Files & File Manager in cPanel
Your website’s files live on the server, and File Manager is the built-in way to work with them without needing separate software. Open it from the Files section of cPanel.
Where your site lives
Public website files sit in the public_html directory, the web root. Anything you want visible on your site goes here (or in a folder inside it). Files outside public_html are not served to the web.
Uploading and extracting
- To add files, open the destination folder, click Upload, and select them.
- For many files at once, upload a single .zip and then Extract it in place. That is much faster than uploading files one by one.
- You can also compress a folder into a zip (handy before downloading a backup of a directory).
File permissions
Permissions control who can read, write, or run a file, using a three-digit number. Safe defaults:
- Files: 644
- Folders: 755
Avoid 777 (fully open), it is a common security risk. Change permissions by selecting a file and choosing Permissions.
Directory indexing
If a folder has no index file, indexing decides whether visitors see a list of its contents. Leaving that exposed can reveal files you would rather keep private. Under the Files section, use Indexes (or Directory Privacy) to turn indexing off for folders that should not be browsable.
Need a hand?
Editing files in the web root is one of the easier ways to break a site. If you are unsure, ask us, or let managed hosting handle file-level changes safely.
