How to use File Manager in cPanel

In this guideline, you will find detailed instructions on how to manage (add, delete, view, modify) files from your cPanel account using the File Manager menu.

Accessing File Manager

File Manager interface and options

Upload
Copy/Move
Create a new file/folder
Delete
Restore
Rename
Edit
Compress
Extract
Change Permissions

Accessing File Manager

To locate the menu, log in to your cPanel account and navigate to Files section >> click on File Manager from there:

For quick access to File Manager, use our cPanel Shortcuts.

You will be taken to the /home/user directory by default. The default directory can be changed with the help of the Settings option:

From the same Settings window, you can also enable the Show Hidden Files (dotfiles) option. In this way, system files, like .htaccess, will be displayed in File Manager as well:

The public_html folder is the web root for your primary domain name. This means that public_html is the folder where you put all website files which you want to appear when someone types your main domain (the one you provided when you signed up for hosting).

If you wish to upload files for your addon domain, you will need to move to the home/user/youraddondomain.com directory. This directory is created automatically on adding an addon domain to the cPanel account.

NB: To check a document root (directory) for a domain name, navigate to the Domains menu of your cPanel >> look for the needed domain in the list >> its document root (the folder where its files are uploaded) will be displayed under the Document Root column. Click on the document root to open it:

File Manager interface and options

The interface of File Manager is divided into 4 sections:

The toolbar where where you can find all the basic functions for managing files like create a new folder, delete a file, upload/download and much more.
The file listing section that displays the content of the selected directory.
NB: If no files or folders are created, the following message will be displayed in the file window: "This directory is an empty message."
The navigation toolbar that allows navigating between folders in the file window.
Current location window that shows the directory you are currently located in.

Upload

To upload a file/folder using the File Manager menu, do the following:

Go to File Manager;
Navigate to the folder you wish to upload the file(s) to;
Click on the Upload icon;
Click Select File and locate the file on your local machine;
Select the file and click on Open/Choose or simply drag and drop the needed file from your local machine to the upload window:

Copy/Move

To Copy/Move a file, do the following:

Go to File Manager;
Select the file(s) you wish to copy/move (to select multiple files, hold the Ctrl+Command button);
After the needed items are selected, hit the Copy or Move icon or right-click on the selected file(s) and choose the Copy or Move option from the drop-down menu;
Once done, the confirmation window with the final destination will pop-up:

Create a new file/folder

To create a new file, do the following:

Go to File Manager;
Navigate to the folder where you wish to create a file;
Click on the +File icon – a new pop up box will appear to enter the name of the file you wish to be created;
Click on the Create New File:

Delete

To delete a file, do the following:

Go File Manager;
Navigate to the folder where the file(s) you wish to delete is located;
Select the file(s) and hit the Delete icon or right-click on the file and use the Delete option from the drop-down menu;
Once done, the confirmation window will pop-up;
The deleted files are moved to the system .trash folder. If you wish to remove the file(s) permanently, check-mark the Skip the trash and permanently delete the files option:

NOTE: The files will be stored in the trash folder for 90 days. After that, they will be removed from the server automatically.

Restore

To restore a file, do the following:

Go to File Manager;
Navigate to the .trash folder in the /home/user/ directory;
Select the needed file(s) and hit the Restore icon or right-click on the file and use the Restore option from the drop-down menu;
Once done, the confirmation window will pop-up:

Rename

To rename a file, do the following:

Go File Manager;
Navigate to the folder where the file(s) you wish to rename is located;
Select the file(s) and hit the Rename icon or right-click on the file and use the Rename option from the drop-down menu:

Once done, the confirmation window will pop-up:

Edit

To edit a file, do the following:

Go File Manager;
Select the file you wish to edit and hit one of the Edit icon
or right-click on the file and use Edit from the drop-down menu

Compress

It is useful to store a group of files in one file for an easy backup or for a transfer to another directory as well as compress large files. Compressed files take up less disk space and are downloaded faster via the Internet. The data can be compressed into a single *.zip, *.Gz, or *.Bz2 archive.
To compress a file, do the following:

Go to File Manager;
Select the files/directories you wish to compress and hit the Compress icon;
Define Compression Type and enter the name of the archive;
Once done, hit Compress File(s):

Extract

To extract a file, do the following:

Go to File Manager;
Select the file you wish to uncompress;
Hit the Extract icon or right-click on the file and use the Extract option;
Define the path you wish to extract the file to;
Once done, hit Extract File(s):

Change Permissions

To change permissions for a file, do the following:

Go File Manager;
Select the file/folder you wish to change permissions for and hit the Permissions icon or right-click on the file/folder and use the Change Permissions option from the drop-down menu:

Set the needed value and hit Change Permissions:

More information on how to change file/folder permissions can be found here.

That's it!

Need any help? Contact our HelpDesk

Updated

6/24/2025

Viewed

79050 times