Uploading Files with cPanel File Manager

File Manager is a browser-based file explorer built into cPanel — the fastest way to upload, edit, and organize your website's files without installing an FTP client. It's ideal for quick edits, small uploads, or one-off jobs like extracting a WordPress backup.

Uploading files

• Log in to cPanel and open File Manager under the Files section
• Navigate into public_html — this is the folder your domain serves files from (or a subfolder for an addon domain)
• Click Upload in the top toolbar, then drag files into the browser window or click to browse
• Watch the progress bar for each file — a green checkmark confirms a successful upload

Uploading many files at once

For a whole site with hundreds of files, upload a single ZIP archive instead of individual files — it's far faster. After uploading the ZIP, right-click it in File Manager and choose Extract, then select the destination folder. cPanel unpacks it directly on the server in seconds, avoiding hundreds of slow individual transfers.

Other things File Manager can do

• Edit text-based files (PHP, HTML, .htaccess) directly in the browser using the built-in Code Editor
• Change file and folder permissions by right-clicking → Change Permissions (commonly 644 for files, 755 for folders)
• Show hidden files (like .htaccess) via Settings → "Show Hidden Files (dotfiles)" in the top-right corner
• Compress a folder into a ZIP for quick backups before making risky changes

For large migrations or ongoing development work, an FTP/SFTP client (see our FTP account guide) is usually more efficient than File Manager since it supports resuming interrupted transfers and syncing entire folder structures.