Use the DirectAdmin File Manager to upload and edit files

DirectAdmin's File Manager lets you manage your website files in the browser. It is ideal for quick edits, uploading a ZIP of your site or fixing permissions without an FTP client. This guide uses the modern Evolution skin, the default on current DirectAdmin versions.

Before you start

• Your DirectAdmin user login.
• Know which domain you are working on – each domain has its own folder.

Understand the folder layout

DirectAdmin stores each domain under /home/USERNAME/domains/DOMAIN/:

• public_html – the website files served over HTTP and HTTPS.
• private_html – usually a link to public_html, so HTTPS shows the same site.
• public_ftp – anonymous FTP area, rarely used.
• logs and stats – access logs and statistics.

Open the File Manager

1. Log in to DirectAdmin.
2. Go to System Info & Files → File Manager.
3. Open domains, then your domain, then public_html.

Upload files

1. Inside the target folder, click Upload in the toolbar.
2. Drag files into the window or click to choose them.
3. Wait until every file shows as finished.

To upload a whole site, compress it to ZIP first, upload one file, then extract it on the server. It is much faster and avoids partial uploads.

Extract and compress

• Extract: right-click the archive (or use its menu) and choose Extract. Choose the destination folder, typically the current one.
• Compress: select files, click Compress (or Archive), choose ZIP or TAR.GZ and a name. Handy for a quick manual backup before changes.

Create and edit files

• Click New File or New Folder to create items.
• Double-click a text file, or choose Edit, to open the built-in code editor with syntax highlighting.
• Click Save when done.

Change permissions

1. Select the file or folder and choose Permissions (or Set Permission).
2. Use 644 for files and 755 for folders. Files containing passwords can use 600.
3. Save.

DirectAdmin normally runs PHP as your own user (PHP-FPM or suPHP), so 777 is never needed and is a security risk.

Move, rename and delete

Select items and use Move, Copy, Rename or Delete. Deleted files may go to a Trash folder in the File Manager; empty it to free disk space.

Troubleshooting

• Upload stops at a certain size: very large files can exceed browser or server limits. Use FTP instead.
• Permission denied: files owned by another user (for example after a migration) cannot be changed. Ask support to fix ownership.
• Site still shows the old content: you uploaded to the wrong domain or to private_html when it is a separate folder. Check the path in the breadcrumb.
• Quota full: see System Info & Files → Disk usage and clear old backups in backups.

Next steps

• Create FTP accounts in DirectAdmin.
• Back up and restore your DirectAdmin account.
• Switch PHP version per domain.