Would you like guidance on turning off directory listing in WordPress? This guide provides precise steps to help you accomplish.

Many users overlook the importance of disabling directory listing, which can create privacy, security, and SEO concerns. It might also affect your website’s user experience negatively. Thus, disabling directory listing is crucial.

Before diving into the steps, let’s briefly explore what directory listing is and why it’s essential to disable it.

What is Directory Listing?

Directory listing, offered by web servers, grants users the ability to explore the entire contents of a directory or folder in instances where there’s no default index file present. Consequently, it’s also termed folder listing or folder listing.

When activated, directory listing prompts the web server to present a list of files and subdirectories within a directory if a user accesses a directory lacking a default index file, like index.html or index.php.

This list usually displays file and folder names, sizes, and modification dates. It might also provide extra details like file permissions or types. It can appear as a straightforward text layout or be displayed as an HTML page with clickable links for easy navigation through the directory structure.

Why Disable Directory Listing in WordPress

Disabling directory listing in WordPress holds significant importance for various reasons:

1. Privacy and Security Concerns: Directory listing exposes critical details about a website’s file structure, potentially revealing file names, directories, and their contents. Exploiting this information, attackers might discern the site’s architecture, uncover vulnerabilities, or access sensitive files not meant for public viewing.

2. Preventing Unauthorized Access: Allowing directory listing can inadvertently open up access to files not intended for direct user interaction, such as configuration or sensitive backup files. Enabling listing increases the risk of exposing these files to unauthorized access.

3. SEO Implications: Directory listing can trigger SEO issues by leading to duplicate content problems in search engine indexing. This can dilute the significance of individual web pages and impact the site’s search engine rankings.

4. Enhancing User Experience: Directory listing creates a subpar user experience by displaying file lists instead of meaningful web content. It can mislead and confuse visitors, hindering effective navigation on the site.

However, before taking steps to disable directory listing on your WordPress website, it’s essential to verify whether it’s currently enabled.

How to Check Whether the Directory listing is Enabled or Not

To verify if directory listing is active on your WordPress site, simply append “/wp-includes” to your website domain. For instance, input the following URL into your web browser: “https://yourdomainname.com/wp-includes."

If you observe a display of files and folders, it indicates that directory listing is turned on for your website.

Alternatively, should you encounter a 403 error or a comparable issue, it indicates that directory listing has already been deactivated on your website.

How to Disable Directory listing in WordPress

Disabling directory listing in WordPress is a straightforward process, and you can achieve it through various methods:

1. cPanel

2. FTP

3. Utilizing a Plugin

This guide will walk you through each of these methods, allowing you to choose the approach that best fits your preferences.

1) Disable Directory Listing in WordPress from cPanel

If you are accustomed to navigating cPanel and have access to its interface, you can promptly deactivate directory listing for WordPress. Begin by logging into your cPanel account using the credentials supplied by your hosting service. Next, navigate to the Files section and select File Manager.

In this section, you have access to view all the files and folders within your WordPress website. Navigate to the “public_html” directory and locate the .htaccess file within it.

Please ensure that the “Show Hidden Files” option is enabled in your settings if you cannot locate the .htaccess file. Remember to save any changes made.

Once you locate the .htaccess file, download it to your computer and modify it using a plain text editor such as Notepad++.

Prior to making additional alterations, it is advisable to create a duplicate of the .htaccess file and designate it with a name like .htaccessbackup.

Once you’ve successfully duplicated the .htaccess file, append the following line of code to the file’s end.

Options -Indexes

Your file may look something like this:

Ultimately, save the .htaccess file after incorporating the code and transfer it to the cPanel’s file manager. Given that the .htaccess file is already present in your WordPress file directory, you will need to substitute it with the updated file during the upload process.

Now, check if the directory listing is disabled by adding the path “/wp-includes” at the end of your domain once again. You can see that it’s disabled now.

2) Disable Directory listing in WordPress with FTP

Utilizing FTP provides an excellent option for editing your WordPress website files when cPanel access is unavailable. Disabling directory listing via FTP mirrors the process of doing so in WordPress through cPanel. This involves manually modifying your WordPress website’s .htaccess file and subsequently uploading it using an FTP client. To begin, let’s establish a connection between your website and the FTP client.

2.1) Connect your Website with an FTP Client

Numerous FTP clients, such as FileZilla and Cyberduck, enable you to establish a connection with your website for file transfer. Although these clients share similarities in usage, this demonstration will specifically utilize FileZilla. To begin, download and install FileZilla from its official website.

Once FileZilla is installed on your computer, launch the application and navigate to File > Site Manager. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+S for quick access.

Next, select “New Site” in the site manager and input your site’s name on the left side of the dialog box.

Next, input the credentials supplied by your hosting services on the right side of your screen within the General tab. Lastly, select Connect to complete the process.

Now, you can access your website files in the remote site section. Should you encounter any difficulties, please refer to our comprehensive guide on accessing FTP for WordPress websites.

2.2) Edit and Replace .htaccess File

In the remote site section, you’ll find the file directories for your website. Navigate to the public_html folder, where the .htaccess file is situated. Simply drag and drop it into the Local site section, which mirrors the file directory of your personal computer.

Next, use a simple text editor such as Notepad++ to modify the .htaccess file, appending the following line of code to the end.

Options -Indexes

Important: This step mirrors the one outlined in the previous method. However, ensure you create a backup of the file by duplicating it, as previously instructed.

After incorporating the code, save the file and once again upload it to the Remote site using the drag-and-drop method.

Disable directory listing on your WordPress website by verifying it; simply append the path “/wp-includes” to the end of your domain name and confirm the changes.

3) Disable Directory listing in WordPress Using a Plugin

If you lack the necessary credentials for cPanel or FTP access and only possess privileges within the WordPress dashboard, you can still deactivate directory listing through a plugin. These plugins enhance your website’s functionalities beyond what WordPress or your default theme offers.

The process of disabling directory listing is simplified through various plugins, many of which permit you to modify the .htaccess file directly from the WordPress dashboard. If you’re already using security or SEO plugins, they might also provide this functionality. Alternatively, you can opt for a specialized plugin designed to automatically disable directory listing.

In this tutorial, we’ll utilize the WP Safely Disable Directory listing plugin. This user-friendly tool empowers you to disable directory listing on your website with a simple click.

To begin utilizing the plugin, you need to install and activate it initially.

3.1) Install and Activate the Plugin

To add the plugin, navigate to the “Plugins” section and select “Add New” in your WordPress dashboard. Search for the plugin using relevant keywords. Once the plugin appears in the search results, click on “Install Now.”

The installation process will only take a few moments. Once it’s finished, simply click on “Activate” to enable the plugin.

3.2) Disable Directory listing from Plugin Settings

To begin utilizing the plugin settings, navigate to Settings > Safe Directory within your WordPress dashboard once the plugin has been activated. You’ll find a single option there.

Ensure to select “Disable Directory listing” for the directory and then click on “Save & Write” to apply the changes.

With these settings, directory listing in WordPress is now disabled. You can verify this by appending “/wp-includes” to your domain and confirming the restriction.

Conclusion

Here are different ways to prevent directory listing on your WordPress site, crucial for avoiding security and privacy concerns.

In summary, you can employ three main methods:

1. cPanel

2. FTP

3. Using a plugin

The most commonly used method involves modifying the .htaccess file via cPanel or an FTP client. Alternatively, you can make edits through SEO, security, or text editor plugins. Dedicated plugins designed for this purpose are also effective.

We trust that you can now successfully disable directory listing on your website. Feel free to share your experience in the comments.

While you’re here, explore additional articles that may enhance your WordPress site:

- How to Rectify Issues with the htaccess File in WordPress?

- WordPress Security: 10 Essential Tactics

• Guide on Editing robots.txt in WordPress (with or without Plugins)

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