It’s not uncommon to come across solutions where you are asked to modify the core WordPress files. It can be very tough to find the correct location, especially for a beginner. So, if you are one of these users who are stuck in this sort of situation, you don’t have to worry anymore. In this article, we are going to give you a brief on how you can access and edit your WordPress Directory files with ease.
Why You Might Need to Access Your WordPress Directory Files
Well, locating the WordPress directory files can be very troublesome for normal users. You might find it a lot of hassle at first as well. Even though it is not recommended to make any changes to your files without prior coding knowledge, at some stage, you might actually have no other options.
For instance, if your site goes out of order for unexpectedly and you do not have your developer around, the instant solution would be a way to go. Most of these quick fixes tell you to modify a simple bit of code of a core WordPress file. So, if you are aware of where to find these files, you can solve the problem all by yourself in a few minutes.
Usually, when you run into an issue on your site, you would be asked to enable the debug mode. As a result, you can let the respective plugin or theme support team know about the error you are getting. So, if you know how to modify the wp-config.php file, you can do it in no time. Thus, you will be able to save your time and get a quick solution at the same time.
Apart from these, you can also feel the need for a change of the feature, fix a bug or even make a backup of your site. To any of these steps, you will be required to access your WordPress Directory. This is why it is very important to be aware of the location and how you can make changes through it.
Now that we have talked about the significance of modifying WordPress Directory files, we will talk about the ways you can use to access these files.
Access Files from WordPress Dashboard
By default, WordPress allows you to modify the Theme and Plugin files. Well, simply just go to your WordPress Dashboard. If you wish to make changes to your Theme, then navigate to wp-admin -> Appearance -> Editor.
Afterward, you will be able to view the files inside your Theme. Besides, you can even change the Theme which you want to edit from this section. The most notable files that you need to modify are the functions.php and style.css files. However, you have the flexibility to modify any of the other files inside the Theme as well.
All you have to do is to insert the line of code or delete certain ones and then make sure to click on the ‘Update File’ button from the bottom. You will be all set afterward. Please note that it’s recommended to make changes to the ‘Child Theme’ instead of the main theme itself. Otherwise, a future update will lead to losing the changes you have made.
On the other hand, if you want to make changes to the functionalities of your Plugins, you can navigate to wp-admin -> Plugins -> Editor. After doing so, you will get access to the codes of all the Plugins you are using. Just like for the Theme, you can change the Plugin which you want to modify from the ‘Select Plugin to Edit’ drop-down menu.
Subsequently, you can insert or delete the piece of code from the Plugin files. Then simply just click on ‘Update File’ to save the changes you have made in full effect. That’s how you can easily access and modify your Plugins files.
It’s highly advised to keep a backup your all the files before changing anything on your WordPress Files. So, please make sure that you have done so beforehand.
cPanel Approach to Access WordPress Directory
The most popular way to access your WordPress Directory files is through the cPanel. It’s basically the Control Panel offered by the Site Hosting Provider. It allows you to manage your site with ease.
The first step would be to login to your cPanel. You can easily do it by putting this URL in the address bar: www.example.com/cpanel. Well, of course, you need to replace the ‘example.com’ with your actual domain. Afterward, you will see a login prompt screen. Simply just sign in with your username and password.
After you are successfully logged in, find the ‘File Manager’ section. In this location, you will get access to all the necessary files which have been installed or used on your website. Every single WordPress root directory files are located inside the ‘public_html’ folder.
For instance, you will get access to the WordPress core files such as wp-config.php or the code functionalities of your installed Themes and Plugins. Usually, From this location, people make major changes on their site like increasing the PHP Memory Limit.
Specifically, the Plugins and Themes files are located inside the ‘wp-content’ folder under the ‘public_html’ folder. If you are a coding geek, you can simply just go ahead and make changes to its functionalities.
Modify Files through FTP Client Server
Alternatively, you can take advantage of the File Transfer Protocol offered by your Hosting Provider as well. Through this, you will easily be able to upload, delete or edit any file inside your WordPress Directory.
Make sure that you have an FTP Client software installed on your computers such as Filezilla or SmartFTP. For instance, open Filezilla and insert these following fields: domain, username and password. The Port number is by default set to 21. If you have a different Port, you can change it as well.
After the connection is successfully established with your FTP, then simply find the ‘public_html’ folder and you will get access to your WordPress Directory files inside it. Then you can make any changes as per your wish and save it. That’s how simple it is.
Installation of Third-Party Plugins
If you do not feel comfortable with any of these mentioned methods above, you can also try out a third-party plugin-based solution as well. For this, all you have to do is to install and activate the Plugin. As a result, you will then be able to upload, delete or make any changes to your WordPress directory files. To help you out a bit, you can play around with any of these popular plugins such as File Manager or Advanced File Manager.
Wrapping Up
To sum up, we hope this article will help you out on how to access your WordPress Directory files. So, if you are considering to make changes to your files, we would strongly recommend you to make a backup of your whole website beforehand.
From our experience, we would suggest you use cPanel or FTP approach when editing your WordPress Directory files. If you have any questions, feel free to leave your feedback in the Comments section.
