Knowledgebase

Managing Disk Usage in cPanel (Firstserv Guide)

Running low on storage can be stressful—but don’t worry. With the tools available in cPanel (and similar features in Plesk), you can quickly identify what’s using space and safely free it up.

Think of your hosting account like a digital workspace: regular clean-ups keep everything running efficiently and prevent slowdowns or storage issues.

Step 1: Check Disk Usage

Before removing anything, you need to identify what’s using space.

In cPanel

1. Log in to cPanel
2. Go to Files → Disk Usage
3. Review the breakdown of folders

What to Look For

• Large directories (e.g. public_html, wp-content)
• Backup folders
• Old or unused files

✅ Expand folders to find exactly what’s taking up space

Step 2: Use File Manager

Once you’ve identified large files, you can remove or manage them.

Access File Manager

• Go to cPanel → Files → File Manager

Check the Home Directory

• Look for:
  • Old backups (.zip, .tar.gz)
  • Temporary or unused files

⚠️ These can take up several GB and often aren’t needed.

Tip

• Download important backups to your computer first
• Then delete them from your server

✅ Firstserv provides daily backups via JetBackup, so you usually don’t need to store duplicates locally

Step 3: Clean Your Website Files

Primary Site Folder (public_html)

• This is where your main website lives
• Common issues:
  • Old site copies
  • Redundant files left by developers

✅ Remove anything you no longer use (after confirming it's safe)

Backup Plugins (WordPress)

Backup plugins often create large files in:

wp-content/uploads/

Example folders:

updraft/
backups/

Fix

• Delete old backup files
• Configure plugins to store backups off-server

✅ This can free up significant space quickly

Step 4: Optimise Images

Images are one of the biggest contributors to storage usage.

Why This Matters

• Large images take more disk space
• They also slow down your website

Best Practice

• Compress your images using tools or plugins
• Examples:
  • LiteSpeed Cache
  • Smush

Important Tip

Some plugins keep original copies after compression.

✅ Enable:

Delete original images

Step 5: Review Website Content

Remove Unused Content

• Old pages
• Unused images
• Outdated media

⚠️ If unsure, consult your developer before deleting anything

Reduce Log File Size

Log files can grow quickly if there are errors.

To Reduce Logs

• ✅ Keep your CMS, plugins, and themes updated
• ✅ Ensure compatibility between software
• ✅ Disable debug mode when not in use

Step 6: Manage Email Storage

Email accounts can often be one of the biggest sources of disk usage.

Check Email Usage in cPanel

1. Go to Email → Email Disk Usage
2. Select the mailbox
3. View folder usage

Clean Up Mailboxes

You can automatically remove:

• Emails older than a certain date
• Large emails
• Read messages
• Entire folders

⚠️ Warning

Deleting emails is permanent.

✅ If needed, restore via backups before removing emails

Plesk Users

If you’re using Plesk, similar features are available:

• Tools & Settings → Disk Usage (or Statistics)
• File Manager for removing files
• Mail section for managing email storage

Best Practices

• ✅ Regularly check disk usage
• ✅ Keep only essential backups (store others locally)
• ✅ Optimise images before uploading
• ✅ Keep software updated
• ✅ Clean email accounts periodically

Summary

To free up space:

1. ✅ Check Disk Usage
2. ✅ Remove unnecessary files and backups
3. ✅ Clean website directories
4. ✅ Optimise images
5. ✅ Review logs and content
6. ✅ Manage email storage

Need Help?

If you're unsure what can be safely removed or want assistance cleaning up your hosting account, the Firstserv support team is always happy to help.