What file displays when someone browses to my domain name?

When a visitor types your domain name in to their browser they are automatically directed to your website's default file. For example, to go to Yahoo!, you type yahoo.com. It doesn't show up in your browser, but you're actually looking at the index.html page. Try it yourself, type yahoo.com/index.html in your browser.

You might have guessed, index.html file is a default file. If it's the only default file in the root directory, it automatically displays when someone goes to your domain name.

If you have more than one default file in a directory, the server decides which one takes priority, and then displays that file. Understanding the order the files are served is key to making sure the correct page displays on your website.

1. index.html.var
2. index.htm
3. index.html
4. index.shtml
5. index.xhtml
6. index.wml
7. index.perl
8. index.pl
9. index.plx
10. index.ppl
11. index.cgi
12. index.js
13. index.jp
14. index.php4
15. index.php3
16. index.php
17. index.phtml
18. default.htm
19. default.html
20. home.htm
21. index.php5
22. Default.html
23. Default.htm
24. home.html

Note: Web Hosting (cPanel) file structure is case sensitive because it uses Linux.