How to set permissions and ownership for files and directories via FTP

At dotCanada.com, you can easily manage file and directory permissions and ownership through your cPanel account using an FTP client. Here are the steps:

Connect to your website via FTP
• Launch your preferred FTP client (e.g., FileZilla)
• Enter your website's FTP hostname (e.g., yoursite.com)
• Enter your FTP account username and password

Navigate to the file/directory you want to modify
• Use the FTP client's interface to browse to the desired file or directory

Change File/Directory Permissions • Right-click on the file/directory and select "File Permissions" • A permissions menu/window will appear • Set the desired permissions using the numeric or symbolic notation
• Numeric notation uses a 3-digit code (e.g., 755 for directories, 644 for files)
• Symbolic notation uses letters (e.g., rwxr-xr-x for directories, rw-r--r-- for files)

Change File/Directory Ownership • Right-click on the file/directory and select "File Attributes" • Look for the "Chown" fields to change the user and group owners • Enter the desired username and group name

Apply Changes • Click "OK" or "Apply" to save the new permissions and ownership
Key Points:
• Permissions control read/write/execute access for users/groups/others
• Common directory permissions: 755 (rwxr-xr-x)
• Common file permissions: 644 (rw-r--r--)
• Set ownership to your cPanel username for full control

At dotCanada.com, we recommend setting appropriate permissions and ownership to maintain website security and functionality.

Updated on: 19/04/2024