Using Server Side Includes with HTML Files Updated on March 10, 2026 by Carrie Smaha 0 Minutes, 54 Seconds to Read Typically, when you use Server Side Includes, you’ll save the file with the shtml extension. This tells the server that it contains a SSI. If you have lots of files, renaming them with the shtml extension can be tedious. You can easily set up a htaccess rule to allow SSI with html files. If you are not familiar with server side includes, please read our article. Please keep in mind, if you do not have to do this, it is not recommended. Since you are directing the server to parse all HTML files it can slow down page load speeds. Setting SSI to work over HTML Log into cPanel.Navigate to your .htaccess file using file manager in cPanel.Open the .htaccess file with code edit. At the top of the file add these lines of code: AddType text/html .shtml AddHandler server-parsed .shtml Options Indexes FollowSymLinks Includes AddHandler server-parsed .html .htm Now, when you use Server Side Includes you can use HTML pages as well. If you need further assistance please feel free to contact our support department. Share this Article Carrie Smaha Senior Manager Marketing Operations Carrie Smaha is a Senior Marketing Operations leader with over 20 years of experience in digital strategy, web development, and IT project management. She specializes in go-to-market programs and SaaS solutions for WordPress and VPS Hosting, working closely with technical teams and customers to deliver high-performance, scalable platforms. At InMotion Hosting, she drives product marketing initiatives that blend strategic insight with technical depth. More Articles by Carrie Related Articles Intro to Migrating your WordPress Site Data Migrating your WordPress Database Migrating WordPress Files Configuring WordPress After a Migration Testing your WordPress website after Migration How to Move WordPress from a Subfolder to the Root Directory What to expect during a mass server migration Move Your WordPress Site to a New Server Moving Websites Built with Older Technology into WordPress How to Export Your WordPress Sites