How to upload files via the cPanel FileManager?

Open cPanel’s File Manager, go to your site’s document root (public_html for the primary domain), click Upload and drag in your file or use Select File. To upload a folder, zip it first, upload the archive, then use Extract in File Manager.

Before you start

• You need to be able to log in to cPanel from your Hostworld account at portal.hostworld.uk.
• Know the correct document root. The primary domain uses public_html. For addon domains or subdomains, confirm the Document Root in cPanel » Domains » Manage.
• If you will work with .htaccess or other dotfiles, you will need to enable Show Hidden Files in File Manager’s Settings.

Step 1: Log in to cPanel from your Hostworld account

1. Go to https://portal.hostworld.uk and sign in.
2. Go to Services » My Services, open your hosting service, then use the Log in to cPanel quick shortcut. This uses single sign-on and takes you straight into cPanel.

Step 2: Open File Manager and go to the right folder

1. In cPanel, open File Manager (Files section).
2. Click Settings at the top right, tick Show Hidden Files (dotfiles), and Save. This lets you see .htaccess and similar files.
3. In the left pane, select public_html for your primary domain. For an addon domain or subdomain, first check its Document Root in cPanel » Domains » Manage, then navigate to that folder in File Manager.

Step 3: Upload files safely

1. With the target folder open, click Upload.
2. Drag and drop your file, or click Select File. Wait for the progress to reach 100%.
3. If cPanel prompts to overwrite, confirm only if you intend to replace the live file. Safer method: upload the new file with a temporary name (for example, index.php.new), rename the current file to index.php.old, then rename index.php.new to index.php.
4. Undo: if the change needs rolling back, rename index.php.old back to index.php. There is no versioning in File Manager.

Step 4: Upload a folder by zipping and extracting

1. On your computer, compress the folder into a .zip (or .gz, .bz2).
2. In File Manager, stay in the target directory, click Upload, and upload the archive.
3. When the upload completes, select the archive and click Extract. It unpacks into the current folder. If you extracted in the wrong place, select the extracted items and click Move to put them in the correct document root.
4. Undo: if you need to remove what you extracted, select the items and click Delete. They go to Trash. You can open Trash and use Restore. Do not empty Trash until you have confirmed the site is working.

If it does not work

• Upload fails, stalls or reports quota. Check you have enough free space. cPanel requires a small safety margin and can fail if less than about 5 MB would remain after the upload. For very large files (around 1 GB or more), use FTP or SFTP for reliability. If you suspect a server-side limit like Max HTTP submission size is blocking you, open a support ticket and include the exact error.
• Error says “Your account may be over its quota or you attempted to upload a folder”. This can appear if you reached File Manager via a hostname proxied through Cloudflare. Log in using the one-click Log in to cPanel from our Client Area, or access cPanel directly via the server’s IP on port 2083. Then retry the upload.
• Files uploaded but the site has not changed. You likely uploaded to the wrong folder. In cPanel » Domains » Manage, confirm the domain’s Document Root, then move your files into that folder in File Manager.
• Permissions issue after upload. Use Change Permissions in File Manager. Files should typically be 0644. Avoid 0777.

What next

If you want more context on file locations and alternative upload methods, the cPanel File Manager documentation explains every option in detail at docs.cpanel.net. If you are unsure about the correct document root or hit an upload limit, open a support ticket and we will check your account specifics.

Planning larger site moves and bulk uploads often benefits from a server-level approach. See our VPS guides for workflows that use FTP/SFTP and archives end to end.