# cPanel File Manager: uploads, permissions, and archives

> The cPanel File Manager: how to upload files, set 644 and 755 file permissions, pack archives into zip, and find hidden files to edit .htaccess safely.

## What the cPanel File Manager does

File Manager is a built-in cPanel tool for working with site files without an FTP client. It opens right in the browser and shows the directory structure starting at `public_html`. You use it to upload files, change permissions, edit text files, and extract archives.

The tool suits one-off edits: swap an image, fix `wp-config.php`, download a database backup. For regularly syncing dozens of files, [FTP access](https://www.zevshost.net/en/kb/nastroit-ftp-cpanel/) or SSH is more convenient.

## How to upload files through File Manager

Open cPanel → File Manager, go to the needed folder, for example `public_html/site`. Click Upload, drag files into the drop zone, or pick them through the dialog. The per-file limit is usually 2 GB, but the provider may cap the account's total quota.

For a large number of files, it is faster to build an archive on your computer, upload one zip file, then extract it on the server — that saves time compared to uploading files one by one through the browser.

## Permissions: why 644 and 755 matter

Every file and folder on the hosting account has permissions in chmod format. Wrong permissions are a common cause of a 500 error or a blank white page. Standard values for cPanel:

| Object | Permissions | Purpose |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Files | 644 | Owner reads and writes, everyone else only reads |
| Folders | 755 | Owner has full access, others read and enter the folder |
| wp-config.php | 440 | Limit reading by other processes on the server |
| Cache and uploads folders | 755 | Allow the web server to write without opening write access to everyone |

To change permissions, select the file, click Permissions, and tick the needed boxes or type the number manually.

## Archives: Compress and Extract

File Manager can pack and unpack archives without a console. Select the files, click Compress, choose the Zip Archive format. To unpack, select the archive and click Extract — the tool detects the destination folder itself.

Over SSH the same operation looks like this:

```
cd public_html
unzip site-backup.zip
tar -xzvf dump.tar.gz
```

If SSH is not available on your plan, read about [SSH access on shared hosting](https://www.zevshost.net/en/kb/cpanel-ssh-dostup-shared/) — on some plans it can be enabled separately in the settings.

## Hidden files and editing .htaccess

Files starting with a dot (`.htaccess`, `.env`) are hidden by default. Turn their display on through Settings → Show Hidden Files (dotfiles) in the top right corner of File Manager.

Before editing `.htaccess`, make a copy of the file: rename it to `.htaccess.bak`. A syntax mistake in the rules immediately produces a 500 error across the whole site, so edit the file in small chunks and check the site after each save.

## Before bulk edits, make a backup

File Manager lets you delete or overwrite a file with no way to undo it through the interface. Before changing permissions in bulk or deleting a folder, create a snapshot through the [backup](https://www.zevshost.net/en/kb/rezervnaya-kopiya/) section. Restoring an archive is faster than rebuilding the site piece by piece after a mistake.

## File Manager checklist

- Files — 644, folders — 755, wp-config.php — 440
- Upload large sets of files as an archive, then extract on the server
- Turn on hidden files before editing .htaccess
- Make a backup before bulk permission changes or deletions
- Use FTP or SSH for regular work instead of the browser

---

Source: https://www.zevshost.net/en/kb/cpanel-file-manager/