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Files and File Manager in cPanel

File Manager in cPanel is used to manage files stored on your hosting account.

You can use it to:

  • browse website files,
  • create folders,
  • add new files,
  • upload files from your computer to the hosting account,
  • download files from the hosting account,
  • edit text files,
  • rename files,
  • copy and move files,
  • delete files.

You do not need an FTP application for these tasks.

1. Opening File Manager

After logging in to cPanel, find the:

Files

section.

Then click:

File Manager

After a moment, you will see a list of folders and files on the hosting account.

2. Where website files are stored

The main website files are usually stored in:

public_html

This is where you will typically find files such as:

index.html
index.php
wp-config.php
.htaccess

and website directories.

Example:

public_html/
├── index.php
├── .htaccess
├── images/
├── css/
└── js/

If you want to modify website files, this is usually the first place to look.

Do not randomly delete folders outside public_html. Some of them are required for the hosting account, email, or cPanel itself.

3. Uploading a file

To upload a file from your computer:

  1. Open the folder where you want to place the file.
  2. In most cases, this will be:
public_html
  1. In the top menu, click:

Upload

  1. Drag the file into the browser window or select it from your computer.
  2. Wait until the upload reaches 100%.
  3. Return to File Manager.

The file should appear in the selected folder.

4. Creating a new folder

To create a new folder:

  1. Open the location where you want to create it.
  2. Click:

+ Folder

  1. Enter the folder name, for example:
images
  1. Confirm.

Done.

5. Creating a new file

To create an empty file:

  1. Open the appropriate folder.
  2. Click:

+ File

  1. Enter the file name, for example:
test.html
  1. Confirm.

6. Editing a file

If you want to change the contents of a text file, for example:

index.html
.htaccess
config.php

right-click the file and select:

Edit

You can also select the file and use the Edit button in the top menu.

After making changes, click:

Save Changes

Before modifying an important file, it is worth making a copy. A single missing character in a PHP or .htaccess file can cause the website to stop working.

7. Downloading a file

To download a file from the hosting account to your computer:

  1. Select the file.
  2. Click:

Download

The file will be downloaded to your computer.

8. Renaming a file

To rename a file:

  1. Select the file or folder.
  2. Click:

Rename

  1. Enter the new name.
  2. Confirm.

Example:

index-old.html

can be renamed to:

index.html

9. Copying a file

To make a copy of a file:

  1. Select the file.
  2. Click:

Copy

  1. Select the destination folder.
  2. Confirm.

This is especially useful before editing important files.

For example:

.htaccess

can be copied as:

.htaccess-backup

10. Moving a file

To move a file to another folder:

  1. Select the file.
  2. Click:

Move

  1. Select the destination folder.
  2. Confirm.

11. Deleting a file

To delete a file:

  1. Select the file or folder.
  2. Click:

Delete

  1. Confirm the deletion.

Depending on the cPanel settings, the deleted file may be moved to the trash.

If you are deleting something important, first make sure you have a backup.

12. Trash

File Manager may keep deleted files in the trash.

If you accidentally delete something, check:

View Trash

If the file is still there, it may be possible to restore it.

13. Hidden files

Some files begin with a dot, for example:

.htaccess
.user.ini

These are hidden files.

If you cannot see them:

  1. Click Settings in the upper-right corner of File Manager.
  2. Enable:

Show Hidden Files (dotfiles)

  1. Save the settings.

14. The most important folder: public_html

In most cases:

public_html

is the main website directory.

If you place:

test.html

in this directory, it will usually be available at:

https://twojadomena.pl/test.html

If the file is located in:

public_html/oferta/test.html

its URL will usually be:

https://twojadomena.pl/oferta/test.html

15. Index file

The server automatically looks for a default start file, usually:

index.php

or:

index.html

This means that opening:

https://twojadomena.pl

may automatically display:

public_html/index.php

without including the file name in the URL.

16. File permissions

In File Manager, you may see values such as:

644
755

These are file and directory permissions.

Typically:

644

is used for files, and:

755

for directories.

If you are not sure what you are doing, do not change permissions at random.

In particular, do not set:

777

unless there is a specific reason to do so.

17. What you should avoid

If you are not sure what a file or folder is used for:

do not delete it.

Be especially careful with files such as:

.htaccess
wp-config.php
configuration.php
.env

and directories located outside public_html.

Before making a major change, it is best to:

  1. download the file to your computer,
  2. make a copy,
  3. edit it only afterwards.

18. Simplest rule

If you simply want to upload a file to your website:

  1. Open File Manager.
  2. Go to:
public_html
  1. Click Upload.
  2. Select the file.
  3. Wait until the upload reaches 100%.
  4. Done.

If you are not sure whether a file can be safely changed or deleted, contact Cloud4You technical support.