How to get rid of ‘index.php” in website URLs

Is /index.php/ in your website URL bothering you?  

Joomla configuration allows to turn on SEF URLs, but this is either WITH or WITHOUT Apache mod_rewrite. Without mod_rewrite all the URLs include an /index.php/ segment. This tutorial shows you how to get rid of index.php  with no damage to the website.

The usage of the htaccess file, which should be named .htaccess (starting with a dot) is basic here. If mod_rewrite is enabled, the htaccess file allows you to activate the so-called RewriteEngine.

1. First and foremost, check if mod_rewrite is enabled on your server. Connect to FTP or use your Hosting Cpanel file manager tool, access Joomla installation directory, locate and rename the file “htaccess.txt” to “.htaccess”.

2. Secondly, log into your Joomla administration board and open Global Configuration under the SYSTEM tab.  Select  Site tab and find the SEO Settings.
   
3. Finally, enable the Use Apache mod_rewrite/URL rewriting option and press Save button. This option uses the Apache mod_rewrite function to eliminate the “index.php” segment of the URLs.

Don’t forget to check if your site works correctly. Your URLs should now look like http://www.example.com/some_url