> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.hosting.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Enabling and disabling the PHP register_globals directive

> Learn to toggle the register_globals directive in a custom php.ini with code snippets and detailed instructions.

This article describes how to enable and disable the **register\_globals** directive in a custom *php.ini* file.

<Warning>
  **Important**

  The information in this article only applies to certain types of hosting accounts. To determine whether or not the information below applies to your account, please see [this article](/docs/changing-php-settings-and-versions).

  📘 Note

  This article assumes that you have already set up a custom *php.ini* file on your web site. If you have not already set up a custom *php.ini* file, please read [this article](/docs/custom-php-ini-files) first.

  🚧 Important

  This article only applies to PHP 5.3 and earlier versions. The **register\_globals** directive was removed in PHP 5.4.
</Warning>

## Using the register\_globals directive

<Warning>
  **️ Warning**

  The **register\_globals** directive is disabled by default. You should be aware of the security implications of enabling the **register\_globals** directive. For more information, please visit [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Register\_globals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Register_globals).
</Warning>

When the **register\_globals** directive is enabled, PHP creates variables automatically from HTML form parameters and cookie data. To enable this functionality, use a text editor to modify the **register\_globals** directive in the *php.ini* file as follows:

```text theme={null}
register_globals = on
```

To disable this functionality, modify the **register\_globals** directive in the *php.ini* file as follows:

```text theme={null}
register_globals = off
```

<Tip>
  To verify the current value of the **register\_globals** directive and other directives, you can use the **phpinfo()** function. For more information, please see [this article](/docs/view-php-settings).
</Tip>

## More information

* To view a complete list of *php.ini* directives, please visit [http://www.php.net/manual/en/ini.list.php](http://www.php.net/manual/en/ini.list.php).
* For more information about the **register\_globals** directive, please visit [http://www.php.net/manual/en/ini.core.php#ini.register-globals](http://www.php.net/manual/en/ini.core.php#ini.register-globals).

## Related articles

* [Custom php.ini files](/docs/custom-php-ini-files)
* [Using php.ini directives](/docs/using-php-ini-directives)