How to Redirect Desktop Visitors to Another Page Using .htaccess
Summary:
This guide shows you how to use a simple .htaccess code that redirects desktop visitors to another page (for example, a “desktop not supported” notice), while mobile visitors (Android, iPhone, iPad, etc.) can still access your main website normally.
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Step 1: Open or create your .htaccess file
1. Login to cPanel → File Manager.
2. Navigate to your website’s root directory (usually public_html or the document root of your addon domain/subdomain).
3. Locate the .htaccess file. If it doesn’t exist, create a new file named .htaccess.
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Step 2: Add the redirect code
Paste the following code at the very top of your .htaccess file:
######
# Redirect desktop users to another page
RewriteEngine On
# Detect common mobile devices
RewriteCond %{HTTP_USER_AGENT} "android|iphone|ipad|ipod|blackberry|windows phone|opera mini|mobile" [NC]
# If mobile, allow normal site
RewriteRule ^ - [L]
# Otherwise (desktop), redirect to another page
RewriteRule ^ https://yourdomain.com/desktop-not-supported [L,R=302]
######
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Step 3: Customize the redirect
Replace:
https://yourdomain.com/desktop-not-supported
with the full URL where you want to send desktop visitors.
For example:
A special landing page (https://example.com/desktop.html)
Another domain (https://m.example.com)
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Step 4: Save and test
1. Save the .htaccess file.
2. Test your site on both desktop and mobile:
On desktop, you should be redirected to the page you set.
On mobile, you should see your normal site.
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Example use case
Let’s say you want desktop visitors to go to https://yourdomain.com/notice.html while mobile visitors still see the main homepage.
Your .htaccess should look like this:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_USER_AGENT} "android|iphone|ipad|ipod|blackberry|windows phone|opera mini|mobile" [NC]
RewriteRule ^ - [L]
RewriteRule ^ https://yourdomain.com/notice.html [L,R=302]
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How to remove later
To stop redirecting desktops, simply delete the code block you added from .htaccess, then save the file.
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⚠️ Note:
If you use WordPress, place this code above the # BEGIN WordPress section.
If you use caching/CDN (like LiteSpeed Cache or Cloudflare), clear cache after editing .htaccess.
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dy” version formatted with <pre><code> blocks (so your WHMCS KB shows the code neatly, without WHMCS escaping it)?
