Using File Manager in DirectAdmin

The File Manager in DirectAdmin lets you manage website files directly in your browser, without FTP software. Handy for quick changes.

Accessing File Manager

1. Log in to DirectAdmin
2. Go to File Manager in the menu
3. You'll see the folder structure of your hosting

Understanding folder structure

/domains/example.com/
├── public_html/    ← Website files (public)
├── private_html/   ← Secured files
├── logs/           ← Access and error logs
└── stats/          ← Statistics

public_html is where your website files are located.

Uploading files

1. Navigate to the correct folder (usually public_html)
2. Click Upload Files or the upload icon
3. Select files from your computer
4. Wait for the upload to complete

Uploading several files at once? Hold Ctrl (or Cmd on Mac) while selecting the files.

Tip: For large files or many files, use FTP.

Editing files

1. Navigate to the file
2. Click on the file
3. Click Edit or the pencil icon
4. Make your changes in the text editor
5. Click Save

Suitable for: HTML, CSS, PHP, .htaccess, config files.

Note: Do not edit binary files such as images or PDFs in the text editor.

Creating folders

1. Navigate to the location
2. Click Create Folder or New folder
3. Enter the folder name
4. Click Create

Preferably use lowercase letters, replace spaces with hyphens (-) or underscores (_) and choose descriptive names such as images or uploads.

Deleting files

1. Select the file/folder
2. Click Delete or trash icon
3. Confirm the action

Note: Deleted files are permanently gone! There is no recycle bin, so make a backup before you delete anything.

Copying/Moving files

1. Select the file
2. Click Copy or Move
3. Navigate to the destination folder
4. Confirm the action

The difference: copying creates a duplicate, moving removes the file from its original location.

Changing permissions (CHMOD)

1. Select the file/folder
2. Click Permissions or CHMOD
3. Set the correct permissions:
   • 644 for files
   • 755 for folders
4. Click Save

Common permissions

Never use 777: it lets anyone write to the file, and many servers refuse to run PHP scripts with those permissions.

Compressing/Extracting files

Create ZIP

1. Select files/folders
2. Click Compress
3. Choose ZIP format
4. Confirm

Extract ZIP

1. Click on the ZIP file
2. Click Extract
3. Choose destination folder
4. Confirm

Tips

1. Backup first: Make a backup before big changes
2. Use FTP for large uploads: File Manager has limits
3. Be careful with permissions: Wrong permissions can break your site
4. Don't edit WordPress core: Only use for theme/plugin files, so nothing in wp-admin or wp-includes

Troubleshooting

File too large to upload

Use FTP for files larger than 50MB.

Cannot edit file

Check permissions or try via FTP. If a file is set to 444 (read-only), change the permissions first.

Changes not visible

This is usually caused by the browser cache. Do a hard refresh (Ctrl+F5 on Windows, Cmd+Shift+R on Mac), open the page in a private window or clear your browser cache.

"Permission denied" error

Check that you are logged in with the DirectAdmin account that owns the files, and that the permissions of the file or folder are correct.

Need help?

We're here for you! Running into issues or have questions? Our support team is happy to help you personally. Drop us a message through the ticket system - we usually respond within a few hours and love helping you find the best solution.