The Disk Usage tool in cPanel gives you a visual breakdown of how your hosting account's storage is being used. This helps you identify which directories, email accounts, or databases are consuming the most space.
Please note: Screens and options may vary slightly depending on your cPanel version and hosting plan.
When You Would Use This
Check disk usage when you receive quota warnings, when your site stops working due to full storage, or as part of regular housekeeping.
Viewing Disk Usage
- Log in to your cPanel account.
- In the Files section, click Disk Usage.
- The page displays a summary at the top showing total usage and quota, followed by a directory-by-directory breakdown.
Understanding the Breakdown
The table shows each directory in your home folder with its size. Common large directories include:
- public_html — Your website files, including uploaded media, backups, logs, and cached data.
- mail — Email data for all your mailboxes.
- .trash and .softaculous — Deleted items and application installer data.
- backups or backup — Any manual or automated backups stored in your account.
Click on a directory name to expand it and see the size of subdirectories.
Reducing Disk Usage
- Clear old backups — Remove outdated backup archives from your home directory.
- Optimise media — Compress images and remove unused media files from your website.
- Empty email — Clear trash and junk folders in your email accounts, and archive old messages.
- Remove unused applications — Uninstall applications you're no longer using through Softaculous.
- Clean log files — Error logs and access logs can grow large. They're typically rotated automatically, but old logs may remain.
- Check for large database dumps — SQL files left from imports or migrations can be substantial.
Tips
- The Disk Usage page may not update instantly. Allow a few minutes after making changes before rechecking.
- If you're close to your quota, your website may stop functioning and email will bounce. Monitor usage proactively.
- Consider setting up a cron job to alert you when disk usage exceeds a certain percentage.
What Next?
- Managing Email Disk Usage and Quotas — Manage email storage specifically.
- Downloading and Restoring Backups — Back up before deleting files.
