---
title: "How to Set Up a 301 Permanent Redirect via .htaccess & cPanel"
description: "A 301 redirect tells browsers and search engines that a page or site has moved permanently to a new location. It passes nearly 100% of SEO value (link equity) to the new URL and prevents 404 errors..."
url: https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/website/setting-up-a-301-permanent-redirect-via-htaccess/
date: 2026-04-15
modified: 2026-04-15
author: "Carrie Smaha"
categories: ["Website"]
type: post
lang: en
---

# How to Set Up a 301 Permanent Redirect via .htaccess & cPanel

![301 Permanent Redirects Title Image](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/301-Permanent-Redirects-1024x538.png)

A **301 redirect** tells browsers and search engines that a page or site has moved **permanently** to a new location. It passes nearly 100% of SEO value (link equity) to the new URL and prevents 404 errors for visitors.

Use 301 redirects when:

- Changing URL structures or page names
- Migrating to a new domain
- Switching from HTTP to HTTPS
- Enforcing www vs. non-www (canonicalization)
- Retiring old content and pointing users to relevant pages

## When Do You Need a 301 Redirect?

Common scenarios include:

- Reorganizing site structure (e.g., /old-page.html → /new-page/)
- Domain migration (olddomain.com → newdomain.com)
- Removing trailing slashes or fixing duplicate content issues
- Enforcing HTTPS for security and SEO
- Consolidating www and non-www versions of your site

## .htaccess vs. cPanel Redirects: Which Should You Use?

**Editing .htaccess directly** gives full control and works at the server level (faster). Ideal for complex rules.

**cPanel Redirects** (under Domains → Redirects) is beginner-friendly for simple cases but less flexible for patterns or multiple rules.

For most users on InMotion Hosting, start with cPanel for basics. Use .htaccess when you need regex, multiple conditions, or advanced logic.

https://youtu.be/NO7AkiwsMtA
*Don't have time to read our article on how to set up a 301 redirect? Watch our walkthrough video.*

## How to Edit Your .htaccess File in cPanel

On a Linux server you would [use your **.htaccess** file](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/website/where-is-my-htaccess-file/) to implement a 301 redirect for your pages. We'll now show you how to edit the .htaccess file, then go over the different redirect options.

1. [Log in to cPanel](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/edu/cpanel/how-to-log-into-cpanel/).
2. Under *Files*, click on **File Manager**.![Access File Manager to Setup 301 Redirect in .htaccess](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/301-redirect-cpanel-file-manager.png)
3. Ensure that **Show Hidden Files** is selected by clicking **Settings** on the top right corner of the File Manager.![View Hidden Files to See .htaccess](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/show-hidden-files-to-setup-301-redirect.png)
4. Select the **Document Root** (usually `public_html`), or choose a domain from the drop-down.
5. Right-click on the **.htaccess** file and select **Edit**.![Edit .htaccess File and Setup 301 Redirect](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/edit-htaccess-to-setup-301-redirect.png)
6. If your **.htaccess** file is still not found after the previous steps, click on **New File** at the top-left, name the file **.htaccess**, and set the directory for the file to be created to **/public_html/** or the document root of your site.
7. You might have a text editor encoding dialog box pop-up, you can simply click on **Edit** to proceed.![Edit .htaccess file - Setup 301 Redirect](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/edit-htaccess-file-301-redirect.png)
8. Add your redirect rules at the **top** or **bottom** of the file (avoid middle if other rules exist).
9. Click **Save Changes**.

**Important**: Always back up your original .htaccess file before editing. A syntax error can make your site unavailable.

### How to Redirect a Single Page or File with 301

Use the simple `Redirect` directive (from mod_alias):

To redirect individual files, like **example.com/oldfile.html** to **newfile.html** you can use a 301 redirect like this:

```
Redirect 301 /oldfile.htm /newfile.html
```

![single file 301 redirect](/support/images/stories/htaccess/301-redirect/single-file-301-redirect.gif)

To redirect one specific file to another domain such as **example.com/oldfile.html** to **example.net/newfile.html**:

```
Redirect 301 /oldfile.html https://newdomain.net/newfile.html
```

![single file domain 301 redirect](/support/images/stories/htaccess/301-redirect/single-file-domain-301-redirect.gif)

Both of these methods work well for exact paths or prefixes.

### How to Redirect an Entire Old Domain to a New Domain

If you had an old domain such as **example.com** and you decided to use **example.net** for a website, you could setup a 301 redirect for the entire domain, so that old links to **example.com** carry over.

Sample of code from **example.com** domain's **.htaccess** file:

```
RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(www\.)?olddomain\.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://newdomain.com/$1 [R=301,L]
```

![full domain 301 redirect](/support/images/stories/htaccess/301-redirect/full-domain-301-redirect.gif)

### How to Force www on Your Domain

A search engine such as Google interprets **example.com** and **www.example.com** as essentially two separate websites. It is recommended that users pick one version they'd like search engines to display. By [using a 301 redirect](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/139066?hl=en#301), users can specify which domain name is displayed on their site.

If you have a number of links on the web where people are linking to your site as **example.com**, but you would prefer your visitors end up at **www.example.com** instead, you can force this version of your domain with these rules:

```
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^example.com [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://www.example.com/$1 [R=301,L]
```

![force www 301 redirect](/support/images/stories/htaccess/301-redirect/force-www-301-redirect.gif)

### How to Force Non-www on Your Domain

If you have a lot of links on the web where people are linking to your site as **www.example.com**, but you would prefer your visitors end up at **example.com** instead, you can force this version of your domain with these rules:

```
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.example.com [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://example.com/$1 [R=301,L]
```

![force non www 301 redirect](/support/images/stories/htaccess/301-redirect/force-non-www-301-redirect.gif)

### How to Enforce HTTPS (HTTP to HTTPS Redirect)

Add this near the top of your **.htaccess** (before other rewrite rules):

```
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}/$1 [R=301,L]
```

### How to Redirect Files by Extension (e.g., .php to .html)

To re-direct all of one type of file to another, such as **example.com/file.php** to **example.com/file.html**

```
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} \.php$
RewriteRule ^(.*)\.php$ /$1.html [R=301,L]
```

![file extension 301 redirect](/support/images/stories/htaccess/301-redirect/file-extension-301-redirect.gif)

You should now know how to properly setup 301 permanent redirects on your website to help ensure that search engines and visitors coming to your site from older links can still get to your new content.

## Redirect vs. RewriteRule: When to Use Each

- **`Redirect 301`** (mod_alias): Simpler, great for basic redirects and prefix matching.
- **`RewriteRule`** (mod_rewrite): More powerful for patterns, conditions (`RewriteCond`), and complex logic. Always include `` for permanent redirects.

**Best practice:** If you use any `RewriteRule`, use `RewriteRule` for all your redirects to avoid module execution order issues.

## How to Set Up 301 Redirect within cPanel

For users that host their sites on cPanel-based hosts, it is possible to set up redirects via the cPanel interface. This tool automatically adds the necessary code to the .htaccess file for the redirect to function properly.

1. [Log in to cPanel](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/edu/cpanel/how-to-log-into-cpanel/).
2. Click the **Redirects** button in the **Domains** section.![301 Redirect Button cPanel](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/cpanel_redirect_redirects2.png)
3. You will then be on the **Add Redirect** page. Click the drop-down box for **Type** and choose either a **Permanent (301)** or **Temporary (302)** redirect.![301 Redirect Type cPanel](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/cpanel_redirect_redirect-type2.png)
4. Click the next drop-down box and choose the domain you want to redirect.![301 Redirect Protocol cPanel](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/cpanel_redirect_choosing-domain2.png)
5. For the slash ‘/’ field, enter any folder names (if necessary).
6. Enter the address you want to redirect to in the **Redirects to** section.![301 Redirect Target cPanel](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/cpanel_redirect_redirects-to-address2.png)
7. Choose if you want to "**Only redirect with `www.`**", "**Redirect with or without `www.`**", or "**Do Not Redirect `www.`**"
8. Check the box if you want to create a **Wild Card Redirect**. This will add the the file/folder name after the url when it redirects. For instance, example.com/test.php would redirect to example2.com/test.php.
9. Click **Add** when finished.![301 Redirect Save cPanel](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/cpanel_redirect_add-redirect2.png)

## Common Issues and How to Fix 301 Redirect Problems

- **Redirect loops or "too many redirects"**: Check rule order (specific rules first) and avoid chaining.
- **Rules not working**: Clear browser cache, CDN cache, and server opcode cache. Test with incognito mode.
- **Mixed www/non-www or HTTP/HTTPS**: Combine rules carefully or use a single canonical set.
- **Syntax errors**: One missing character can break the site—test incrementally.
- **cPanel redirects conflicting with .htaccess**: Remove one method to avoid conflicts.

**Testing tip:** Temporarily use `R=302` (temporary) while testing, then change to `301` once verified. Use tools like redirect-checker.org or browser dev tools (Network tab) to confirm status codes.

## Additional Tips for Success

- Place specific redirects **before** general ones.
- Avoid redirect chains (old → intermediate → final) — go directly to the final URL.
- After changes, submit updated URLs in Google Search Console.
- For WordPress sites, consider a plugin like Redirection for easier management, but server-level **.htaccess** is faster.

You should now be able to set up reliable 301 permanent redirects on your InMotion Hosting account. This helps preserve SEO value, improve user experience, and keep your site running smoothly during changes.

If you run into issues, feel free to reach out to InMotion Support with your exact rules and the URLs you're trying to redirect.