cPanel File Manager

Published On - May 13, 2019

sinealpha Basic, cPanel

Overview

cPanel organizes all the files on your account into folders. Use the File Manager interface to manage and edit your files.

Change Settings

To change the directory in which File Manager opens, perform the following steps:

  1. Click Settings to open the Preferences window.
  2. Select Web Root (public_html or www) for the most direct route to your files, or select another option to open the File Manager interface in that directory.

    Note:

    Use this menu to display any hidden files.

  3. Click Save.

Create a new file or folder

To create a new file or folder, perform the following steps:

  1. Click + File or + Folder in the File Manager toolbar. A new window will appear.
  2. Enter the new item’s name in the New File Name: or New Folder Name: text box.
  3. Enter the location in which the system will save the item in the New file will be created in: or New folder will be created in:  text box.
  4. Click Create New File or Create New Folder.

Rename a file or folder

To rename a folder or file, click the item’s name and enter the new name in the text box. Press the Return key to save the change.

Move a file to a folder

To move a file into a folder, perform the following steps:

  1. Click Move in the tool bar at the top of the interface. The New File window will appear.

    Note:

    You can also drag a file icon into a new destination folder.

  2. Enter the file path that you want to move the file to in the Enter the file path that you want to move this file to: text box.

    Note:

    You can also click an item and click Rename in the tool bar .

  3. Click Move File(s) to move the file.

Move files to a folder

To move files into a folder, perform the following steps:

  1. Hold the Shift key to select all of the items that you wish to move.
  2. Click Move in the tool bar at the top of the interface. The New File window will appear.
  3. Enter the file path that you want to move the file to in the Enter the file path that you want to move this file to: text box.
  4. Click Move File(s) to move the files.

Copy a file

To copy a file, perform the following steps:

  1. Select the file you want to copy

    Note:

    You cannot create a copy of an item within the same folder.

  2. Click Copy from the tool bar at the top of the interface. The Copy window will appear.
  3. In the Copy window, enter the file path for which you want to save the item.
  4. Click Copy File(s) to copy the file.

Copy multiple files

To copy multiple files, perform the following steps:

  1. To copy several items, hold the Shift key while you select the items.

    Note:

    You can also right-click and select Copy from the menu.

  2. Select Copy from the tool bar. The Copy window will appear.
  3. Enter the file path to which to copy the files in the    text box.
  4. Click Copy File(s) to copy the files.

Modify file or folder permissions

To modify a file or folder’s permissions, perform the following steps:

  1. Select the file or folder for which to change the permissions.
  2. From the toolbar, click Permissions. The Change Permissions window will appear.
  3. Use the checkboxes or text boxes to change the item’s permissions. This setting’s permissions default to 0644.
  4. Click Change Permissions to save your changes.

Notes:

  • When a toolbar action is not available, the function icon displays in gray.
  • You can only use certain File Manager functions with one file at a time. Select the desired file in the file window before you attempt these actions.
  • Any attempt to rename, edit, or view multiple files at the same time will only affect the first listed file in the directory.

Delete and restore files and folders

Notes:

  • When you delete files or folders, the system does not permanently delete the files. Instead, the system moves the files to the Trash folder.
  • Click Empty Trash to permanently delete the Trash folder’s contents.

To delete a file or folder, perform the following steps:

  1. Select the file or folder you want to delete.
  2. From the toolbar, click Delete. The Trash window will appear.
  3. Click Trash File(s) to confirm that you want to delete the file or folder.

To restore a file or folder, perform the following steps:

  1. Click View Trash from the toolbar.
  2. Select the file or folder that you want to restore.
  3. Click Restore in the toolbar.
  4. Confirm that you want to restore the item.

Other item actions

Right-click files or folders to select from a menu of actions that the system customizes based on the file’s type.

Feature
Displays for
Description
Upload Files Upload individual items, such as files or images.
Download Files Download files to save them locally.
Edit Files Open the selected file in an editor.
HTML Edit Files

Open the selected HTML file in a visual HTML editor.

Note:

For more information, read our HTML Editor documentation.
Extract Compressed Files

Extract the selected *.zip, *.Gz, or *.Bz2 archive and store the files in a directory.

Note:

This function will only work with the .zip format if Zip exists on your server. Your system administrator can run the yum install zip command to install the Zip PHP Module.
Compress Files, Compressed Files, Folders

Compress the selected files or folders to a single *.zip, *.Gz, or *.Bz2 archive and store the compressed file to a specified directory.

Note:

This function will only work with the .zip format if Zip exists on your server . Your system administrator can run the yum install zip command to install the Zip PHP Module .
Password Protect Folders

Set a username and password to restrict access to a folder.

Note:

Your hosting provider must enable this feature.
Leech Protection Folders

Redirect users who have shared the password to a restricted area of your site. The system will redirect accounts that exceed a set number of logins in a two hour period to a selected URL, or receive an internal server error message.

Note:

Your hosting provider must enable this feature.
Manage Indices Folders

Customize the way users view a directory on the web.

Note:

Your hosting provider must enable this feature.

Search for an item

The Search tool at the top-right corner of the interface allows users to search for a specific file. By default, the Search tool searches all files in the home directory. You can limit the search to the document root at/home/user/public_html, where user represents your cPanel username. You can also limit the search to the directory displayed in the file window.

To search for a file, perform the following steps:

  1. Use the Search menu to select the directory to search the following options:
    • All Your Files
    • only public_html
    • Current Directory
  2. Enter the desired file name in the text box.
  3. Click Go.

A new window displays the filenames that match your search. To go to a folder, or go to the folder that contains the file, double-click the desired item in the list. If no files that include your search term exist, the message No records found appears.

Character encoding verification dialogs

When you edit a file with the Edit, Code Editor, or HTML Editor features, a window appears to confirm the file’s character encoding. Use the menu to select the correct character encoding for the file. Then, click Edit to continue.

  • Click Toggle Help for more information about how to select the correct character encoding.
  • Click Disable Encoding Check to turn off future encoding verifications.

To enable or disable the Character Encoding Verification Dialogs feature, perform the following steps:

  1. Click Settings in the top-right corner of the interface. A new window will appear.
  2. Enable or disable the Character Encoding Verification Dialogs feature:
    • To enable encoding verification, deselect the Disable Character Encoding Verification Dialogs checkbox.
    • To disable encoding verification, select the Disable Character Encoding Verification Dialogs checkbox.
  3. Click Save.

Warning:

If you select the wrong initial encoding, your file may become corrupt. If your file displays as a series of special characters, immediately abort the edit and select the correct encoding. Do not save the file.