---
title: How to Stop Your Website Files Being Listed in the Browser (cPanel Indexes)
description: "**In short:** If a folder on your site has no index file, the browser may show a list of all its files to any visitor, which is a security risk. To stop this: go to cPanel, then Advanced, then Indexes,…"
url: "https://www.hyyat.com/en/knowledgebase/disable-directory-listing-cpanel/"
updated: "2026-09-30"
category: Website control panel ( cpanel )
---

# How to Stop Your Website Files Being Listed in the Browser (cPanel Indexes)

**In short:** If a folder on your site has no index file, the browser may show a list of all its files to any visitor, which is a security risk. To stop this: go to cPanel, then Advanced, then Indexes, choose the folder (such as public_html), select No Indexing and click Save.

When a folder has no index.html or index.php, the web server may display a list of its files. Anyone can then browse and download them.

![Example of a directory listing](https://www.hyyat.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/website-file-directory-example.jpg)

**1.** Log in to cPanel (see [how to log in to cPanel](https://www.hyyat.com/en/knowledgebase/how-to-log-in-to-cpanel/)).

**2.** In the **Advanced** section, click **Indexes**.

![Indexes](https://www.hyyat.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/disable-directory-cpanel-index-manager.png)

**3.** Choose the folder you want to change, for example public_html, your website's main folder.

![Choose the folder](https://www.hyyat.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/disable-directory-cpanel-index-manager1.png)

**4.** Select **No Indexing** to turn off the file list.

![No Indexing](https://www.hyyat.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/disable-directory-cpanel-index-manager2.png)

**5.** Click **Save**.

![Save](https://www.hyyat.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/disable-directory-cpanel-index-manager3.png)

**Related service:** [Hyyat Host shared hosting](https://www.hyyat.com/en/shared-hosting-2/) includes cPanel and 24/7 support.

 **Need this service from Hyyat Host?**Our team handles it for you, with support replying to tickets within 24 hours at most.[Web Hosting](https://www.hyyat.com/en/hosting/)[Saudi Hosting](https://www.hyyat.com/en/saudi-hosting/)