How to Rename Files and Directories in Plesk

Renaming files and directories in Plesk File Manager is quick and straightforward. This guide walks you through the process.

How to rename a file

1. Log in to Plesk.
2. Go to Websites & Domains and click File Manager for your domain.
3. Navigate to the folder containing the file you want to rename.
4. Hover over the file name to reveal additional options. Click the small dropdown arrow (or right-click menu icon) that appears next to the file.
5. Select Rename.
6. Type the new file name in the text field.
7. Click OK.

The file is renamed immediately.

How to rename a directory

The process is identical to renaming a file:

1. In File Manager, find the directory you want to rename.
2. Hover over the directory name and click the dropdown arrow.
3. Select Rename.
4. Enter the new directory name.
5. Click OK.

Important notes

• File extensions matter. If you rename style.css to style.txt, the file will no longer function as a CSS stylesheet. Always keep the correct extension.
• Renaming httpdocs or system directories will break your website. Only rename files and folders that you created or manage yourself.
• Avoid spaces and special characters in file names. Use hyphens (-) or underscores (_) instead. Spaces in file names can cause issues with URLs and scripts.
• Case sensitivity: Linux servers treat File.html and file.html as different files. Be consistent with your naming conventions.
• Hidden files (starting with a dot, like .htaccess) are shown in File Manager by default. Be careful not to accidentally rename these — they control important server behaviour.

Troubleshooting

• Rename option not appearing: Make sure you’re hovering over the file/folder name, not clicking the checkbox. The dropdown icon appears on hover.
• “Permission denied” error: The file may be owned by a different system user or have restrictive permissions. Contact your hosting provider for assistance.
• Website broken after renaming: If you renamed a file that your website references (like a config file, image, or script), update the references in your code to match the new file name. Or rename it back to the original.
• Links stopped working: Renaming a directory changes its URL. If you had yourdomain.com/old-folder/ and renamed it to new-folder, update any links pointing to the old URL.