📘Redirect WWW to non-WWW with SSL (HTTPS) using .htaccess

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This guide explains how to configure .htaccess rewrite rules to force all visitors to use HTTPS and the non-www version of your website. It also includes examples for exceptions.

📌 Requirements

  • Apache web server with mod_rewrite enabled
  • .htaccess file located in your document root (typically /public_html or /home/user/public_html)
  • SSL certificate installed and working for your domain

🔁 Basic Rule: Redirect WWW to non-WWW with HTTPS

This rule:

  • Redirects all http:// and http://www. to https://
  • Removes www. from the domain
RewriteEngine On

# Redirect www to non-www
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.(.+)$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%1/$1 [R=301,L]

# Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]

🌐 Alternate Rule: Redirect HTTP to HTTPS + Force www

If you want to force the www version (opposite of the previous example):

RewriteEngine On

# Redirect to www
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www\. [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://www.%{HTTP_HOST}/$1 [R=301,L]

# Redirect HTTP to HTTPS
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]

🚫 Exception: Skip HTTPS Redirect for Specific Directory

This rule forces HTTPS on everything except a specific directory, e.g. /dir1/dir2/dir3/:

RewriteEngine On

# Redirect everything to HTTPS except for /dir1/dir2/dir3/
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/dir1/dir2/dir3/
RewriteRule (.*) https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]

✅ Testing

After setting up your rules:

  1. Clear browser cache
  2. Visit:
    • http://www.example.com ➝ should redirect to https://example.com
    • http://example.com ➝ should redirect to https://example.com
  3. Visit your exception directory (if configured) to ensure it doesn’t redirect to HTTPS.

📝 Notes

  • Use [R=301,L] for permanent redirects (best for SEO). Use [R=302,L] for testing to avoid browser caching.
  • Always backup your .htaccess before making changes.
  • You can combine or chain rules as long as the order makes logical sense.
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