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The Disk Usage interface in cPanel shows how your account’s storage is distributed across directories. Use it to find what’s taking up space so you can clean up files or decide if you need to upgrade your plan.

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View disk usage

Log in to cPanel through your client area or at yourdomain.com/cpanel. Go to Files and click Disk Usage. The interface shows a breakdown of disk space used by each directory, including:
  • Files in your home directory
  • Hidden subdirectories (dotfiles and folders like .trash, .cache)
  • Mailing list data
  • Files outside your home directory that count toward your quota
The bars in the chart show usage relative to your largest directory, so you can quickly spot which folders are using the most space. Click any directory name to open it in File Manager, where you can review and delete files you no longer need.

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What counts toward your quota

Your disk quota includes:
  • All files in your home directory (public_html, email data, logs, etc.)
  • MySQL database sizes
  • Backups stored on the server
MySQL databases count toward your disk quota, but the system won’t block database writes if a database pushes your account over the limit. However, you won’t be able to upload new files or create other content until you free up space.
If you see a “disk quota exceeded” warning, your account has used all its allocated storage. You’ll need to delete files, remove old backups, or clean up large databases to free space.

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Tips for managing disk space

  • Clear old backups — If you’ve generated full cPanel backups to your home directory, those .tar.gz files can be very large. Download them to your computer and then delete them from the server.
  • Remove unused email — Email data in the mail directory can add up. Delete old messages or use IMAP so messages stay on your email client instead of the server.
  • Check error logs — Log files in the logs directory can grow quickly on busy or misconfigured sites.
  • Clean up WordPress — Remove unused themes, plugins, and old post revisions. Revisions in particular can bloat your database.
For details on your plan’s disk space allocation, see Hosting resource limits.