How to Fix Website Downloading a “download” File Instead of Opening?

If your website downloads a file named “download” instead of opening normally, the issue may be caused by an incorrect or outdated PHP handler in the .htaccess file.

How to Fix It

1. Log in to cPanel → File Manager.
2. Open your website's root directory, usually public_html.
3. Locate and edit the .htaccess file.
4. Look for an old PHP handler similar to:

# php -- BEGIN cPanel-generated handler, do not edit
# Set the “ea-php56” package as the default “PHP” programming language.
<IfModule mime_module>
  AddType application/x-httpd-ea-php56 .php .php5 .phtml
</IfModule>
# php -- END cPanel-generated handler, do not edit

5. Remove the outdated PHP handler and Save Changes.
6. Clear your browser cache and reload the website.

Still Getting an Error?

If your website displays a 500 Internal Server Error after removing the handler, make sure the domain is using the correct and supported PHP version from cPanel.

Important: We recommend taking a backup of the .htaccess file before making any changes.