Download the latest package and activate it with your own key.
Direct Edit is delivered as a ZIP package. Upload it to hosting and install it in a few steps.
Installation within a few minuteslatest.jsonIf you already have a key, just download the package and activate it in the editor. If not, order a license from the pricing section on the main page.
Step by step
One installation and you are ready to go. Download, upload, and finish the setup. No database or extra complexity.
Download the latest ZIP package
Download the latest Direct Edit build using the link above.
Upload it to hosting
The ZIP contains a folder named direct-edit-x.x.x. Unpack the ZIP and copy that whole folder via FTP next to your website files.
Choose your admin URL
Rename the direct-edit-x.x.x folder to something like editor. That folder name becomes your admin URL. For security reasons, avoid names like admin.
Open the editor URL
Open the editor address on your website, for example www.your-site.com/editor/.
Create your account
The setup wizard will guide you through creating the first administrator account. The initial install password is demo123.
Activate the license
In Settings → License enter the email and registration key you received. In Settings → Emails set your sender email so password-related system emails can be delivered correctly.
Start editing
Done. Click directly on the text on the page and edit it.
Security note
Even though Direct Edit follows security best practices, enabling 2FA for all users is strongly recommended.
Need help with installation? Just let me know.
Assisted installation
Installation video
Some questions can come
Short answers for common situations that may appear when using the editor.
I can see changes in the editor, but they are not showing on my live site
Changes are saved directly to the file, so if you can see them in the editor, they were written successfully. If they are not showing on your live site outside the editor, your hosting likely has server-side caching enabled, which may be serving an older version of the page. Try clearing or temporarily disabling the cache.
The editor is reporting a 403 Forbidden error. What should I do?
If you cannot even sign in to the editor, your hosting is probably blocking its requests. If the dashboard works and 403 appears only when you open a page for editing, check the root .htaccess file. A common cause is a rule that searches the complete %{THE_REQUEST} for .html and therefore also affects an editor parameter such as proxy.php?file=pricing.html. An exception for the editor folder alone may not be sufficient on every server. The key fix is to replace the generic RewriteRule ^ with RewriteRule ^(.+)\.html$ /$1 [R=301,L,NE], so only real .html paths are redirected. Replace the complete clean URL section with the block below. If the editor is not installed under /editor/, adjust the path in the first RewriteRule. Because an old 301 redirect may be cached by the browser, verify the change in a private window or with the cache disabled.
The editor is reporting a 500 Internal Server Error. What should I do?
Please ensure that your server or hosting is running PHP 8.1 or higher. For security and syntactical reasons, the editor is not compatible with lower versions.
Editing icons are not visible on the page
If the editor dashboard works correctly, the icons and editing process may be blocked by overly strict rules in the .htaccess file.
A piece of the page disappears and appears after refresh
The reason is probably an animation library, for example Animate on scroll, that does not expect an element to change from elsewhere. These libraries usually react to the page load, not to a single changed element. Refresh the page and everything should be back in place.
How do I change the editor language?
Before logging in, you can change the language directly on the login screen. After logging in, you will find the option in your account settings.