Fix "permission denied" and file ownership errors

“Permission denied”, a blank white page, uploads that fail, a 500 error after copying files in — almost always a file permission or ownership problem.

How web permissions work

Two things decide whether the web server can read your files:

• Ownership — which user/group owns the file. Your site’s files should be owned by the user the site runs as.
• Mode — the read/write/execute bits, written like 644 or 755.

The safe, standard values for a website:

Thing	Mode	Meaning
Files	644	owner read/write, others read
Folders	755	owner read/write/enter, others read/enter
A secret file (e.g. .env)	600	owner only

Fixing it

Easiest: use the File Manager, which creates files as the correct user automatically — so uploads and extracts “just work”. If you’re in the terminal:

# fix modes (run inside the site's folder)
find . -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;
find . -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;

Never use 777

Setting 777 (“everyone can do anything”) is the classic bad fix. It makes the error go away and makes the file world-writable — a real security hole that malware loves. If 777 “fixes” it, the real problem is ownership — the file is owned by the wrong user. Re-upload through the File Manager, or correct the owner.

Still stuck?

• Uploaded via FTP as the wrong user? Re-upload through the File Manager.
• App can’t write a cache/upload folder? That folder (only) may legitimately need to be writable by the app — set it, but keep everything else at 644/755.

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Running OrbixPanel? The File Manager sets ownership correctly for you. OrbixPanel.com → — the free, self-hosted, AI-powered hosting control panel.