Articles on: Web Hosting
This article is also available in:

Managing Files

With File Manager in DirectAdmin you manage all files on your 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 Web Hosting and Reseller Hosting plans (control panel DirectAdmin). Using WordPress Hosting (Plesk)? Follow the article Managing files – WordPress Hosting instead.



Opening File Manager


The quickest way to access DirectAdmin is via Single Sign-On from My xYnta — no separate password needed. Prefer to log in manually? Then go to https://yourdomain.com:2222.


  1. Log in to DirectAdmin — via Single Sign-On or directly on port 2222.
  2. Under System Info & Files, click File Manager.


You're now in File Manager. The public_html folder is your website's root directory — any file you place here is directly visible to visitors.


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 folder where you want to upload, click the plus icon on the left and drag your files into the window. The upload starts immediately.


Creating a folder — navigate to the folder where you want to add a new one, click the folder icon on the left, enter a name and click Create.


Creating an empty file — navigate to the desired folder, click the file icon on the left, choose the file type, enter a name and click Create.


Editing, downloading or copying files


Editing a file — right-click the file, choose Edit, make your changes and click Save File.


Downloading a file — right-click the file and choose Download.


Copying or moving files or folders — select what you want to copy, click the dots icon in the top right, choose Copy/Move to…, enter the new path and click Copy.


Files in public_html 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. Select the files or folders whose permissions you want to change.
  2. Click the dots icon in the top right and choose Set Permissions.
  3. Enter the desired 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, .tgz or .tar.gz)? You can extract it directly in File Manager — handy for large websites or backups.


  1. Right-click the archive file.
  2. Choose Extract.
  3. Select the target folder and the files you want to extract.
  4. Click Extract.


Deleting files


  1. Select the files or folders you want to delete.
  2. Click the dots icon in the top right and choose Delete.
  3. Want to delete permanently right away? Then disable Move to Trash.
  4. Click Delete.


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 File Manager:



When is FTP more convenient?


Browser-based File Manager 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

Was this article helpful?

Share your feedback

Cancel

Thank you!