How to Remove PHP Extension From URL

Having .php at the end of your website URLs can make them look outdated and less user-friendly. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to remove PHP extension from URL using simple configurations in Apache and Nginx. Cleaner URLs not only improve SEO but also enhance your site’s professional appearance and user experience.

If you’re using PHP without a framework and hosting your application on Nginx/Apache server , you might notice that your URLs look like this:

https://ongsho.com/contact.php

But wouldn’t it be cleaner and more professional if it looked like this instead?

https://ongsho.com/contact

Why Remove .php From URLs?

Before jumping into the how, let’s talk about why you should consider removing .php from your URLs:

What You Need Before You Begin

Before removing .php extensions from your URLs, ensure you have the following based on your web server:

For Apache Users:

For Nginx Users:

Organize Your File Structure

Make sure your files are located inside the correct root directory. For example, if you’re hosting your site at /home/cloudpanel/htdocs/ongsho.com/, your files should look like:

/home/cloudpanel/htdocs/ongsho.com/
├── index.php
├── about.php
├── contact.php

You want users to be able to access:

/about.php → /about
/contact.php → /contact

Step-by-Step Guide to Remove PHP Extension in Apache

Step 1: Enable URL Rewriting Module

If you’re using Apache, you must ensure mod_rewrite is enabled.

Run this command in your terminal (Ubuntu/Debian):

sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo service apache2 restart

Step 2: Edit the .htaccess File

Go to the root directory of your website (e.g., /var/www/html/) and open or create the .htaccess file.

<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On

# Remove .php extension
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteRule ^([^\.]+)$ $1.php [NC,L] </IfModule>

This rule internally rewrites example.com/about to ongsho.com/contact.php while displaying only ongsho.com/contact in the browser.

Step-by-Step Guide to Remove PHP Extension in Nginx

Step 1: Open the Nginx Server Block Configuration

Locate your site’s configuration file, usually found in: /etc/nginx/sites-available/yourdomain.com

Or in the main config: /etc/nginx/nginx.conf

Step 2: Modify the location block

Find the PHP location block and replace it with:

location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ $uri.php?$args;
}

location ~ \.php$ {
include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php8.4-fpm.sock; # Adjust based on your PHP version
include fastcgi_params;
}

Replace php8.4-fpm.sock with your installed PHP version (e.g., php7.4-fpm.sock, php8.2-fpm.sock)

If you’re using TCP instead of socket: fastcgi_pass 127.0.0.1:9000;

This directive tells Nginx to look for .php files when a plain URL is requested.

Step 3: Restart Nginx

sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl restart nginx

🔍 What does this mean?

• $uri → Try to find a file or folder that matches the exact URI (like /about)
• $uri/ → Try to match a directory (like /about/)
• $uri.php → If the file isn’t found, try appending .php (e.g., /about.php)
• ?$args → Append query parameters if they exist (/about?id=5)

🌐 Test Your Configuration

Now, try accessing the following URL:

https://ongsho.com/contact

If everything is configured correctly, it should display the content of contact.php without showing the .php extension.

You can test more routes like /contact, /about, etc., as long as their corresponding .php files exist.

Optional: Redirect Old .php URLs to Clean URLs

To avoid duplicate content and SEO penalties, set up redirection:

Apache: Add to .htaccess:

RewriteCond %{THE_REQUEST} ^[A-Z]{3,}\s([^.]+)\.php\sHTTP
RewriteRule ^ %1 [R=301,L]

Nginx: In your server block:

rewrite ^/(.*)\.php$ /$1 permanent;

This will redirect ongsho.com/contact.php → ongsho.com/page with a 301 status. This is a good SEO practice to avoid duplicate content and ensure consistency.

🛑 Troubleshooting Tips

If something isn’t working, check the following:

Final Thoughts

Removing the .php extension from your URLs is a simple yet powerful technique that enhances your site’s appearance, improves SEO, and boosts user experience. With just a few lines of Nginx configuration using try_files, you can modernize your PHP application and bring it closer to today’s development standards.

This method is particularly useful for:

At Ongsho, we use Nginx and CloudPanel to host fast, secure, and modern websites. If you’re looking to optimize your PHP projects or build something custom, try implementing this method in your own stack.

Need Help to Remove PHP Extension from Your URLs?
If configuring your server feels too technical or time-consuming, I can help you remove PHP extension from your website URLs quickly and professionally.

Whether you’re using Apache or Nginx, I’ll make sure your site has clean, SEO-friendly links.

Contact me today to remove PHP extension and make your URLs clean and modern!

📌 Summary

Removing .php extensions from URLs creates cleaner, more professional links—boosting SEO, improving user experience, and simplifying site maintenance.

In Nginx, a single line—try_files $uri $uri/ $uri.php?$args;—enables clean PHP routing with minimal effort, especially when using panels like CloudPanel.

Don’t forget to test your URLs and optionally redirect old .php links to maintain SEO and avoid broken links. Clean code, clean URLs—clean win!