Changing a whole site's PHP version is easy and is covered in how to change your PHP version. This article is the next step: different versions in different folders, extensions, and how to confirm what is actually running — because what the panel shows and what the page uses are not always the same thing.
The three tools, and what each is for
| In cPanel |
What for |
| MultiPHP Manager |
Chooses the version per domain. Every domain and subdomain on the account can have its own. |
| PHP Selector |
There you choose the version and switch extensions on or off, and adjust options. It is the complete tool. |
| MultiPHP INI Editor |
Changes php.ini directives per domain, in basic mode or by editing the text. |
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Always start with the panel. There is an .htaccess trick that also changes the version, and we explain it below — but it does not carry your extensions or options chosen in the panel. When the two cross, the site runs on a version without the pieces it needs, and the error that appears does not point here. Use the panel; use .htaccess only when there is no alternative.
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A different version in one folder only
This is asked mainly in two cases: an old shop in a subfolder that will not yet run on PHP 8, or a new area that already needs a newer version than the rest of the site.
| 1 |
In cPanel, open File Manager and go into the folder. Turn on Settings → Show Hidden Files.
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| 2 |
Open that folder's .htaccess, or create it. Make a copy first: duplicate the file and call it .htaccess-copy.
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Add this at the top of the file, swapping the number for the version you want:
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<FilesMatch "\.(php|phtml)$">
SetHandler application/x-lsphp82
</FilesMatch>
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Save and confirm with the test in the next section. If the site errors, delete the lines — everything returns to how it was.
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The 82 is PHP 8.2; for 8.3 it would be x-lsphp83, and so on. Only use versions that appear in the panel: writing one that does not exist gives a 500 error across the whole folder — see website errors: 500, 403, 404 and 508.
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If the folder is a subdomain, there is a better route. If the folder corresponds to a subdomain, do not touch .htaccess — MultiPHP Manager treats subdomains as domains and lets you pick the version from the list, extensions and all. See parked domains and subdomains.
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Confirming what is actually running
The panel says what should be there. To see what the page uses, ask it directly. Create a file in the folder you want to test:
<?php phpinfo();
| 1 |
Give it a name nobody would guess — info-8f3a2.php, not info.php.
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Open it in the browser. The version is right at the top; further down are the loaded extensions and every directive in force.
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Delete the file immediately afterwards.
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Do not leave phpinfo online. It shows system paths, loaded modules, exact versions and sometimes configuration values — in other words, a map for anyone wanting to attack the site. Automated scanners look for info.php and phpinfo.php by default, every day. Use it and delete it, always.
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Running PHP inside .html files
This comes up when you inherit a site in .html and want to add one small dynamic part without changing every address. One line in .htaccess does it:
AddHandler application/x-httpd-lsphp .html .htm
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It has a cost, and it is worth knowing. From then on every .html file goes through PHP, even the ones with no code at all — which makes them slower and stops them being served from cache as static files. See the site is slow: what actually makes a difference. If it is only one page, it is nearly always better to rename it to .php and leave a redirect from the old address.
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PHP extensions
This is the second reason for «I changed the version and the site broke»: each version has its own list of extensions, and the list does not follow by itself. A shop needing intl or soap stops working if the new version has them switched off.
| 1 |
In the PHP Selector, choose the version first.
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| 2 |
Go through the extension list and enable the ones your site was using. If you do not know which, phpinfo() on the old version shows them.
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Enable only what you need. Every loaded extension costs memory on every request.
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If the site throws a critical error after the change, common WordPress errors helps read the message; and to go back, simply pick the previous version again on the same screen.
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Need a version or an extension you cannot find?
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