Website Not Active After Uploading: How to Fix It

If your website is not active after uploading, the most likely cause is that the files are in the wrong folder, missing a proper homepage file, or affected by DNS that hasn't finished updating. This article walks through each cause and how to check and fix it, using cPanel or DirectAdmin.

Check that files are in the right folder

The most common reason a website does not appear after upload is that the files were placed in the wrong location. Your website's public files must sit inside the public_html folder (also called the web root). Anything uploaded outside this folder, such as directly into the account's home directory, will not be shown to visitors.

cPanel

1. Log in to cPanel and go to Files > File Manager
2. Open the public_html folder
3. Confirm your website files (not just a single subfolder) are directly inside this folder

DirectAdmin

1. Log in to DirectAdmin and go to Files > File Manager
2. Open domains/yourdomain.com/public_html
3. Confirm your website files are directly inside this folder

A common mistake happens when uploading a ZIP file: extracting it can create an extra subfolder, so your homepage ends up at public_html/mysite/index.html instead of public_html/index.html. If this happens, move the files up one level so the homepage sits directly in public_html.

If you installed WordPress or another application using Softaculous, check whether it was installed into a subfolder rather than the root. If so, the homepage will be at public_html/subfolder/index.php, and visiting your domain without the subfolder name will show a blank page or file list instead of your site.

Check for a valid homepage file

Your server automatically looks for a file with a specific name to display as the homepage. If this file is missing or misnamed, the site will not load even if all other files are present.

• The homepage file must be named index.html, index.htm or index.php
• Names such as home.html, homepage.html or www.html will not work automatically
• File and folder names are case-sensitive on Linux servers, so Index.html and index.html are treated as different files

Check that the file name and capitalisation match exactly what your website code expects, including references to images and other assets.

Check file and folder permissions

If your site shows a "403 Forbidden" or "Permission Denied" error, incorrect permissions are usually the cause. Permissions control who can read, write or run a file, and the server needs the correct settings to serve your pages.

Avoid setting permissions to 777, as this allows anyone with access to read, write and run the file, which is a security risk on a live website.

1. Open File Manager in cPanel or DirectAdmin
2. Right-click the file or folder (in DirectAdmin, select it and choose Permissions)
3. Choose Change Permissions and set the correct value

Check DNS and domain setup

If you registered or transferred your domain recently, or recently changed its nameservers, your website may not appear yet because DNS has not fully updated across the internet. This process, known as DNS propagation, can take several hours.

• Check your domain's current nameservers in cPanel under Domains, or in DirectAdmin under Domain Setup or DNS Management
• Confirm the nameservers match those provided in your welcome email or shown in the client area at my.hostking.host
• If you added the domain as a pointer or addon domain, check it is listed correctly in the control panel; new pointers can take up to 24 hours to become active

While you wait, clear your browser's cache and flush your computer's local DNS cache, since your browser may still be showing an old cached version of the page rather than the current one.

Other things to check

SSL certificate issues

If your site loads but shows a browser warning or appears broken, check that your SSL certificate is fully installed and active. In cPanel or DirectAdmin, go to SSL/TLS Status to confirm a valid certificate is in place for your domain.

Cached pages

If you are running WordPress on LiteSpeed-based hosting, a cached version of an old page can sometimes be shown instead of your latest upload. Clear the cache using the LiteSpeed Cache plugin in WordPress, or the LiteSpeed Web Cache Manager option in cPanel.

Missing images or styling

If the page loads but images or styling are missing, this is usually a broken file path rather than an inactive website. Make sure paths in your code are relative to the public_html folder rather than pointing to a location on your own computer.

Still not working?

If you have checked all of the above and your website is still not active, contact Hostking support. You can start a live chat on the Hostking website, or open a support ticket from the client area at my.hostking.host. Support staff can check server-side logs for errors that are not visible from File Manager alone.