Hotlinking is when another site links directly to your images or files, using your bandwidth to display them on their pages. Hotlink protection stops this. This guide explains how to enable it in cPanel.
Why hotlinking is a problem #
- It uses your bandwidth for other people’s pages.
- Your images appear on sites you do not control.
- It can waste resources and slow things down.
Enabling hotlink protection #
- Log in to cPanel.
- In the Security section, open Hotlink Protection.
- Confirm your own site URLs are in the allowed list.
- List the file types to protect, such as jpg, png, gif.
- Click Enable.
Allowing exceptions #
If you want certain other sites, such as a partner or social platform previews, to load your images, add them to the allowed list. Everything else is blocked from hotlinking the protected file types.
Things to keep in mind #
- Make sure your domain with and without www is allowed.
- Search engines and previews may need image access.
- Test that your own images still display afterwards.
Troubleshooting #
- Your images broke: add your domain to the allowed list.
- Social previews missing: allow the relevant platform.
Need help? #
If hotlink protection blocks the wrong thing, our support team can fine-tune it over live chat.
