Sometimes different sites on the same account need different PHP versions — a modern main site on PHP 8.2 alongside a legacy application on an addon domain that still needs PHP 7.4. cPanel supports this per domain.
Using MultiPHP Manager (per-domain versions)
- Log in to cPanel.
- In the Software section, click MultiPHP Manager.
- The list shows every domain on the account — main, addon domains, and subdomains — each with its current PHP version.
- Tick the subdomain or addon domain you want to change.
- Select the PHP version from the dropdown.
- Click Apply.
Only the selected domain changes; the rest of the account keeps its existing version. The change is immediate.
Verifying the version per domain
Create a file called v.php in that domain’s document root:
Visit subdomain.yourdomain.com/v.php to confirm, then delete the file.
Notes and limitations
- Inherited settings: a domain set to “inherit” follows the account/system default — set an explicit version if you don’t want it to move when the default changes.
- PHP Selector interaction: on CloudLinux servers, Select PHP Version controls one “CloudLinux PHP” version with per-account extensions. Domains pinned to a specific native version via MultiPHP Manager use that native version instead. If you need custom extensions on multiple different versions, contact support and we’ll advise the cleanest setup for your server.
- php.ini settings per domain: use MultiPHP INI Editor and pick the specific domain to set per-domain values (memory_limit, max_execution_time, etc.).
Keep legacy applications on old PHP versions only as a stopgap — outdated PHP stops receiving security fixes. Plan an upgrade path for the application itself.