How to change the PHP version for a specific directory

You can easily select a different PHP version for a specific directory by using a small rule in your .htaccess file.

This is useful when:

• You run multiple applications on the same hosting account
• A specific script requires a different PHP version
• You want to test a new PHP version without affecting the entire website

Step 1: Locate or create the .htaccess file

Open the directory where you want to use a different PHP version.

Then locate or create the file:

.htaccess

Example directory:

/public_html/example-folder/

Step 2: Add the PHP handler

Add the following code to the .htaccess file:

<FilesMatch "\.(php4|php5|php3|php2|php|phtml)$">
SetHandler application/x-lsphp84
</FilesMatch>

This example will enable PHP 8.4 for the directory.

Available PHP versions

You can replace the version number in the handler with one of the following PHP versions:

5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
5.6
7.0
7.1
7.2
7.3
7.4
8.0
8.1
8.2
8.3
8.4
8.5

Example for PHP 8.2:

<FilesMatch "\.(php4|php5|php3|php2|php|phtml)$">
SetHandler application/x-lsphp82
</FilesMatch>

Important notes

• The PHP version will only apply to the directory where the .htaccess file is placed
• All subdirectories will inherit this PHP version
• You can create multiple .htaccess files in different directories if needed