Support

Every time I try to add a secure htaccess with Admin Tools, I get a 500 error front end and backend.

The .htaccess generated by Admin Tools’ .htaccess Maker includes several directives that some servers do not allow in .htaccess files. The safest way to find what your server supports is to start from scratch and enable options one at a time.

Step 0 — Preserve your PHP version directive (important for InMotion)

Before making any changes, open your current .htaccess file (in the root of your Joomla site) and look for a line that sets the PHP handler, such as:

AddHandler application/x-httpd-ea-php83 .php

or similar. Copy that line somewhere safe — you will need to paste it into the Custom .htaccess rules at the bottom field in the .htaccess Maker so it is preserved in every generated file. Without it, InMotion’s server will not know which PHP version to use for your site.

Step 1 — Disable everything and get a clean baseline

1. Go to Components → Admin Tools → .htaccess Maker.
2. Set every option to its most permissive or disabled value (the goal is a minimal .htaccess). Pay particular attention to:
   • Follow symlinks → set to Default (this is the most common cause of 500 errors on strict servers)
   • Directory listings → Default
   • All security header options → disabled
3. Paste your PHP handler line into the Custom .htaccess rules at the bottom field.
4. Click Save and Create .htaccess.

If your site now works, you have a clean baseline identical to Joomla’s default htaccess.txt.

Step 2 — Re-enable options one at a time

Enable one option, click Save and Create .htaccess, and test your site. Repeat for each option you want to use. When a particular option causes a 500 error:

• Rename .htaccess to something temporary (e.g. htaccess-broken.txt) and rename .htaccess.admintools (the backup Admin Tools keeps) back to.htaccess to restore access.
• Leave that option disabled; it is not supported by your server configuration.

The two most common culprits on dedicated servers are the Follow symlinks option (requires AllowOverride Options in the Apache virtual host) and the security headers (require Apache’s mod_headers). Since you are on an InMotion dedicated server, you may be able to ask their support to add AllowOverride Options and enablemod_headers in your virtual host configuration, which would let you use those features.

FYI - search isn’t working on forum.

We have not had a forum since June 2011, fifteen years ago. We do have a support ticket system. The difference between a forum and a ticket system is the same as between taking a bus and hiring a taxi.

The ticket support system does not have search of its own. It's the same search button at the top right of the page which takes you to DuckDuckGo with a custom site search query (site:akeeba.com). I would be very surprised if DuckDuckGo wasn't working when you were trying to use it.