The free BT Web Hosting Service is closing
What is the free BT Web Hosting Service?
This was 50Mb of free web space for BT personal customers allowing people to create their own website. It was originally part of the BT Openworld email service in the days before we got together with Yahoo! in 2004. In fact, we haven't been supporting it since then, although we've been happy to let people continue with their websites.
The free BT Web Hosting service is linked to people's btinternet.com usernames, with a website address taking the form "http://www.btinternet.com/~username".
Why have you decided to close it?
With only a few people using the service now, and also because of increased costs in running it, we've decided to withdraw it to concentrate on other services that will benefit more of our customers.
Does this mean I'll lose my email services as well?
No. This won't affect your email services which will continue as normal.
When will the service close?
We'll be closing it at midnight on 31 October 2012. After that, you'll get an error message when trying to access your web pages.
What do I need to do?
If you don't use your website anymore, you don't need to do anything. But when we close this service, we're going to delete all the files from our servers, and you won't be able to get them back. So if you'd like to move your website somewhere else, or want to save any images, HTML files and documents you've posted online, you need to download them to your computer. Although we will no longer support access to your web pages, we will retain access to your files until midnight on 30 November 2012, so you'll have until then to save any information you still need.
How do I save my files?
To access our FTP site using a web browser, type the following into your browser:
ftp://username:password@ftp.btinternet.com
Once you're logged in you'll see an FTP listing of directories.
You may have to select the "pub" directory to view your files. Once you have found your files, right click on the ones you want to save, then choose "Save Target as".
Choose a location on your computer where you want to save everything and then click OK or Save.
My website is important to me, is there an alternative?
Once you've downloaded your files and images, you should be able to recreate your site with another web hosting provider. They should be able to help you upload your site files and images to your new account.
We can also offer our paid-for business BT Web Hosting service.
While this has the same name as the free service we're stopping, it has more features, including:
- a really easy-to-use site builder tool
- your own .co.uk domain name
- 24/7 telephone support
- 5GB of web space
- more than 300 templates to help you build a website for business or personal use
All for from just £5 per month.
If you're interested, we'd also be happy to offer some free advice about designing your new website.
Sign up for BT Web Hosting (opens a new window)
What if I don't save my files and images?
If you don't download your files and images before midnight on 30 November 2012, you won't be able to access them any more. We'll delete them from our servers, and you won't be able to get them back.
How long do I have to decide what to do with my site?
From midnight on 31 October you won't be able to view your pages. However, you have until 30 November to recover your data files. Don't delay - we recommend that you download your files now.
Is there anywhere else I can host my website for free?
We don't offer any free hosting options, but there might be other service providers who do.
The loss of my website will affect my business. What compensation will BT offer?
The free BT Web Hosting service is for personal use only. It was never intended for businesses and anyone using it for business purposes is in breach of our terms of service. BT Business can offer business-grade hosting tools from just £5 per month.
What happens to my free BT Web Hosting web address?
Once we withdraw the service, your free BT Web Hosting service will no longer appear on the internet, and you'll no longer be able to access your free BT Web Hosting account and files.
People going to your web hosting address will get a "page not found" message.
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