File Manager lets you manage your website's files straight from cPanel, without setting up an FTP client. It's useful for quick edits, uploading a handful of files, or extracting an archive directly on the server.
Opening File Manager
- Log in to cPanel.
- Under the Files section, click File Manager.
- Navigate to public_html, which is the folder your main domain serves files from.
Uploading Files
- Open the folder you want to upload into.
- Click Upload in the toolbar.
- Drag files into the browser window, or click to select them from your computer.
- Wait for each file's progress bar to reach 100% before leaving the page.
Editing a File
- Right-click the file, or select it and use the toolbar.
- Click Edit for plain text files like .php, .html, or .css.
- Make your changes in the editor that opens, then click Save Changes.
Extracting an Archive
If you've uploaded a .zip file, such as a website backup or a theme package, select it and click Extract in the toolbar. This unpacks the contents into the current folder without needing a separate download step.
Before editing a live file directly, download a copy to your computer first. If something goes wrong, you'll have a working version to re-upload.
File Permissions
Some applications require specific permission settings on certain folders (commonly written as numbers like 644 or 755). To change these, right-click a file or folder and select Change Permissions. Only change permissions if you know what a specific application requires, since overly permissive settings can be a security risk.