Split: weird issue of an .htaccess file being created after making a change in Settings -> General that was causing the site to crash (500 error)

This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.

Problem:
You are experiencing a 500 error on your site after a .htaccess file is automatically created when you make changes in Settings --> General. This file seems to be created in an incorrect location.
Solution:
The creation of the .htaccess file is a normal behavior when updating permalinks settings, as it is essential for the correct functioning of permalinks on your site. However, if the .htaccess file is causing issues, it might be due to it being overwritten incorrectly. We recommend checking out this documentation on why the .htaccess file might get overwritten and how to handle it: Why is .htaccess getting overwritten with the language folder on my WPML website?
Please ensure to back up your database before making any changes.

If this solution does not apply to your case, or if it seems outdated, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins. If issues persist, please open a new support ticket.

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This topic is split from https://wpml.org/forums/topic/site-url-how-to-automatically-direct-to-en-or-fr-based-on-user-locale-detection/

Tagged: Documentation request

This topic contains 1 reply, has 0 voices.

Last updated by Andrey 4 days, 8 hours ago.

Assisted by: Andrey.

Author	Posts
March 31, 2025 at 3:27 pm #16880171
thomasT-21	Hi, We are seeing another weird issue of an .htaccess file being created after making a change in Settings --> General that was causing the site to crash (500 error) we found and deleted the file and everything worked again. Not sure what that story is with that. The htaccess file was being created in the root or where it didn't seem to belong. Any ideas? Thanks.
March 31, 2025 at 3:34 pm #16880197
Andrey Supporter Languages: English (English ) Russian (Русский ) Timezone: Europe/Kyiv (GMT+03:00)	The .htaccess file is expected to be created after you update the permalinks in the settings (if it doesn't exist somehow). It is actually necessary to ensure that the permalinks on your website work correctly. However, what you might be experiencing is related to this issue: https://wpml.org/faq/why-is-htaccess-getting-overwritten-with-the-language-folder-on-my-wpml-website/. There is a quick workaround available to overcome this problem. Before making any changes, please ensure that you back up your database first.