Htaccess File Editor – Easily Edit, Backup, Restore .htaccess file
by WP Chill · Backup
Also makes 28 other plugins · 383.6K+ installs across the portfolio →
Simple editor htaccess file without using FTP client.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
B 74/100
Few reviews
Active installs
6K+
≈6.9K estimated
Momentum
+27%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Add “file editor”, “backup restore” and “restore” to your wp.org tags. You rank #11, #23 and #24 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 4 listed these are the slots worth spending.
74 health vs 75 average across 553 Backup plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →4.7%
of downloads still active
At least 6K of 127.9K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Backup plugin keeps 1.6%, across 281 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Backup plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 2 releases in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 333 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.9.11, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 2 reviews, smoothed to 4.13★ and held back under 25 reviews
4 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Too few reviews to rank on quality — nudge happy users to leave one.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
35
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.4
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
11%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
-0.3
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| htaccess file | #2 | #15 | 0 |
| htaccess file editor | #2 | #17 | 0 |
| htaccess editor your tag | #2 | #16 | 0 |
| htaccess restore your tag | #3 | #16 | 0 |
| htaccess your tag | #3 | #19 | down 1 |
| htaccess backup your tag | #6 | #19 | down 1 |
| file editor | #11 | #24 | down 4 |
| backup restore | #23 | #24 | 0 |
| restore | #24 | #24 | down 1 |
| client editor | #16 | #23 | down 1 |
10 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days.
What to do about it
- Add “file editor”, “backup restore” and “restore” to your wp.org tags. You rank #11, #23 and #24 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 4 listed these are the slots worth spending.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 5.6K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
2
releases in the last 12 months
11mo ago
latest release · v1.0.22 · 2 Dec 2025
21
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “6K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 19 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 7K.
Install history since 1 Sep 2018
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ flowdee12mo ago
Does what it’s supposed to do, no brainer!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ abernh8.4y ago
I opted for this particular version of the htaccess editor plugin rather than the Original “WP Htaccess Editor” because it seems to have a better maintenance cycle and it shows to have been checked-to-work for my current WP version where the Original hasn’t updated in 4 years. Also the ads of the original were removed. Not sure if this is a legit – but the plugin works fine and has no ads.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.0.22 Changed: Removed unused class. 1.0.22
- — Version 1.0.21 Fixed: Use properly echoing functions for strings. 1.0.21
- — Version 1.0.20 Fixed: Security issue regarding htaccess backups in certain situations 1.0.20
- — Version 1.0.19 Fixed: Security issue 1.0.19
- — Version 1.0.18 Changed: Author 1.0.18
- — Version 1.0.17 Fixed : Compatibility to 6.6 1.0.17
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 2 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (1.0.22). Sites still on an older version should update.
- 2025-01-14 CVE-2025-22773 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Affects <= 1.0.19 Patched in 1.0.20
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.8.3
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
3 of 8 pass · checked 25 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ✓ Has a FAQ 4 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 4 of 4 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 482 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 2 of 4 tags appear in the text; "htaccess editor", "htaccess restore" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-12 7K+ → 6K+ down after 16 days in tier
- 2026-09-26 8K+ → 7K+ down after 60 days in tier
- 2026-07-28 9K+ → 8K+ down after 14 days in tier
- 2026-07-14 10K+ → 9K+ down after 200 days in tier
- 2025-12-26 9K+ → 10K+ up after 10 days in tier
- 2025-12-16 8K+ → 9K+ up after 14 days in tier
- 2025-12-02 7K+ → 8K+ up after 16 days in tier
- 2025-11-16 6K+ → 7K+ up after 36 days in tier
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
Htaccess File Editor – Safely Edit Htaccess File 40K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
Redirection 2M+ installs · 4.4★ · 1 shared tag A -
Spider Blocker 20K+ installs · 3.9★ · 1 shared tag D -
Custom PHP Settings 10K+ installs · 4.2★ · 1 shared tag B -
Leverage Browser Caching 9K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag B -
HTACCESS IP Blocker 2K+ installs · 4.0★ · 1 shared tag D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Htaccess File Editor – Easily Edit, Backup, Restore .htaccess file into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/htaccess-file-editor" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Htaccess File Editor – Easily Edit, Backup, Restore .htaccess file — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Htaccess File Editor – Easily Edit, Backup, Restore .htaccess file: 6K+ active installs, 5.0★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/htaccess-file-editor
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