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Managing Files – WordPress Hosting

With the Files section in Plesk you manage all files on your WordPress hosting plan directly through your browser — upload, edit, move, extract and more. Ideal for quick changes without needing an FTP client.


This article applies to our WordPress Hosting plans (control panel Plesk). Using Web Hosting or Reseller Hosting (DirectAdmin)? Follow the article Managing files through File Manager instead.



Opening the Files section


To access the Files section, log in to Plesk using the server name your plan is on.


  1. Log in to Plesk via https://[servername].srvnl.nl:8443. Replace [servername] with the name of the server your hosting plan is on.
  2. In the left-hand menu, click Files.


You're now on the Files page. The httpdocs folder is your website's root directory — any file you place here is directly visible to visitors.


Don't know which server your plan is on? See the article How can I find the server name of my hosting package?.


For file and folder names, use only letters, digits, hyphens (-) or underscores (_). Avoid spaces, capital letters and special characters — these can cause issues with links and URLs.


Creating or uploading files and folders


Uploading files — navigate to the desired folder, click the + button and choose Upload File. Select the files you want to upload and follow the progress. Click Close once the upload is complete.


Creating a folder — navigate to the folder where you want to add a new one, click the + button and choose Create Directory. Enter a name and click OK.


Creating an empty file — navigate to the desired folder, click the + button and choose Create File. Enter the file name including extension (for example example.php) and click OK.


Editing, downloading or copying files


Editing a file — click the file name, make your changes and click Save or Save & Continue.


Downloading a file — click the hamburger icon next to the file and choose Download.


Copying or moving files or folders — select the files or folders, click Copy (or Move) at the top, choose the target folder and confirm.


Files in httpdocs are changed live immediately and visible to visitors right away. Test major changes locally first if possible, or make a copy of the original file before editing it. Be extra careful with files like .htaccess, wp-config.php or index.php — a mistake in these can take your entire website offline.


Changing file and folder permissions


File permissions determine who can read, write or execute a file. In most cases the default permissions are already correct and you don't need to change anything.


  1. Click the hamburger icon next to the file or folder.
  2. Choose Change Permissions.
  3. Adjust the permissions — 644 for files and 755 for folders are the safe standard values.
  4. Click Save.


Never use permissions 777 for files or folders. This grants everyone — including malicious parties — full access and is a major security risk.


Extracting archive files


Uploaded an archive file (.zip)? You can extract it directly in Plesk — handy for large websites or backups.


  1. Click the hamburger icon next to the archive file.
  2. Choose Extract Files.
  3. Want to overwrite existing files? Then tick Replace Existing Files.
  4. Click OK.


Deleting files


  1. Select the files or folders you want to delete.
  2. Click Remove at the top.
  3. Want to delete permanently right away? Then tick Skip the Recycle Bin.
  4. Click Yes, remove.


Deleted files usually cannot be recovered. When in doubt, first create a backup via the article Creating your own backup or restore from an existing backup before performing large delete actions.


Instructional video


Prefer to see how it works? Watch our short instructional video on the Files section in Plesk:



When is FTP more convenient?


The browser-based Files section is ideal for quick changes. For larger tasks FTP is a better choice — for example when you:


  • Upload or download many files at once — such as an entire website or a large media library.
  • Need a stable connection for large uploads where a browser session may time out.
  • Prefer to work from a client like FileZilla, Cyberduck or Transmit.


Where possible, use FTP over SSL (FTPS) instead of plain FTP. Your login credentials and files are then transmitted encrypted. In most clients you can enable this via the Require explicit FTP over TLS or FTPS option.


You'll find your FTP details via the FTP & SSH settings button in the summary panel of the website check, or in your control panel.


Can't figure it out? Feel free to get in touch — we're happy to help.

Updated on: 19/04/2026

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