What are hidden files: How to show or hide them in cPanel
John Mwaniki / Updated on 07 Jul 2024Hidden files are files or folders that commonly contain information used for configurations of some sort.
They are kept hidden simply to prevent accidental deletion or editing.
All hidden files start with a dot at the beginning. For instance .htaccess or .htpasswd.
When accessing your cPanel File Manager, the ability to see hidden files is not enabled by default so you need to enable it if you want to see them.
How to show hidden files in file manager
Step 1: Log in to your cPanel dashboard
Step 2: Click on the File Manager icon, located in the Files category.
Step 3: Click Settings in the top right corner.
Step 4: Check/tick the box for “Show hidden files” and click “Save”.
You will now be able to see files and folders with their names starting with a dot (.) which were previously hidden as shown below.
Conclusion
In this article, we have covered what hidden files are, the reason why they are hidden and how you can show or hide them in your website hosting cPanel Filemanager.