Hostinger Training Session
File Management
& Permissions
Understand FTP, the File Manager, chmod/chown, and how to diagnose and fix the most common permission errors on Hostinger hosting.
📁 FTP & File Manager
🔢 chmod numbers
👤 chown vs chmod
🚨 Common errors
⚡ Fix in one click
Slide 02 — Foundations
How permissions work
Every file and folder on your server has three layers of access control.
👤
Owner
The account that created the file. On Hostinger, this is your hosting user. Full control by default.
👥
Group
Users sharing the same server group. Usually limited to read-only on most Hostinger setups.
🌐
Others
Everyone else — including the web server process that serves your website to visitors.
| Permission |
Symbol |
Value |
Meaning |
| Read |
r |
4 |
View file content / list folder |
| Write |
w |
2 |
Edit, delete, create files |
| Execute |
x |
1 |
Run script / enter a folder |
Default files: 644 → owner read+write, others read only
Default folders: 755 → owner full, others read+enter
Slide 03 — chmod
Decode any permission number
Type a 3-digit value or pick a preset. See exactly what each digit means.
PRESETS:
Formula: Each digit = sum of its permissions.
r=4 + w=2 + x=1 = 7 |
r=4 + w=2 = 6 |
r=4 + x=1 = 5
Slide 04 — Methods
Three ways to change permissions
Choose the method that fits your plan type and the scope of the change.
Bulk reset — fastest method
1
Go to hPanel → Websites, click Dashboard next to your site.
2
In the left sidebar: Advanced → Fix File Ownership.
3
Check the confirmation box and click Execute.
✅ Resets all files → 644, all folders → 755 in one shot.
⚠ Only for custom PHP/HTML sites on web & cloud hosting. Not available on Website Builder, Hostinger Horizons, or agency plans.
Custom permissions on individual files
1
hPanel → Websites → Dashboard, find File Manager in the sidebar.
2
Right-click the target file or folder → choose Permissions.
3
Check/uncheck the boxes or type the numeric value. Enable recursive to apply to all folder contents.
Agency hosting: to edit wp-config.php, first toggle the Editing permission switch before opening File Manager.
💡 You can also see the symbolic notation (e.g. rwxr-xr-x) live as you check boxes.
Via FileZilla or any FTP client
1
Connect to your site using your FTP credentials from hPanel.
2
Right-click the file/folder → File Attributes (or File Permissions in some versions).
3
Use checkboxes or type the numeric value. Enable recurse into subdirectories for folders.
🔑 FTP credentials are under hPanel → Hosting → FTP Accounts. Use SFTP when possible for encrypted transfer.
Slide 05 — Troubleshooting
Common permission errors
Recognise the symptom, understand the cause, apply the fix.
403 Forbidden
The web server can't read a file or enter a directory — permissions are too restrictive or set to 777 which some servers block for security.
▶ Fix: Use Fix File Ownership to reset, or manually set files → 644, folders → 755.
500 Internal Server Error
PHP can't execute a script. Often caused by overly open permissions (777) or wrong ownership on config files like wp-config.php.
▶ Fix: Ensure PHP files are 644. Config files should never be world-writable.
White / blank screen
PHP fails silently — no output, no error message. Can be caused by permissions preventing a core file from loading.
▶ Fix: Run Fix File Ownership, then check your PHP error logs in hPanel.
FTP upload fails
You can connect via FTP but writes are rejected — the target folder doesn't have write permission for the owner.
▶ Fix: Set the target folder to at least 755 so the owner can write to it.
🛡 Security reminder: never use 777 on production files. It lets any process on the server read and modify your data.
Quiz — Test your knowledge