Permissions that are too loose let other processes write to your files; permissions that are too tight break uploads and updates.
The correct values
- Folders: 755
- Files: 644
- wp-config.php: 600 or 640
- .htaccess: 644
Never set anything to 777. If a plugin tells you to, that plugin is wrong and should not be trusted.
Fixing permissions in cPanel
- Open File Manager and go to
public_html. - Select all folders, click Permissions, set 755, and tick Recurse into subdirectories with apply to directories only.
- Repeat for files with 644 and apply to files only.
- Finally select
wp-config.phpon its own and set 600.
If uploads fail after this
Check that wp-content/uploads is 755 and owned by your cPanel user. Files uploaded by a different process may have the wrong ownership — open a ticket and we will correct it from the server side.
