How to Change the PHP Version for Your Domain on Namecheap Shared Hosting

If your landing page shows a blank screen, a 500 error, or a syntax/parse error in the logs (for example “unexpected ‘array’, expecting function or const”), the most common cause is that your domain is running an old version of PHP. Our landing pages require PHP 7.4 or newer (PHP 8.0–8.2 recommended). CouponRocket requires PHP 8.2.

This is especially common on Namecheap Stellar shared hosting, where an addon domain or subdomain often runs a different (older) PHP version than your main domain — even if your account’s default is already set to PHP 8.2. The PHP version that matters is the one set for that specific domain.

Method 1: Change the PHP Version in cPanel (Try This First)

Most hosting accounts let you set the PHP version per domain directly:

1. Log in to cPanel.
2. Open MultiPHP Manager (under the Software section). On some hosts this is called Select PHP Version.
3. In the list of domains, find the exact domain that is not working and look at its PHP version — this is very often still showing an old version such as 7.2 or 7.4.
4. Tick the checkbox next to that domain, choose PHP 8.2 (or 8.1 / 8.0) from the version dropdown, and click Apply.
5. Reload your website. In most cases it will now load correctly.

If your domain is listed here and you can change it, that is all you need to do — you can stop here. Use Method 2 below only if the domain is missing from MultiPHP Manager, or if the version keeps resetting to an old one (which happens with some Namecheap addon domains).

Method 2: Set the PHP Version With .htaccess (Namecheap Addon Domains)

On Namecheap Stellar, some addon domains cannot be changed through MultiPHP Manager. In that case, Namecheap support will ask you to set the version inside the .htaccess file of that domain. This works, but there is an important extra step — please read the whole section before starting.

Step 1: Add the PHP version line to .htaccess

Do not delete or replace your existing .htaccess file. Your landing page already relies on that file to work — replacing it will cause every page except the homepage to show a “404 Not Found” error. You only need to add a small block at the very top.

1. In cPanel, open File Manager.
2. Click Settings (top-right) and enable Show Hidden Files (dotfiles), then save.
3. Go to the root folder of the affected domain (for an addon domain this is usually /home/your_username/yourdomain.com/ or public_html/yourdomain.com/).
4. Right-click the existing .htaccess file and choose Edit.
5. Add this small block at the very top of the file (for PHP 8.2):

<FilesMatch "\.php$">
    SetHandler application/x-httpd-alt-php82
</FilesMatch>

Important: keep the <FilesMatch "\.php$"> wrapper exactly as shown. It applies PHP 8.2 to your .php files only. If you leave it out and add just the bare SetHandler line, the server will also try to run your CSS and JavaScript files through PHP, which makes your site load with no styling (a common and confusing problem).

For a different version, change the number: php82 = PHP 8.2, php81 = PHP 8.1, php80 = PHP 8.0, php74 = PHP 7.4. Save the file when done.

Prefer a ready-made file? Instead of editing by hand, you can download a complete, pre-configured .htaccess file for PHP 8.2 that already includes both the version line and the routing rules your landing page needs:

Download the CouponRocket .htaccess for Namecheap (PHP 8.2)

Unzip it, then upload the .htaccess file into your domain’s main folder (with hidden files shown), replacing the existing one. The included READ-ME-FIRST.txt explains everything. This file is for Namecheap hosting only — if your site shows a 500 error after uploading it, simply delete the three-line SetHandler block at the top and save. You still need to complete Step 2 below (the php.ini file).

Step 2: Upload a php.ini file (this step is required)

This is the part customers most often miss. When you set the PHP version this way on Namecheap, all PHP extensions are turned off by default for that domain. Our landing pages need several extensions to work, so without this step your site will still break — this time with a “could not find driver” database error or a license verification error instead.

To fix this, you must add a php.ini file for the version you selected:

1. Download the correct php.ini file for your PHP version from Namecheap’s guide:
   Namecheap: How to change PHP version and update PHP extensions
2. Rename the downloaded file to exactly php.ini.
3. Upload it into the same root folder of that domain (next to your .htaccess file).

If you have SSH access, you can instead copy the default php.ini for your version with one command (replace 82 with your version, and adjust the paths for your account):

cp /opt/alt/default_php_ini/php82.ini /home/your_username/yourdomain.com/php.ini

Step 3: Make sure the required extensions are enabled

Open your php.ini file and confirm the following extensions are enabled (not commented out). These are the ones our landing pages depend on:

• pdo_sqlite — reads your settings database (db.sqlite3)
• sodium — verifies your license
• curl — connects to our license server
• gd — resizes logos and images you upload in the admin panel
• fileinfo — checks uploaded image files

If any of these are missing from the php.ini file, add them, save, and re-upload. If you are unsure, contact Namecheap support and ask them to enable pdo_sqlite, sodium, curl, gd and fileinfo for your chosen PHP version on that domain.

How to Verify It Worked

To confirm your domain is now running the correct PHP version with the right extensions:

1. Create a file called info.php in the domain’s root folder with this content:

<?php phpinfo(); ?>

2. Open yourdomain.com/info.php in your browser.
3. At the top, check the PHP Version — it should read 7.4 or higher (ideally 8.2).
4. Use your browser’s search (Ctrl+F / Cmd+F) to confirm pdo_sqlite, sodium, curl and gd each appear on the page.
5. Delete the info.php file immediately afterwards — it exposes sensitive server information and should never be left online.

Once the version and extensions are correct, reload your landing page. It should load normally, the admin panel should open, and coupons should display.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Replacing the whole .htaccess file instead of adding the small block — this removes the rewrite rules your landing page needs and causes “404 Not Found” errors on every page except the homepage. Only add the SetHandler block to the top of the existing file.
• Skipping the php.ini step — setting the PHP version alone (Method 2) disables all extensions, which leads to a “could not find driver” or license error. The php.ini file is required with this method.
• Changing the account’s default PHP version but not the specific domain — addon domains and subdomains keep their own PHP version. Always check the exact domain that is failing.

If you have followed all of these steps and your landing page still does not load, contact us with your domain name and a copy of any error message, and we will help you resolve it.

For a full list of everything your server needs, see our server requirements article.