Hey, everyone!
We're going to take a tour of cPanel's File Manager.
If you just need information on one particular aspect of File Manager,
I've included a table of contents in the video description with timestamps.
Once you're logged into cPanel, click on the file manager icon.
The exact location can vary from one cPanel to another, but it
will always be listed under Files.
We're going to be looking at a few different parts of File Manager: the File
Tree, the Primary Taskbar, which mirrors right-click functions, the Navigation
Taskbar, and the files themselves over here in the Directory Content section.
After that, we're going to take a brief look at the File Editor along
with cPanel's File Manager Settings.
Let's get started!
The File Tree is on the left-hand side of cPanel's File Manager.
The interface should be familiar to you if you've used any similar file
browsing tools on your personal computer.
You'll start in a home directory specific to the cPanel you're currently working in.
Remember that in cPanel the account's primary domain is
always contained in public_html.
I've added some other domains to this cPanel account.
You can see that they all have their own directories.
If you click on the plus sign by any directory you can access sub-directories.
At the top of the file tree, there is a search bar indicating the
directory you're currently in.
This can be helpful if you're working with a bunch of similar looking sites.
If you want, you can even type in a specific directory
and click 'Go' to access it.
The Primary Taskbar provides easy access to common tasks to help
you work with and manage files.
If I right-click on a file, you'll see that many of the items in the Taskbar are
also available as a right-click action.
With the Taskbar, you can make new files and directories, duplicate them, and
carry out common file management tasks.
It's worth noting that newer versions of cPanel let you drag and drop
files, but you can always use 'Move' to type in an exact destination.
This smaller Navigational Taskbar helps you navigate the file system.
Hitting back on your browser would take you back to cPanel, so use
these buttons to navigate instead.
You can also use the Navigation Taskbar to view and empty the
trash if you have trash enabled.
It's useful to hit 'Refresh' if recent updates and changes
aren't displaying correctly.
Over here, we can look at the contents of our current directory.
By default, these are organized by both file type and alphabetical order.
You can change this by clicking on one of the given options here.
If you change how you are sorting files, the order will always change back, if
you leave and return to a directory.
Clicking a file highlights it.
Double-clicking on a filename lets you rename it.
Double-clicking on an icon will open a directory, but
will download individual files.
If you want to open a file, you will need to right-click or use the Navigation
Taskbar and select 'View' or 'Edit'.
Viewing a file will open it up in a new tab, letting you check the code.
Choosing to edit a file will open File Manager's Editor.
You may receive a warning about character encoding.
If you're doing your work in English or other character sets using the
western alphabet, it's probably safe for you to disable these warnings.
If you are coding in a language or a file format that requires a specific
encoding, choose it here from this list.
When you're ready, click 'Edit'.
The latest cPanel File Editor has a variety of features that will be
covered more fully in a later video.
These features include keyboard shortcuts, text display settings, and
code highlighting based on the file type or the programming language selected.
Let's head back to the file manager and wrap up with a look at Settings.
By default, opening up File Manager brings you to the home directory.
If you're doing all of your work in public_html or an addon domain and want to
save yourself a few clicks, you can change the starting directory here in settings.
Settings is where you can toggle 'Show Hidden Files'.
This is especially important for dot files like .htaccess
and other configuration files.
If you can't find a file, be sure this setting is enabled.
Lastly, if you want to deactivate the warnings that pop up when you
open the Editor, you can do so here.
Remember to save if you make any changes.
Check out our InMotion Hosting Support Center for help with your website.
We provide thousands of step by step guides, videos, and much more
to lead you towards making your online project a successful one.
You can find us at www.inmotionhosting.com/support
We hope that helps you navigate cPanel's latest version of File Manager.
Happy coding!