIS 6 do not support PHP and therefore do not support PHP initialization files.
1 .user.ini files do not let you modify all of the same settings as php.ini files (php's documentation) and are only compatible with PHP versions 5.4 and above (Web & Classic / cPanel / Plesk).
2 cPanel also supports .user.ini files.
3 Managed WordPress accounts also support using php.ini files, but because of the difficulty in refreshing them when they're updated, we recommend using .user.ini files instead.
4 When using cPanel, you can also modify the php.ini file when selecting which php version you are using by clicking Switch To PHP Options. For more information, see View or change your PHP version in cPanel hosting.