Files
Disk Usage
Updated: 05 February 2024This section shows you details about your files and folders, and how much of your account's storage space they're using. It helps you keep track of your storage limit by highlighting the files and folders that take up a lot of space.
IMPORTANT NOTICE!
If you see a warning that says 'Write failed: disk quota exceeded', it means your account has used up all the storage space it's allowed to. You won't be able to save any more files because there's no space left.
If you need more storage, please get in touch with your hosting provider and ask if you can have a higher disk usage limit.
Also, be aware that if your account is close to or has exceeded its storage limit, the backup process might not work. This is because the system can't write the files it needs, like a database lock file.
How to Check Disk Space Usage in cPanel
- Log into your cPanel account.
- Scroll to the Files section.
- Click on Disk Usage.
- This interface displays the following disk space usage summaries:
- Files in your home directory.
- Files in hidden subdirectories.
- Mailing lists on Mailman.
- Files that your home directory does not contain.
- At the bottom of the page, you can open up the folders to see what's inside by clicking the ">" symbol next to the folder name.
NOTES ON DISK SPACE USAGE
When you're looking at how much space your files are taking up, you might notice some differences between what the File Manager shows and what you see in other places. Here's why:
- Reused User IDs: Sometimes, new accounts get the same user ID (UID) as old accounts that were deleted. This can make it look like the new account is using more space than it really is because it 'inherits' the old account's files.
- File Size on Disk: Files often use up a bit more space than their actual size. For example, a file that's really only 300 bytes might take up 4 KB of space on the disk.
- Space Used by Directories: The space that directories use isn't included in these numbers. But usually, directories don't take up much space anyway.
- Database Sizes: The size of your MySQL® and PostgreSQL® databases is counted in your total disk usage. But, if a database gets really big and makes you go over your space limit, the system won't stop you just for that.
- Updates to Disk Space Info: The numbers you see might not include the most recent changes. So if you just added or deleted some files, the total might not be up-to-date yet.