How to Fix File Permission Errors on Shared Hosting

File permission errors are a common issue on shared hosting, often showing up as 403 Forbidden errors or messages in your application logs saying a file or directory can't be read or written. The good news is they're usually straightforward to fix.

Understanding File Permissions

Linux file permissions control who can read, write, or execute a file. They're represented as a three-digit number:

• 644 - Standard permission for files (owner can read/write; others can read)
• 755 - Standard permission for directories (owner can read/write/execute; others can read/execute)
• 600 - Private files (owner only)

Setting permissions too open (like 777) is a security risk. Setting them too restrictive causes access errors.

How to Fix Permissions in cPanel

1. Log in to cPanel and open the File Manager.
2. Navigate to the file or folder with the wrong permissions.
3. Right-click and choose Change Permissions.
4. Set the correct value and click Change Permissions.

Fixing Permissions in Bulk

To reset permissions across your entire site, you can use a command in the cPanel Terminal:

WordPress-Specific Note

WordPress occasionally needs write access to directories like wp-content/uploads. If uploads are failing, check that this directory is set to 755.

If you're still seeing permission errors after making changes, contact our support team and we'll take a look.