# How to use File Manager in cPanel

> Browse, upload, edit, and organise your hosting files from your browser with cPanel's File Manager - no FTP program needed.

Source: https://www.kualo.com/knowledgebase/cpanel-files-ftp/how-to-use-file-manager-in-cpanel
Updated: 2026-06-11

---

cPanel's **File Manager** lets you browse, upload, edit, and organise the files in your hosting account from your web browser - no FTP program needed. This guide covers the main things you can do with it.

## Open File Manager

1. Log in to cPanel.
2. In the **Files** section, click **File Manager**.

![The cPanel File Manager interface](https://kb-cdn.kualo.com/8d/30/8d30773d58c003fdf7f1f48d5b47927bbd89f1c6.png)

The window has three main areas:

- **The toolbar** across the top, with buttons for every action - **+ File**, **+ Folder**, **Upload**, **Download**, **Copy**, **Move**, **Rename**, **Edit**, **Delete** and more.
- **The folder tree** on the left, which you use to move between folders.
- **The file list** on the right, showing the contents of the current folder along with each item's size, type and permissions.

:::tip
Your website's public files live in the **public_html** folder. Anything you want visitors to see on your main domain goes there.
:::

## Common tasks

### Upload a file

1. Open the folder you want to upload into (for most websites, **public_html**).
2. Click **Upload** in the toolbar.
3. Drag your files onto the upload page, or click **Select File** to choose them. Each file uploads automatically.
4. Click **Go Back** to return to File Manager.

![The File Upload page in cPanel's File Manager](https://kb-cdn.kualo.com/b3/a8/b3a8de93281d67ff34a64c7399e6022364871e2d.png)

### Create a folder or file

- Click **+ Folder** to make a new folder, give it a name, and click **Create New Folder**.

![Creating a new folder in File Manager](https://kb-cdn.kualo.com/c5/8c/c58c62ebcb0af15d5f9e73eacc07fd3caa001ac1.png)

- Click **+ File** to create a new, empty file in the same way.

![Creating a new file in File Manager](https://kb-cdn.kualo.com/1a/0d/1a0d16c4f3a232e396ceff13b06afa04bfab71e5.png)

### Edit a file

1. Click a file once to select it.
2. Click **Edit** (for plain text) or **HTML Editor** in the toolbar.
3. Make your changes and click **Save Changes**.

### Move, copy, rename or delete

Select an item, then use **Move**, **Copy**, **Rename** or **Delete** in the toolbar. Deleted items go to the **.trash** folder - use **View Trash** and **Empty Trash** to manage them.

### Extract or compress

Select a `.zip` (or similar) archive and click **Extract** to unzip it, or select files and click **Compress** to zip them up - handy for moving lots of files at once.

### Change permissions

Select a file or folder and click **Permissions** to view or change its read/write/execute settings. Most files should be `644` and most folders `755` - only change these if you know you need to.

![Changing file permissions in File Manager](https://kb-cdn.kualo.com/16/b8/16b864ddd7273eb2ddc9fd131d262fff0a667630.png)

:::warning
Take care when deleting or editing files outside your website's content. System folders (those starting with a dot, such as **.cpanel**) are used by your account and should be left alone.
:::

If you need a hand, our support team is available 24/7 - just [open a support ticket](/knowledgebase/getting-started/how-to-create-a-support-ticket-in-mykualo).


---

_Source: Kualo Knowledgebase — https://www.kualo.com/knowledgebase/cpanel-files-ftp/how-to-use-file-manager-in-cpanel · © Kualo Ltd._