You can’t access your website. Instead of your website being displayed, your browser prompts you with a “Download” link or download bar.
If this happens after changing web hosts or after your website has been hacked and cleaned up, there are a couple of things to check.
Your .htaccess file may be causing the problem
If you recently moved your website to a new web host, some of the coding in your old .htaccess file may have been specific to your previous hosting environment. That coding may no longer be necessary or may not be compatible with the new server.
For example, your previous web host may have used .htaccess directives to specify which PHP version your website should use. Your new web host may use a different or newer PHP version by default. Old PHP-version directives in your .htaccess file could then conflict with the new configuration and cause your website to stop working correctly, including producing the “Download” prompt.
If your website was recently hacked and cleaned up, your .htaccess file should also be checked for unauthorized or malicious changes. If you have a known-good backup of the file, restoring it can be a good starting point.
Your server’s PHP configuration may be causing the problem
Your web server needs to be configured to process PHP files with PHP. If PHP is not correctly configured as the handler for .php files, the web server may treat a PHP file as a regular file instead of sending it to PHP for processing. This can result in the PHP file being offered for download instead of your website being displayed.
This can happen after a server or hosting configuration change, even when the website files themselves have not changed.
Bottom line
A “Download” prompt in place of your website can mean that something in the .htaccess file or server’s PHP configuration is preventing PHP files from being processed correctly. If you are not sure which is causing the problem, have your hosting provider or a programmer check both.
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