Secure wp_content path

The WP Ghost plugin is packed with hack-prevention tools to protect your WordPress website from hackers. One of its most useful features is the option to change and hide important paths, such as the wp-content folder.

Hiding the wp-content folder makes it harder for hacker bots and tools to find weak spots in your themes and plugins. This simple step can significantly improve your website’s security.

In this tutorial, we’ll show how to easily change the wp-content path using WP Ghost’s simple and easy-to-use settings.

What is the “wp-content” path in WordPress?

The wp-content path refers to a crucial directory in WordPress where all the plugins, themes, images, media files, and other custom code and content are stored.

It plays a central role in the structure of a WordPress website. The wp-content directory is an essential part of the WordPress core architecture, helping keep your website organized and allowing you to easily manage themes, plugins, and media assets.

Inside the wp-content directory, you’ll find subdirectories such as themes, plugins, uploads, and potentially others, depending on your specific website setup.

Here’s a breakdown of what each subdirectory contains:

  • wp-content/themes: This directory contains all your installed themes. Each theme has its own subfolder, and the active theme’s files control your website’s appearance.
  • wp-content/plugins: This directory houses all your installed plugins. Like themes, each plugin resides in its own subfolder and adds specific features and functionalities to your WordPress site.
  • wp-content/uploads: WordPress stores all uploaded media files, such as images, videos, and documents, in this directory. It’s organized into subdirectories based on year and month to help manage large amounts of media.
  • Other Custom Directories: Depending on your website’s setup, you might have additional custom directories within wp-content for specific purposes.

Changing the wp-content path with the WP Ghost plugin is a smart way to protect your website. By hiding this important folder, you make it harder for hackers and bots to find and exploit weak spots in your WordPress setup.

Why is it essential to secure the “wp-content” directory?

When you secure the wp-content path, you’re hiding access to important files like themes and plugins. It’s like putting a hidden door in place if hackers or bots can’t find the way in, they can’t cause harm or steal data.

Keeping the wp-content path hidden ensures that only authorized users can access these critical parts of your website. It’s a simple but effective step to protect your site from hackers and keep it running smoothly.

Note: Before changing the wp-content path, make sure you have installed and activated the WP Ghost plugin on your WordPress site. If you haven’t yet, follow the plugin’s setup instructions to get started.

How to Secure wp-content with WP Ghost

Activate Safe Mode or Ghost Mode

Begin by activating Safe Mode or Ghost Mode to open the path customization process.

  1. Access your WordPress dashboard after installing and activating the WP Ghost plugin.
  2. Go to WP Ghost > Change Paths > Level of Security.
  3. Select Safe Mode or Ghost Mode. Safe Mode provides basic protection, while Ghost Mode offers more advanced security features.
Activate Safe Mode or Ghost Mode

Change wp-content Path

With Safe Mode or Ghost Mode enabled, proceed to change the wp-content path.

  1. Go to WP Ghost > Change Paths > WP Core Security.
  2. Next to the Custom wp-content Path you’ll see the predefined custom name for the wp-content path.
  3. Enter a different name for the wp-content path or keep the predefined custom name.
  4. Click the Save button to apply the changes.

Note: Select a custom name that is not easily guessable to improve security.

Change wp-content Path

Note! WP Ghost does not physically change the paths on your server. It uses rewrite rules to prevent any functionality errors.

Hide wp-content Path

An essential action in protecting your website from hacker attacks is hiding the WordPress common paths like wp-content after changing the path name.

WP Ghost will add a filter in the config file to show a 404 error when a hacker bot or a non-logged-in user tries to access the wp-content path and subpaths.

  1. Go to WP Ghost > Change Paths > WP Core Security.
  2. Switch to the Hide WordPress Common Paths option to hide the wp-content path and sub-paths.
  3. Select from Hide File Extensions the file extension you want to hide from wp-content sub-paths.
  4. Click the Save button to apply the changes.
Hide wp-content Path
Show 404 error on wp content path

By selecting JS and PHP file extensions from the Hide File Extensions option, you hide and secure files like Javascript and PHP, which hacker bots use to inject SQL and JavaScript into vulnerable plugins.

By hiding the TXT files from wp-content sub-paths, you will hide the plugin’s readme.txt files, and theme detectors will not be able to identify the installed plugins on your server.

Hide the plugin's readme.txt files

Run a Security Check

After saving your wp-content path changes, it’s important to run a security check to verify that the new wp-content path is hidden.

  1. Go to WP Ghost > Security Check.
  2. Click the Run Full Security Check button to initiate a new security scan.
  3. The plugin will verify that the wp-content path has been successfully changed.
  4. If the path is hidden as intended, the security task will be marked as complete.
Run a Security Check

Conclusion

Changing the wp-content path using the WP Ghost plugin is a strategic move to increase the security of your WordPress website.

This feature hides your website’s critical components and helps protect it from theme detectors and hacker bot attacks.

Regular security checks are recommended to maintain the effectiveness of these protective measures.

Troubleshooting

After Changing the wp-content Path, Some Plugins Are Not Functioning Properly

Clear all cache

If you have a cache plugin or use server caching, clear all the cache, as the change of paths has significantly changed the website’s structure.

Run a Frontend Test

Go to WP Ghost > Change Paths, click the Frontend Test button and follow the server configuration instructions, if any.

Frontend test fail
Check path configuration

Review the custom wp-content path you’ve set to ensure no typos or errors are causing the issue.

Revert changes

Temporarily revert to the original wp-content path settings to determine if the path change is the cause of the issue.

Default wp-content path
Plugin compatibility

Deactivate the other plugins and check if the website works correctly. If it works, activate the other plugins one by one to identify the one that is not working correctly with the custom wp-content path.

Test with the default theme

Switch to a default WordPress theme (e.g., Twenty-Twenty-Five) to check if your custom theme is causing the issue.

Plugin settings

Review the settings of any specific plugin that may be causing the issue, as some might need adjustments after changing the wp-content path.

However, the root cause is often server configuration, especially if the rewrite rules haven’t been correctly applied. It’s essential to follow the instructions in WP Ghost according to your server type and ensure proper configuration.

My Images Are Not Displaying Correctly After Changing the wp-content Path

If images and media files are not rendering properly, follow these steps:

Clear all cache

If you have a cache plugin or use server caching, clear all the cache, as the change of paths has significantly changed the website’s structure.

Run a Frontend Test

Go to WP Ghost > Change Paths, click on the Frontend Test button (on the sidebar) and follow the server configuration instructions, if any.

Frontend test fail
Use relative paths

If you encounter an error when changing media URLs from relative to absolute paths, switch off the option WP Ghost > Tweaks > Change Options > Change Relative URLs to Absolute URLs.

Change relative paths to absolute paths
Show old image paths

Remove MEDIA Files from WP Ghost > Change Paths > WP Core Security > Hide WordPress Common Paths > Hide File Extensions if an error occurs while hiding the old media URLs.

Check file paths

Use a different browser to confirm that the paths to your media files in your frontend content are updated to reflect the new wp-content path.

Plugin compatibility

Deactivate the other plugins and check if the website works correctly. If it works, activate the other plugins one by one to identify the one that is not working correctly with the custom wp-content path.

Theme Breaks or The Layout Doesn't Load Correctly

If your theme appears broken or the layout doesn’t load correctly after modifying the WordPress core paths using WP Ghost, it could be due to incorrect server configurations.

Theme Breaks or The Layout

When the new paths for CSS and JS files fail to load correctly, it typically indicates that they have not been appropriately configured. Let’s explore a couple of common scenarios and their corresponding solutions.

Here’s how to troubleshoot and resolve this issue:

Identify the problem

The issue typically arises because the updated paths for CSS and JS files cannot be found or the class names were changed in the source code using WP Ghost > Mapping > Text Mapping and are not found in CSS files. This can disrupt your theme’s functionality and layout.

Clear all cache

If you have a cache plugin or use server caching, clear all the cache, as the change of paths has significantly changed the website’s structure.

Run a Frontend Test

Go to WP Ghost > Change Paths, click the Frontend Test button, and follow the server configuration instructions, if any.

Frontend Test Failed
Check Your Server Configuration

For Nginx Servers:

  • Ensure the new paths are added to the Nginx configuration.
  • After updating the configuration, reload the Nginx service to apply the changes.
  • Follow this guide for detailed instructions:
    How to Set Up WP Ghost on an Nginx Server

For Apache Servers:

  • Verify that AllowOverride is set to All in your server configuration.
  • This allows the .htaccess file to load the new paths correctly.
  • Follow this guide for detailed instructions:
    How to Set AllowOverride All

Additional Resources

For a comprehensive guide on configuring your server to ensure themes and layouts load correctly, refer to this tutorial:
Theme Not Loading Correctly? Website Loads Slower?

By addressing these configuration issues, your theme and layout should display correctly after path changes.

Plugin or Theme Conflicts

Sometimes, conflicts can arise between the WP Ghost plugin and other plugins or themes installed on your WordPress website.

Deactivate other plugins

Deactivate other plugins temporarily to see if the issue persists. If the problem disappears, it indicates a conflict with one of the deactivated plugins.

Default WordPress theme

Similarly, switch to a default WordPress theme to check if the issue is related to your current theme. We recommend doing this on a cloned stage website to avoid losing theme settings.

If a conflict is identified, you may need to contact the respective plugin or theme developer for further assistance.

Remember, to minimize potential disruptions, it’s always important to take proper precautions, perform regular backups, and test changes in a controlled environment before implementing them on a live website.

Remember, while changing the wp-content path enhances security, it’s essential to be prepared for potential compatibility issues. Thorough troubleshooting and careful adjustments can help you overcome challenges and maintain a secure and functional WordPress website.