Web Disk

Use the Web Disk interface to create a Web Disk account to manage, navigate, upload, and download the files on your web server. The Web Disk management system allows you to use the Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) protocol to manage files remotely.

WebDAV is a set of extensions to the HTTP protocol, allowing users to collaborate while editing and managing files remotely on web servers. One reason to use this file management system instead of FTP, File Manager, or Git is to create a separate user account to avoid providing any direct cPanel access.

Main Web Disk Account

By default, the system creates a Web Disk account for your cPanel account and sets your home directory as the Web Disk location. This account uses the same login information as your cPanel account and can access all of the files in your home directory. You cannot delete this Web Disk account.

• To access this account’s files, use the File Manager interface (cPanel >> Home >> Files >> File Manager).
• To view login details for the Web Disk account or download a configuration script, click Configure Client Access.
• If you use Microsoft Windows Vista®, Windows® 7, Windows® 8, or Windows® 10, click Enable Digest Authentication to enable Digest Authentication, or click Disable Digest Authentication to disable it. For more information, read the Web Disk and Digest Authentication section below.
• For more information about how to connect third-party software with your Web Disk account, read our Connect to Web Disk with Third-Party Software documentation.

Create an Additional Web Disk Account

To create an additional Web Disk account, perform the following steps:

1. Enter the desired username in the Username text box.

2. If your account includes more than one domain or subdomain you can select a domain or subdomain from the Domain menu.

3. Enter and confirm the new password in the appropriate text boxes. The system evaluates the password that you enter on a scale of 100 points. 0 indicates a weak password, while 100 indicates a very secure password. You can also click Password Generator to generate a strong password. For more information, read our Password & Security documentation.

   Note:

   Some web hosts require a minimum password strength. A green password Strength meter indicates that the password is equal to or greater than the required password strength.

   Warning:

   The password must contain at least five characters.

    

4. Enter the Web Disk account’s home directory in the Directory text box:

   • The house icon () represents the cPanel account’s home directory.
   • The Directory text box defines the new Web Disk account’s top level of directory access, relative to the cPanel account’s home directory.
   • The system automatically populates this text box with public_html/username, where username represents what you entered in the Username text box.

5. Select a Permissions setting:

   • Read-Write — This setting grants this account access to all of the operations inside the directory.
   • Read-Only — This setting only grants this account access to read, download, and list the files inside the directory.

6. If you use Microsoft Windows Vista®, Windows® 7, Windows® 8, or Windows® 10, select the Enable Digest Authentication checkbox.

   Note:

   Do not enable Digest Authentication if the domain uses a signed SSL certificate. For more information, read the Web Disk and Digest Authentication section below.

    

7. Click Create. A new interface will appear.

   • To return to the main interface, click Go Back.
   • To view setup instructions for your new Web Disk account, click Configure Client Access.

Manage Additional Web Disk Accounts

The Manage Additional Web Disk Accounts table displays the following information for all of the additional Web Disk accounts that you create:

• Account — The Web Disk account username.
• Directory — The Web Disk account’s assigned directory and related actions.
  • Click the directory name to open the assigned directory in cPanel’s File Manager interface (cPanel >> Home >> Files >> File Manager).
  • Click the edit icon () to change the account’s assigned directory.
  • Click the lock icon () to use cPanel’s Directory Privacy interface (cPanel >> Home >> Files >> Directory Privacy) to password protect the directory, create a user to access the directory, or remove a user from the directory.
    Note:

    Password protection does not control Web Disk access to a directory. Instead, perform this action to protect the files that you upload to a publicly-accessible directory on your account with a password. If you choose to password protect a Web Disk directory, you must create a user to access that directory.

• Actions — Use the links in this column to perform the following actions:
  • Click Configure Client Access to view login details for the Web Disk account.
  • For certain devices, you can also click Download Configuration Script to download a device configuration script. For more information, read our Connect to Web Disk with Third-Party Software documentation.
  • Click Enable Digest Authentication and follow the prompts to enable Digest Authentication. For more information, read the Web Disk and Digest Authentication section below.
  • Click Change Password to change the Web Disk account password.
  • Click Delete and follow the prompts to delete the Web Disk account.
  • Click a permissions setting to change the account’s permissions:
    • Set Read-Write — This setting grants this account access to all of the operations inside the directory.
    • Set Read-Only — This setting only grants this account access to read, download, and list the files inside the directory.

Web Disk and Digest Authentication

When you change the usernames of Web Disk accounts that use Digest Authentication, you must reenable it. The /etc/digestshadow file stores the usernames of Web Disk accounts that use Digest Authentication in a password hash. When you change the account username, the system removes the password from the file.