Overview

HotLink protection prevents other websites from directly linking to files (as specified below) on your website. Other sites will still be able to link to any file type that you don’t specify below (ie. html files). You can use hotlink protection to keep other sites from linking to your images, videos, and other files. If another site links directly to your images or other files, they will be using your bandwidth to display those files rather than theirs.

Enabling Hotlink Protection:

To enable Hotlink protection follow the steps mentioned below

Step 1. To access Hotlink Protection, click on the icon above the words Hotlink Protection on the main screen of your cPanel interface.

Step 2. Enter the names of sites that you wish to access your files in the first field which already contains the names of your site(s).

Step 3. Enter the file types that you wish to let those sites access by entering their extensions in the blank field next to Extensions to allow (seperate by commas):

Step 4. Enter the URL you wish to redirect links to that are not allowed in the blank field next to ?Url to Redirect to:

Step 5. If you wish to allow the sites you have entered to directly request files (view images or videos by typing their url into a browser), click on the box next to Allow direct requests

Step 6. Click on Activate to enable Hotlink Protection.

Disabling hotlink protection:

If you no longer wish to use Hotlink Protection on your site, you can disable it with the Hotlink Protection Menu.

Step 1: To access Hotlink Protection, click on the icon above the words Hotlink Protection on the main screen of your cPanel interface.

Step 2: Scroll down to the bottom of the menu, and click on Disable.