Overview
Hotlink protection prevents other websites from loading files directly from your site using your bandwidth.
When Hotlink protection is enabled, you can:
Prevent unauthorized use of images and files
Limit which websites have access to your content
Block direct access to specific file types
Redirect requests to another URL
When you finish this guide, you will know how to manage Hotlink protection in cPanel.
Important information
When you enable Hotlink protection, make sure to allow the necessary domains.
This can be, for example:
Website Subdomains
The domain you use to log in to cPanel
Other websites that should have access to your content
If these domains are not allowed, some files may stop working as expected.
Prerequisites
Before you start, make sure you:
Have access to cPanel
Are logged into cPanel
Have an active webhosting package with cPanel support
Step 1: Log in to cPanel
If your hosting service supports cPanel, you can log in directly from the landing page in the client area.
This is how you do it:
Find your hosting service under the list of active products/services
Click on the "Log in to cPanel" button
You are now automatically logged into cPanel without having to enter your username or password again
Step 2: Enable Hotlink protection
To enable Hotlink protection:
Open Hotlink Protection in cPanel
Click on Enable
The system now opens a new page that shows:
Allowed referrers
Protected extensions
Click on Go Back to continue with the configuration
š” Tip: Enable the protection before adding your own rules so that all settings are saved correctly.
Step 3: Allow specific websites
If certain websites are to be able to use files from your site, they must be added as permitted with the following steps:
Find the URLs to allow access field
Enter the URLs that should have access
Save the changes by clicking on Submit
Examples can be:
Website's own subdomains
External websites you partner with
Alternative domains that point to your website
Step 4: Block specific file types
You can prevent direct access to specific file types by doing the following:
3. Find the Block direct access for the following extensions:
4. Enter the file types you want to protect, separated with commas
Examples:
.jpg
.png
.gif
When a file type is blocked, other websites cannot hotlink to these files regardless of other settings.
Step 5: Allow direct URL access
If you want visitors to be able to open files directly via URL, you can enable it with the following option:
5. Check the Allow direct requests checkbox
6. Save the changes by clicking on Submit
When the setting is enabled, users can open files directly by visiting the file's URL.
Example:
Step 5: Redirect blocked requests
You can send visitors to another page when a blocked request is detected as follows:
7. Find the field Redirect the requests to the following URL:
8. Specify the URL you want to forward visitors to
9. Save the changes by clicking on Submit
This can be used, for example, to display an information page or the websiteās front page.
Step 6: Disable Hotlink Protection
If you no longer want to use Hotlink protection, you can disable the feature by clicking on Disable:
ā ļø Important: When you disable Hotlink protection, the list of allowed URLs is automatically deleted.
We therefore recommend that you save the list locally before disabling the feature.
Troubleshooting
Photos do not appear on my website
Make sure that your domain or subdomain is added to the list of permitted URLs.
Some files are unavailable
Check that the file extension is not added to the list of blocked file extensions.
The changes don't seem to work
Try to clear your browser cache and test it again.
Summary
Youāve now learned how to enable, configure, and disable Hotlink protection in cPanel.
By using Hotlink protection, you can reduce unwanted use of your websiteās files and help save bandwidth on your web space.