cPanel File Manager Guide
cPanel File Manager is the browser tool under Files that uploads, extracts, edits and sets permissions on your website files without FTP. Set Settings to Web Root and Show Hidden Files once, upload a zip of your folder, then click Extract. Use 644 for files and 755 for folders, and copy any file before editing it.
For cPanel users who need to upload a site, change a file or fix permissions straight from the browser.
knowledge
- Read time
- 5 min
- Sections
- 7
- Updated
- 14 Nov 2026
- Written by
- WebJi® team
Last editorial update: 14 November 2026.
What cPanel File Manager is and what it can do
cPanel File Manager is the browser-based tool in cPanel's Files section for uploading, extracting, editing, moving and setting permissions on the files of one hosting account, without an FTP client. It opens in a new tab at /home/username; the primary website lives in public_html.
| Folder | What it holds | Safe to edit? |
|---|---|---|
public_html | The primary domain's website | Yes, this is your site |
| Addon/subdomain folders | Each extra site's document root, listed under Domains | Yes |
mail | Mailbox data | No, manage mail from Email Accounts |
logs, access-logs | Archived and current web logs | Read only |
.trash | Files deleted without "skip the trash" | Restore or empty from View Trash |
File Manager is for site files. Moving a whole account between servers also involves databases and email, so it runs through a backup and restore instead; see the cPanel full backup guide. If cPanel itself is new, start with the cPanel beginner tour.
Open File Manager in public_html with hidden files visible
Set File Manager once to open in the web root and to show dotfiles, so every later visit lands in the live site folder with .htaccess visible.
- Log in to cPanel at
https://yourdomain.com:2083or the address your host gave you. The billing client area is a separate login. - Open Files → File Manager.
- Click Settings (top right) and choose Web Root (public_html/www) as the default folder.
- Tick Show Hidden Files (dotfiles) and click Save.
- Check the path bar:
/home/username/public_htmlis the live site.
If File Manager is missing from cPanel, the host has switched it off for the account; ask support rather than looking for a workaround. Finding .htaccess specifically is covered in where .htaccess is in cPanel.
Uploading a folder and extracting it
File Manager uploads files, not folders, so compress the folder on your computer, upload the single archive and extract it on the server; it is also much faster than thousands of small uploads.
- Compress the folder: right-click → Compress on macOS, or Send to → Compressed (zipped) folder on Windows.
- In File Manager, open the destination folder, usually
public_html. - Click Upload and drop the archive; tick "Overwrite existing files" only if replacing is intended.
- Return to the folder, select the archive, click Extract and confirm the destination path.
- Click Reload, check the files, then delete the archive so nobody can download it.
The Upload page shows the account's size limit; anything larger goes over SFTP, as in uploading a website by FTP.
Fixing the "extra folder" problem after extracting
If you zipped a folder rather than its contents, Extract recreates that folder, so the site ends up at public_html/site-name/ and the domain shows a 404 or a directory listing.
- Open the wrapper folder inside
public_html. - Click Select All to choose everything inside it, including dotfiles.
- Click Move, enter
/public_htmlas the destination and confirm. - Delete the now-empty wrapper folder and the archive, then reload the domain.
The reverse tool, Compress, packs selected files into .zip, .tar.gz or .tar.bz2 for download; take such a copy before a theme update or bulk permission change.
Editing a file safely in File Manager
Copy the file first, open it with Edit, keep the encoding as UTF-8, change the line and click Save Changes, then reload the page in a private window. The editor has no version history once you close it, so the copy is your undo.
- Right-click the file → Copy and name the copy, e.g.
wp-config.php.bak. - Right-click the original → Edit; accept UTF-8 in the encoding prompt.
- Make the change and click Save Changes.
- Test the site. If it breaks, rename the
.bakback. - Delete the
.bakonce you are sure; a backup inpublic_htmlcan be downloaded by anyone who guesses its name.
PHP settings such as upload size are better changed in MultiPHP INI Editor than by hand-editing ini files; see changing the PHP version in cPanel for the related MultiPHP tools.
Setting file permissions: 644 for files, 755 for folders
Select the item, click Permissions, enter the value and click Change Permissions; use 644 for files, 755 for folders, and never 777.
| Value | Use for | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 644 | PHP, HTML, CSS, images | Owner read/write; group and others read |
| 755 | Folders and scripts that must execute | Owner read/write/execute; others read and enter |
| 600 / 640 | Config files holding passwords, if your host recommends | Owner only, or owner plus group read |
| 777 | Nothing on shared hosting | Anyone can write; many servers refuse to run it and return 500 |
Each digit covers owner, group and others, and is a sum of read (4), write (2) and execute (1). A 403 Forbidden straight after an upload usually means a folder is at 644 or the folder has no index.html/index.php; see fixing 403 Forbidden.
File Manager problems and the fix for each
Most File Manager trouble is a wrong folder, a wrong permission, a cached page or a full disk, and each has a single check.
| Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|
| Saved an edit but the page is unchanged | Wrong domain's folder or a cache; check the path bar and test in a private window |
| Upload stalls or is refused | Over the size limit; split the archive or use SFTP |
| "Disk quota exceeded" | Empty .trash and delete old archives; check Disk Usage |
| Deleted the wrong file | View Trash → Restore, if "skip the trash" was not ticked |
| Pages return 404 after extracting | Files are one folder too deep; move them up |
| White page or HTTP 500 after an edit | Restore the .bak; then read the error in the 500 error guide |
File Manager is included with WebJi® cPanel hosting; if a file operation fails with a permission or ownership error you cannot change, email support@webji.services with the path and the message.
Frequently asked questions
Is File Manager safer than FTP?
It runs over your cPanel HTTPS session, so nothing travels unencrypted, unlike plain FTP. SFTP is equally secure and better for large or repeated transfers. Avoid plain FTP on port 21 without TLS, which sends your password in clear text.
Can I search for a file in File Manager?
Yes. Use the Search box at the top, choose whether to search all your files, only public_html or the current folder, and type part of the file name. It matches names, not the contents of files.
How do I download a whole website from File Manager?
Select the folder, click Compress, choose Zip, then download the archive and delete it from the server. This copies files only; export the database separately in phpMyAdmin if the site uses one.
Why can't I see an addon domain's files in public_html?
Addon domains can have a document root outside public_html. Open cPanel → Domains and read the Document Root column for that domain, then browse to that folder in File Manager.
Checked 15 November 2026 against cPanel File Manager documentation · Reviewed by the WebJi® team, Jaipur.
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