Restoring the basic FTP directory structure on Webhosting can only be done manually. You can find a guide to managing files via FTP in the article Webhosting – File Management.
In this article you will learn:
- When to use this guide
- What the basic directory structure of Webhosting is
- How to reset Webhosting FTP to factory settings
- Common Problems
- Frequently Asked Questions
When to use this guide
- When uploading images or files to your website, an error appears saying a temporary file could not be created (Files cannot be uploaded).
- You want to build a new website on your Webhosting from scratch and don’t know what to delete on the FTP (Frequently Asked Questions).
- After deleting files or resetting the FTP, the website shows Error 403: Forbidden (Error 403: Forbidden after FTP reset).
- A subdomain shows the content of the main website (Subdomain shows the main website).
- After the FTP restore, the new website does not save settings or behaves unusually (The new website does not work correctly).
Basic Directory Structure of Webhosting
Immediately after setup, Webhosting contains the following files and folders:
| Name | Location | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| session | root (root directory) | folder | |
| tmp | root (root directory) | folder | |
| www | root (root directory) | folder | |
| – | domains | www | folder |
| – | subdom | www | folder |
| – | .htaccess | www | the file |
| – | index.html | www | the file |
These serve the following purposes:
- session folder: stores PHP session data
- tmp folder: stores temporary files. If it is missing, file uploads via PHP may fail
- www folder: website files (PHP, HTML, CSS, JS, media)
- domains subfolder: directories of standalone alias websites and subdomains
- subdom subfolder: subdomain directories
- .htaccess file: web server settings
- index.html file: a file displaying a message about an active Webhosting
Resetting FTP to the Basic Settings
Resetting FTP to the default settings is irreversible. Before resetting FTP to the default settings, we strongly recommend backing up your current data following the guide Webhosting – Backup.
To manually reset FTP to the basic settings, follow these steps:
- Log in to the Webhosting FTP with the main FTP account.
- Delete all files and directories in the root directory.
- In the now empty root directory, create new folders session, tmp and www.
- In the folder www create new folders domains and subdom.
- Restore the default file .htaccess.
Common Problems
Common problems with restoring the basic directory structure of Webhosting include:
- Logging in to a directory other than the root directory
- Files cannot be uploaded
- Subdomain shows the main website
- Invisible .htaccess file
- Error 403: Forbidden
- Website not working
- FTP is unavailable or files cannot be deleted
Incorrect root directory
Problem: The FTP account leads to the www directory (or another one) and treats it as the root.
Cause: All secondary FTP accounts have access only to the www folder or its subfolders. WebFTP shows these as their root directory.
Solution: Consider whether deleting only the website files is enough. If so, delete and restore to the default settings only the contents of the www folder. If not, make sure you have access to an FTP account with access to the root directory (main FTP account).
Files cannot be uploaded
Problem: When uploading images or files to your website, an error appears saying a temporary file cannot be created (File upload error – unable to create a temporary file).
Cause: The root FTP directory is missing the folders tmp and session, often after the entire FTP content has been deleted.
Solution: Log in to with the main FTP account and create the missing folders in the root directory: tmp and session. If that does not help, have the file permissions repaired following the guide Webhosting – File Management.
Subdomain shows the main website
Problem: The subdomain shows the content of the main website, even though the subdomain’s files are uploaded to the FTP.
Cause: The subdomain’s files are not in the correct folder, or the folder www contains a modified .htaccess file that directs traffic to the main website.
Solution: Check that the folders domains and subdom are located in the folder www and that the subdomain’s files are in the right folder according to the guide Webhosting – Subdomains. Then restore the default .htaccess file. For WordPress, check that the website address in its settings belongs to the subdomain, not the main domain.
Invisible .htaccess file
Problem: The .htaccess file is not displayed in the FTP client.
Cause: .htaccess is a hidden file.
Solution: Enable showing hidden files in your FTP client, or use WebFTP ⧉.
Error 403: Forbidden after FTP reset
Problem: After the reset, Error 403: Forbidden appears on the website.
Cause: Detailed information about Error 403 can be found in this article.
Solution: Upload to the folder www or the folder named after your domain in www/domains/ the file index.html or index.php and make sure the default .htaccess file is uploaded in the www folder. If that does not help, restore the file permissions following the guide Webhosting – File Management.
The new website does not work correctly
Problem: The new website does not upload files, does not save settings, or shows other unusual behavior.
Solution: Check that you performed the directory structure reset in the root directory and not in another one (typically the www directory). The tmp and session folders must be in the root directory; www should contain only .htaccess and the website files (or the domains and subdom directories).
FTP is unavailable or files cannot be deleted
Problem: I cannot connect to FTP or delete files.
Solution: Follow the guides in the article FTP – Troubleshooting.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I log in to FTP?
You can find a detailed login guide in the article FTP – Login. Remember that the only FTP account with access to the root directory is the main FTP account.
How do I know I am in the correct directory?
The root directory should contain the folders tmp, session and www, and occasionally you will find backup or logs. If you see the folders domains, subdom and others, you are probably in the directory www.
Do I really have to delete absolutely everything? What if I delete something important?
You do not have to delete everything; often it is enough to delete the contents of the folder www, or the corresponding folder in the directory www/domains. Before resetting FTP to the default settings, we strongly recommend backing up your current data following the guide Webhosting – Backup. On our side, we cannot guarantee the availability of our backup, especially as time passes.
I want to build a new website on my Webhosting from scratch. What exactly should I delete on the FTP?
Delete the contents of the folders session and tmp and the contents of the website folder (www or www/domains/wds-test.cz), but leave the folders themselves. Then restore the default .htaccess file and the file permissions following the guide Webhosting – File Management. You do not need to delete the old database; the new website can connect to a different one.