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Frequently Asked Questions

What file displays when someone browses to my domain name?

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Last Updated: June 19, 2015 9:36 AM

When a visitor types your domain name in to their browser they are automatically directed to your website's default file. For example, to go to Yahoo!, you type yahoo.com. It doesn't show up in your browser, but you're actually looking at the index.html page. Try it yourself, type yahoo.com/index.html in your browser.

You might have guessed, index.html file is a default file. If it's the only default file in the root directory, it automatically displays when someone goes to your domain name.

If you have more than one default file in a directory, the server decides which one takes priority, and then displays that file. Understanding the order the files are served is key to making sure the correct page displays on your website.

  1. index.html.var
  2. index.htm
  3. index.html
  4. index.shtml
  5. index.xhtml
  6. index.wml
  7. index.perl
  8. index.pl
  9. index.plx
  10. index.ppl
  11. index.cgi
  12. index.js
  13. index.jp
  14. index.php4
  15. index.php3
  16. index.php
  17. index.phtml
  18. default.htm
  19. default.html
  20. home.htm
  21. index.php5
  22. Default.html
  23. Default.htm
  24. home.html

NOTE: cPanel hosting file structure is case sensitive because it uses Linux.