After logging in to Plesk, you will see the dashboard — your central hub for managing websites, email, databases, and more. This guide explains the main areas of the Plesk interface so you can navigate confidently.
The Dashboard
When you first log in to Plesk, the dashboard displays a summary of your hosting environment:
- Websites and Domains: A list of all your domains and websites. Each domain card shows its status, SSL certificate status, and quick action buttons.
- Quick actions: Common tasks like adding a domain, setting up email, or installing an application are available directly from the dashboard.
The Left Navigation Menu
The sidebar on the left organizes all Plesk tools by function:
- Websites & Domains: Add and manage domains, subdomains, domain aliases, SSL certificates, DNS settings, and web hosting configuration.
- Mail: Create and manage email accounts, set up email forwarding, configure spam filtering, and access mail settings.
- Files: A web-based file manager for uploading, editing, and managing files on your website.
- Databases: Create and manage MySQL databases and database users.
- Applications: Install and manage web applications (WordPress, Joomla, etc.) from the application catalog.
- Statistics: View disk usage, traffic statistics, and web analytics for your websites.
- Extensions: Browse, install, and manage Plesk extensions (additional features and tools).
- Users: Add and manage additional user accounts that can log in to Plesk.
- Account: View your subscription details, resource usage, permissions, and personal information.
The Top Bar
- Search bar: Type any keyword (domain name, setting, tool) to quickly find what you need.
- Username: Shows who is currently logged in. Click to manage your profile or switch subscriptions.
- Notifications: Displays alerts about SSL certificates, updates, and system events.
- Help: Access Plesk documentation and video tutorials.
Understanding Subscriptions
A subscription is the combination of resources (disk space, traffic, domains) and permissions assigned to your account:
- Your subscription determines how many domains you can add, how much disk space you have, and which features are available.
- If you manage multiple subscriptions, click your username in the top bar to switch between them.
Important Notes
- The available menu items may vary depending on your hosting plan and the permissions set by your provider.
- If a feature or tool is not visible, contact your hosting provider — it may need to be enabled for your subscription.
- Use the search bar at the top to quickly find any tool or setting without navigating through menus.
Troubleshooting
A menu item is missing from the sidebar:
- Your subscription may not include that feature. Contact your hosting provider.
- Try the search bar to locate the tool — it may be nested under a different section.
Dashboard is blank or not loading:
- Clear your browser cache and reload the page.
- Try a different browser.
- Check your internet connection.
Cannot switch between subscriptions:
- Click your username in the top-right corner to see the list of available subscriptions.
- If only one subscription is available, you will not see a switch option — this is normal.
