Clean-up time: Trash folder cleanup will auto-delete old files

As we hope you already know, we are committed to making sure that our servers run as smoothly as possible and that every website on our hosting platform is as secure as we can make it. That's why we continually review and optimise our server settings.

An upcoming change will affect the handling of files in the Trash folder within your home directory. This folder stores files that you have deleted using the File Manager feature in cPanel. Until now, deleted files have remained in the Trash indefinitely, or until you manually emptied the trash. This means that there are a lot of unwanted files taking up unnecessary storage space on our hosting servers.

To optimise server resources, and for efficient storage management, we are going to begin automatically deleting files from the Trash folder after 30 days. Any files you delete using the File Manager will be permanently removed after this 30-day period.

What you need to know

Timing: This change will be implemented on 6 May 2024. The first files to be deleted will be those that were trashed at least 30 days earlier (i.e. on or before 6 April).

Affected files: Only files that have been in the trash for 30 or more days will be removed. This gives you time to restore or download files before they are deleted.

Impact: We are only talking about the Trash folder. This change will not affect the functionality of your website or any files outside of the Trash.

Data safety: We understand the importance of data safety. We assure you that this tweak is aimed at optimising server resources while ensuring the security and performance of your website.

Affected services

This applies to any hosting services with cPanel access on our shared servers, including:

• All Web Hosting and WordPress Hosting packages
• All Reseller Hosting accounts
• All Email Hosting packages.

This change does not affect customers with their own cPanel servers, VPS, or Dedicated Servers.

Review your Trash folder before 6 May

We recommend that you have a look in your trash before 6 May, and make sure that there's nothing you want to keep.

1. Log into cPanel (here's how).
2. From the Tools screen, look under Files and open File Manager.
3. In the menu above your table of files and folders, click View Trash.

Once you're there, you can select and Restore or Download files that you don't want to lose. See step-by-step instructions for restoring files in the Knowledge Base.

After 6 May, we recommend reviewing the contents of your Trash folder periodically. This will let you ensure that any files you may need are restored or backed up before the 30-day period elapses.

If you have any questions or concerns about this upcoming change, please don't hesitate to reach out to our Support Team. We're here to help you through this transition, and to ensure that you keep enjoying seamless, secure Web Hosting.

Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash