# Hosting update: PHP index files now take priority

**URL:** <https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/t/hosting-update-php-index-files-now-take-priority/57187>\
**Category:** Elements Hosting\
**Tags:** elements-hosting, index-files, index.php, index.html\
**Created:** [August 3, 2026, 1:10pm UTC](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/t/hosting-update-php-index-files-now-take-priority/57187 "2026-08-03T13:10:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![differentdan](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex005/user_avatar/forums.realmacsoftware.com/differentdan/32/33530_2.png) [@differentdan](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/u/differentdan)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2026, 1:10pm UTC](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/t/hosting-update-php-index-files-now-take-priority/57187/1 "2026-08-03T13:10:34Z")

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Hey Elements Hosters,

Just a heads up, we’ve updated our web hosting servers so that when a folder contains both an `index.php` file and an `index.html` file, the `index.php` file will now take precedence and be served first.

We made this change because when adding a component that requires PHP to function, RapidWeaver will prompt you to update the page extension (e.g. `.html` to `.php`), like so:

 ![page-switch-to-php](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/flex005/uploads/realmacsoftware1/original/3X/8/1/816acb5c51db0fe23ea3f73e29b3868d78845ea9.jpeg)

However, RapidWeaver Classic and RapidWeaver Elements do not automatically delete older files from your hosting account when publishing, which can result in unexpected behavior and warnings, as you shouldn’t have multiple index files in the same folder.

For most customers, no action is required. However, please keep this in mind when changing your page extensions from `.html` to `.php` or vice-versa. Going forward, the server will always serve an `index.php` file first if it exists in the page folder. If not, it will then serve an `index.html` file.

It’s always a good idea to clean up your website files from time to time to make sure there are no orphaned and outdated files remaining on your hosting account. 🙂

If you have any questions, feel free to drop them in this thread.

As always, happy hosting! 🫶

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MichaelDroste](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex005/user_avatar/forums.realmacsoftware.com/michaeldroste/32/37212_2.png) [@MichaelDroste](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/u/MichaelDroste)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2026, 1:40pm UTC](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/t/hosting-update-php-index-files-now-take-priority/57187/2 "2026-08-03T13:40:38Z")

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Yes - just ran into this….

Had to go in and clean out index.html for php to work…

Good advice!