Directory Indexes

Control whether visitors see a file listing or a 403 error for folders without index files using Hostinger's Folder Index Manager in hPanel or .htaccess.

Control what visitors see when they hit a URL that maps to a directory with no index.html or index.php: a file listing, or a 403 Forbidden. In hPanel this tool is called Folder Index Manager.

Warning: Directory listing should be disabled in most cases. Exposing your file structure can leak sensitive files, config, or backups.

Toggle in hPanel

1. Open your website dashboard.

2. Go to Advanced → Folder Index Manager.

3. Choose:

   • Enabled — visitors see directory contents when there's no index file.

   • Disabled — visitors get 403 Forbidden.

4. Click Save.

Only enable this if you intentionally want a browsable folder (e.g., a public downloads directory).

Per-directory via .htaccess

Disable listing:

Options -Indexes

Enable listing:

Options +Indexes

Place the .htaccess in the directory you want to affect.

---

Last updated: July 22, 2026