Fix Errors When Changing Permissions in Plesk File Manager

What are permissions?

Permissions say who may read, change or run a file. Think of them like keys to a room. Each file has them. They are often shown as three numbers, like 644 or 755.

• 644 is common for normal files. The owner can change them. Others can only read.
• 755 is common for folders and scripts. Everyone can open them, but only the owner can change them.

How to change permissions

1. Log in to Plesk.
2. Go to Websites & Domains and click File Manager.
3. Find the file or folder.
4. Click the small link or icon in the Permissions column, or open the file's menu and choose Change Permissions.
5. Tick the boxes you need.
6. Click OK.

Common errors and fixes

"Operation not permitted" or "Unable to change permissions"

The file may belong to another user, such as root. This happens when the file was made by a script or by a different account. Plesk cannot change the permissions of a file it does not own.

• On shared hosting, open a support ticket. We can fix the owner.
• On a VPS or dedicated server, you have root access. Log in with SSH and run the commands in the next section. This needs root access.

Changes do not stick

A script or plugin may reset the permissions. Check any security or cache plugins you use.

The permission link is missing

Your Plesk version or plan may hide it. Try another browser or reload the page. Then ask support.

The folder has too many files

Changing permissions on a very big folder can time out. Do it in smaller parts.

Fix the owner with SSH (root only)

Warning: Wrong commands can break your site. Take a backup first. Replace the capital words with your own values.

chown -R SYSTEM_USER:psacln /var/www/vhosts/yourdomain.com/httpdocs

This gives the folder back to the site's own user. You can find that user in Plesk, under Hosting Settings.

find /var/www/vhosts/yourdomain.com/httpdocs -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;
find /var/www/vhosts/yourdomain.com/httpdocs -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;

These two commands set folders to 755 and files to 644.

Quick recap

• Permissions control who can read, write or run a file.
• Errors usually mean the file has the wrong owner.
• Use 755 for folders and 644 for files.
• VPS owners can fix the owner with chown over SSH. Others should ask support.