Guide for Fixing File and Folder Permission Errors in WordPress
The wrong file & folder permission can lead to errors on your website. This happens during the upload. If you are trying to fix any of these errors, this article is meant for you. Keep reading to learn more about file and folder permissions and how to fix errors.
How the permissions work
Your website lives on a computer that is run by your hosting company. The host computer serves as the server and relies on software to manage all your files and folders. It is what delivers the requested web files to the browser of your visitor. The file & folder permissions are what inform the server who can access, run or modify the files that are on your account. To manage these files, WordPress will need permissions.
The wrong file & folder permissions will cause WordPress to be blocked from modifying your files. This may also compromise the security of your website. WordPress will often warn you of permission problems.
Having correct file & folder permissions will enable WordPress to create files and folders without any problem. For most users, the below settings are advised:
755 for all folders & subfolders
644 for all files
With that being said, it is time to take a look at some of the things you need to do when fixing errors.
Steps
The first step is to connect to your website using the FTP client. You should then proceed to the root folder of the WordPress website. Select all the folders in the root directory then click on ‘File Permissions’. This will bring the dialog box for permissions.
In the numeric value field, enter 755. Next you should click on the ‘Recurse into subdirectories’ then ‘Apply to Directories only’. Hit ‘Ok’ to proceed. FTP client will send the permissions to all the folders. Wait until the process is finished. After that, select all the files & folders from the root folder of WordPress website then right click and pick file permissions. Enter 644 in the numeric value field. Hit ‘Recurse into subdirectories’ then ‘Apply to files only’. After that, click on ‘Ok’. FTP client will start the setting file permissions to every file on your website.
That is all there is to fixing the files & folder permission errors. However, before you start fixing this problem, it is imperative that you backup your website first. This will give you something to work with in case something goes terribly wrong.