# File Manager Source: > Browse, edit, upload and repair permissions of a site's files from the browser; every action runs as the site user. ## Access and scope You can open the File Manager in two ways: from **Site Hub → File Manager** in the sidebar, or from the **Files** tab inside a site (see [Site Hub](https://deckpa.com/en/docs/site-hub)). The **Site** list at the top of the page selects which site's files you are looking at; it contains only the sites you are authorized for. If you have no sites yet, the page asks you to create one on the **Sites** page first. Access is limited to the site's home directory (for example `/home/example.com/`). The document root is the `public_html` folder in that directory, and by default the document roots of subdomains also sit inside the same home directory. Shortcuts that point outside the site, such as the log and backup directories, are not listed. You find backups and logs in the **Backups** and **Logs** sections, not on this screen. > Every File Manager action runs as the site's own Linux user, not as the server administrator (root). A requested path cannot leave the site's root, and shortcuts are resolved before the check. Files you create here are owned by the site user automatically. ## Browsing and searching The screen has three parts: the **Folders** tree on the left, the list of the open folder in the middle, and the editor on the right. Click the **Name**, **Size** and **Modified** headings in the list to change the sort order, and click the segments in the path bar at the top to go back up to parent folders. Right-click a row to open the actions menu for that item: **Open** or **Edit**, **Download**, **Rename**, **Copy**, **Extract**, **Compress**, **Permissions** and **Delete**. When you download a folder, it arrives as a single archive through **Download (.tar.gz)**. The **Content** and **Name** buttons next to the search box choose the type of search: the first searches the text inside files, the second searches file and folder names. Type at least 2 characters and press Enter. Search covers only the folder that is currently open; to search the whole site, go back to the root folder first. The result list shows at most 300 rows, at most 40 matches are listed per file, and a search is limited to 12 seconds, so on very large sites narrow the search to a subfolder. Content search skips archives, images, audio and video files, fonts and executables. Use the **Clear** button to leave the search. ## Editing When you click a text file, it opens in the code editor on the right. The editor highlights syntax for files such as `.php`, `.js`, `.css`, `.html`, `.yml` and `.sql`. Save with the **Save** button or Ctrl+S; Ctrl+F opens a find box inside the file. The **Changes** button shows the last saved version of the file next to its current version, so you can review what you changed before saving. - **Syntax warning** — if a bracket or quote is left unclosed, or a `json` file is invalid, the editor warns you before saving. You can continue with **Save anyway**. - **Unsaved changes** — the panel warns you if you open another file or switch sites while there are unsaved changes. - **Images** — image files (such as `.png`, `.jpg`, `.gif`, `.webp` and `.svg`) are previewed in the editor area. - **.htaccess** — when you save this file, the panel itself triggers the web server to re-read its rules. Only text files open in the editor. A binary file, or a text file larger than 768 KiB, does not open; download it, edit it on your computer and upload it again. ## Upload, archives and bulk actions **New file** and **New folder** in the toolbar create an empty item. With **Upload** you can pick one or more files, or you can drag and drop files straight onto the list area; the files are uploaded to the folder that is currently open. You cannot upload while search results are showing, so leave the search first. A single file can be at most 512 MiB, and a progress bar appears during the upload. - **Compress** — writes a file or folder as `.zip` or `.tar.gz` next to the source, named `.zip` or `.tar.gz`. If a file with that name already exists, the action is refused; move or delete it first. The site's root folder cannot be compressed. - **Extract** — extracts `.zip`, `.tar.gz`, `.tgz` and `.tar` archives into the folder that contains the archive. Existing files with the same name are not overwritten; they are kept. If the extracted size would exceed 20 GiB, or the disk does not have about 1.3 times the extracted size free, the action is refused before it starts. - **Bulk actions** — when you select several items with the boxes at the start of the rows, a **{n} items selected** bar appears at the top. From there you can **Move** the selection (a folder picker opens), **Archive** it (creates one timestamped `.tar.gz` in the open folder), change its **Permissions**, or **Delete** it. You can select at most 300 items at a time. Each item is checked separately; if some are refused, the panel reports how many succeeded. ## Permissions The **Permissions** item of a row shows the **Read**, **Write** and **Execute** boxes for **Owner**, **Group** and **Others**, along with the equivalent octal value (for example 644). You can set the value with the boxes or with the octal field; values from 000 to 777 are accepted. When you set permissions in bulk on a selection that contains both files and folders, the panel shows two separate grids, because giving a folder a file permission removes its execute bit and the folder can no longer be entered. The **Repair Permissions** button in the toolbar fixes the whole site in one step: files become 644, folders become 755, and ownership is given to the site user. It is the first thing to try if you copied the site in from outside or started getting 403 or 500 errors after an upload. > Deleting cannot be undone: there is no recycle bin in the panel, and an item is deleted permanently after you confirm. Take a backup before a large cleanup (see [Backup and restore](https://deckpa.com/en/docs/backup)). ## Limits and protected items - **Protected items** — the site's root folder and `public_html` cannot be deleted, moved or renamed; the menu marks them as **protected**. The document root of a subdomain, and any folder that contains it, also cannot be deleted or moved; delete the subdomain in the panel first. - **Sensitive files** — the panel asks for an extra confirmation before deleting `.env`, `wp-config.php`, `.htaccess` and `.htpasswd`, because deleting them can break the site. - **List limit** — at most 5000 items are listed in one folder. - **Time limits** — copying a folder is limited to 60 seconds, and compressing or extracting an archive to 5 minutes. If a very large action times out, split it into smaller parts. - **Permission** — viewing, editing and deleting files are separate permissions. If your account has no edit permission, you can see the list but cannot save or upload.