How to Upload Your Website with File Manager
File Manager is a complete file browser inside cPanel — upload, extract, edit and move your website files without any FTP software.
Step-by-step
- Open Files → File Manager in cPanel.
- Go to public_html. This folder is your website root — files here are served at yourdomain.com. Added domains use their own folders inside public_html.
- Zip your site locally first. Uploading one .zip is far faster and more reliable than hundreds of single files.
- Click Upload, drag the zip onto the page, and wait for the green bar to finish.
- Go back to File Manager, right-click the zip → Extract. Confirm the destination, then delete the zip afterwards to save space.
- Check the entry point. Your homepage must be a file named index.html or index.php directly inside public_html — if extraction created a subfolder, move the contents up one level (Select All → Move).
- Visit your domain to confirm the site loads. Edits can be made any time via right-click → Edit.
💡 Good to know
- Show hidden files (Settings → Show Hidden Files) to see .htaccess.
- Standard permissions: 644 for files, 755 for folders — File Manager sets these correctly by default.
- For ongoing development, a dedicated FTP account may be more convenient than browser uploads.