Changing File and Directory Access Permissions in File Manager¶

summary

If you have files or web pages that you want to make inaccessible on the Internet, change these files’ access permissions in File Manager.

In this topic, you will learn how to change the permissions on files and directories in Plesk.

Caution: This topic presumes that you are familiar with the concept of file system permissions. Setting incorrect permissions on files and directories may harm your website.

(Plesk for Linux) To change the permissions on a file or a directory:

Log in to Plesk.
Go to Websites & Domains > domain name > Files.
Click the row corresponding to the file or directory whose permissions you want to change and then click Change Permissions.

Note

File Manager does not show the Change Permissions button for files and directories owned by a non-subscription user (for example, the root or apache user). It is not possible to change permissions of those files and directories.
Select the permissions you want to grant or deny to the user groups.
If you are changing the permissions of a directory, you can make its children files and directories inherit the changed permissions. To do so, select the “Change permissions recursively” checkbox.
When you have finished changing the permissions, click Save.

The changes to the permissions take effect immediately.

(Plesk for Windows) To change the permissions on a file or a directory:

Log in to Plesk.
Go to Websites & Domains > domain name > Files.
Click the row corresponding to the file or directory whose permissions you want to change and then click Change Permissions.
Do the following:
- To make the file or folder inherit permissions from a parent folder (if it does not), select the “Allow inheritable permissions from the parent to propagate to this object and all child objects. Include these with entries explicitly defined here” checkbox.
- To make the files and folders, which are contained in a folder, inherit the folder permissions you define, select the “Replace permission entries on all child objects with entries shown here that apply to child objects” checkbox.
- To change or remove permissions from a group or a user, click the required name in the “Group or user names” list. If the group or user is not listed in the “Group or user names” list, select the required user or group name from the menu located above the list and click the icon. The user or group will appear in the list. Select it.
  
  To allow or deny permissions to a selected group/user, select the “Allow” or “Deny” checkboxes corresponding to permissions listed under “Permissions for <user/group name>”. If the checkboxes in the “Allow” or “Deny” columns are shown in grey, it means that the corresponding permissions are inherited from a parent folder.
- To deny the permissions, which are inherited from a parent object as allowed, select the required checkboxes under “Deny”. This will override inherited permissions for this file/folder.
- To allow the permissions, which are inherited from a parent object as denied, clear the “Allow inheritable permissions from the parent to propagate to this object and all child objects. Include these with entries explicitly defined here” checkbox. This removes the inherited permissions. Then select the required checkboxes under “Allow” and “Deny”.
- To remove access permissions from a group or user, select the required name in the “Group or user names” list and click the icon next to it.
To fine-tune permissions, click “Advanced” and do the following:
- To create a permission entry for a group or user, select the required name from the “Group or user names” list and click the icon.
- To set or change file/folder permissions for a group or user, select the required name from the “Group or user names” list, select the required “Allow” and “Deny” checkboxes corresponding to permissions listed under “Permissions for <user/group name>”.
- To remove a permission entry for a group or user, select the required name from the “Group or user names” list and click the icon.
- To make child objects of a folder inherit its permissions defined under “Permissions for <user/group name>”, select the “Replace permission entries on all child objects with entries shown here that apply to child objects” checkbox, and then select checkboxes in the “Apply to” list which correspond to the objects that must inherit the permissions.
Click OK.