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Common Hosting and cPanel Problems

Below you will find the most common problems that may occur when using hosting services.

In most cases, first check:

  • whether the domain points to the correct server,
  • whether the SSL certificate is active,
  • whether the hosting account has used all available storage,
  • whether the website files are in the correct directory,
  • whether the PHP version is compatible with the website.

1. The website does not open at all

If the browser reports that the website cannot be found or that the server is not responding, check:

  1. whether the domain is active,
  2. whether the DNS A record points to the correct IP address,
  3. whether the domain has been added correctly to the hosting account,
  4. whether DNS changes have had enough time to propagate.

If the domain was recently transferred or its nameservers were changed, the changes may not be visible immediately.

2. The website shows a 403 error

Error:

403 Forbidden

means that the server is refusing access to a file or directory.

The most common causes are:

  • incorrect file permissions,
  • incorrect directory permissions,
  • an incorrect .htaccess configuration,
  • a missing index file,
  • a restriction configured by the application.

Common permissions are:

files: 644
directories: 755

Do not set:

777

unless there is a specific reason to do so.

3. The website shows a 404 error

Error:

404 Not Found

means that the server could not find the requested file or URL.

Check:

  • whether the file actually exists,
  • whether it is in the correct directory,
  • whether the URL is correct,
  • whether .htaccess contains incorrect rules.

If the problem appeared after migrating WordPress, it is also worth saving the:

Settings → Permalinks

settings again in the WordPress administration panel.

4. The website shows a 500 error

Error:

500 Internal Server Error

usually indicates a problem with the website configuration or PHP.

Typical causes include:

  • an incorrect .htaccess,
  • an incompatible PHP version,
  • an error in PHP code,
  • a missing required PHP extension,
  • incorrect file permissions,
  • incorrectly configured PHP parameters.

If the problem appeared after changing the PHP version:

  1. go to:

Software → MultiPHP Manager

  1. restore the previous PHP version,
  2. check the website again.

5. White page or blank screen

If the website opens but displays nothing, a PHP error has most likely occurred.

This may be caused by:

  • an incompatible PHP version,
  • a faulty plugin,
  • a broken theme,
  • an application error,
  • insufficient PHP memory.

Check:

Software → MultiPHP Manager

and:

Software → MultiPHP INI Editor

especially:

memory_limit

6. The website worked but stopped after changing PHP

If the problem appeared after changing the PHP version:

  1. return to:

Software → MultiPHP Manager

  1. select the previous PHP version,
  2. click:

Apply

  1. check the website.

Older websites, themes, or plugins may not work with newer PHP versions.

7. A large file cannot be uploaded

If an upload fails or the file cannot be uploaded, check:

Software → MultiPHP INI Editor

The most important parameters are:

upload_max_filesize
post_max_size

Example:

upload_max_filesize = 64M
post_max_size = 128M

post_max_size should be at least as large as upload_max_filesize.

8. A script stops too quickly

If an import, update, or another operation stops after a certain amount of time, check:

max_execution_time

in:

Software → MultiPHP INI Editor

Example:

300

means 300 seconds, or 5 minutes.

9. PHP runs out of memory

If you see an error similar to:

Allowed memory size exhausted

increase:

memory_limit

in:

Software → MultiPHP INI Editor

Example:

256M

or:

512M

Do not set extremely high values unless necessary.

10. The SSL certificate does not work

If the browser shows a certificate warning:

  1. go to:

Security → SSL/TLS Status

  1. check the domain status,
  2. if necessary, run:

Run AutoSSL

Also check whether the domain points to the correct server.

11. HTTPS works, but HTTP still opens

If the certificate works but the website does not automatically redirect to HTTPS:

  1. go to:

Domains

  1. find the domain,
  2. enable:

Force HTTPS Redirect

12. The browser shows Mixed Content

If the website works over HTTPS but the browser still shows a warning, some resources may be loaded over HTTP.

Example:

http://domena.pl/logo.png

instead of:

https://domena.pl/logo.png

The problem may affect:

  • images,
  • CSS,
  • JavaScript,
  • fonts.

Update the URLs in the website or application.

13. Email is not being received

If messages are not being received, check:

  • whether the mailbox exists,
  • whether it has reached its storage quota,
  • whether the hosting account has used all available storage,
  • whether the MX records are correct,
  • whether the domain points to the correct DNS servers.

Also check:

Spam

or:

Junk

14. Email is received, but cannot be sent

The problem is usually related to SMTP.

Check the settings in:

Email → Email Accounts → Connect Devices

The most common causes are:

  • incorrect SMTP server,
  • incorrect port,
  • incorrect password,
  • SMTP authentication disabled,
  • incorrect encryption settings.

Use the full email address as the username:

kontakt@domena.pl

15. Outlook or a phone keeps asking for the password

Check:

  • whether the password is correct,
  • whether it was changed recently,
  • whether the full email address is used as the username,
  • whether the IMAP/SMTP server names are correct,
  • whether the settings come from Connect Devices.

If you changed the password in cPanel, update it on every device as well.

16. The mailbox is full

If the mailbox reaches its quota, it may stop receiving new messages.

Check:

Email → Email Accounts → Manage

You can:

  • increase the quota,
  • delete unnecessary messages,
  • empty the Spam folder,
  • empty the Trash folder,
  • remove large messages with attachments.

17. FTP cannot connect

If FileZilla or WinSCP cannot connect to the server, check:

host
username
password
port

The username is usually in the form:

uzytkownik@domena.pl

Also check whether the FTP account still exists in:

Files → FTP Accounts

18. FTP connects, but website files are not visible

The FTP account most likely has access limited to another directory.

Check the directory assigned to the account in:

Files → FTP Accounts

The main website files are usually located in:

public_html

19. A file was uploaded but is not visible on the website

Check:

  • whether the file was uploaded to public_html,
  • whether the file name is correct,
  • whether letter case is correct,
  • whether the browser is showing an old cached version.

On a Linux server:

Logo.png

and:

logo.png

are two different files.

20. A file disappeared or was deleted

First check the trash in:

File Manager → View Trash

If the file is not there, you may need a backup.

Cloud4You retains:

7 daily backups

and:

3 monthly backups

created on the first day of each month.

If you need data restored, contact Cloud4You technical support.

21. The hosting account has used all available storage

If the account has no free space, the following may stop working:

  • email,
  • file uploads,
  • backups,
  • applications,
  • updates.

Check storage usage in cPanel.

The largest consumers are often:

  • old backups,
  • mailboxes,
  • log files,
  • cache,
  • large files in public_html.

22. A backup cannot be created

The most common reason is insufficient free space.

A full backup may require a significant amount of additional space on the account.

If the account is almost full:

  • remove unnecessary files,
  • remove old backups,
  • download existing backups to your computer,
  • try again.

23. Database connection error

If the website shows a message similar to:

Error establishing a database connection

check:

  • the database name,
  • the database username,
  • the password,
  • the database host,
  • whether the database still exists.

In WordPress, these values are usually stored in:

wp-config.php

Do not change them accidentally.

24. WordPress shows an error after installing a plugin

If the problem appeared immediately after installing or updating a plugin, that plugin is the most likely cause.

If you cannot access the WordPress administration panel, you can temporarily rename the plugin directory in:

public_html/wp-content/plugins/

Example:

problem-plugin

to:

problem-plugin-disabled

WordPress will stop loading that plugin.

It is worth making a backup before doing this.

25. The website shows an old version after files were changed

This is usually caused by cache.

Check:

  • browser cache,
  • WordPress cache,
  • plugin cache,
  • CDN cache, if used.

Also try opening the website in a private/incognito window.

26. The domain still points to the old server after a DNS change

DNS changes are not always visible immediately.

Propagation may take some time.

Also check whether the change was made:

  • in the correct DNS zone,
  • for the correct domain,
  • on the DNS servers actually used by the domain.

27. I do not know what I changed and the website stopped working

If you do not know what caused the problem:

  1. do not make further random changes,
  2. record the time when the problem occurred,
  3. check what was changed immediately before the problem,
  4. if you have your own backup, secure the current data,
  5. contact technical support.

The fewer additional random changes you make, the easier it is to identify the cause.

What to include in a support request

If you need help, provide as much detail as possible:

  • the domain name,
  • a description of the problem,
  • when the problem started,
  • the exact error message,
  • what was changed immediately before the problem,
  • the URL where the problem occurs.

Good example:

Domain: domena.pl

Problem:
After changing PHP from 8.1 to 8.3, the website shows error 500.

Problem started:
9 September at approximately 14:00.

Changes made:
PHP version changed in MultiPHP Manager.

URL:
https://domena.pl

This information makes troubleshooting much easier.

Most important rule

If the website works and you do not know exactly what an option does:

do not change it just to see what happens.

Make a backup before any major change.

If you encounter a problem, contact Cloud4You technical support.