Fix website file ownership and permission problems Print

Correct ownership and permissions rather than making files world-writable.

Identify the problem

1. Record the exact URL, error and time.
2. Check the web/application error log for permission denied, ownership or write failures.
3. In File Manager, compare the affected item with a working file in the same application.
4. Confirm files were uploaded through the correct SiteWorx/FTPS account rather than created by an unrelated privileged process.
5. Check that directories are typically 755 and files 644, subject to application requirements.

Resolve safely

• Correct only the affected path and retest.
• Do not recursively apply permissions to the whole account unless the impact is fully understood.
• Do not use 777.
• Ownership changes may require Tudor Internet administrator access; open a ticket rather than attempting to bypass ownership with permissive modes.

When to contact Tudor Internet

Open a ticket through the Customer Portal if the steps above do not resolve the issue or if the required option is not available for your service.

• The domain and exact file/directory path.
• The current numeric permission.
• The relevant error-log line and timestamp.
• How the file was created or uploaded.

Related articles

• Use the SiteWorx File Manager
• Create an FTP account in SiteWorx
• Connect using FTP over TLS (FTPS)
• Set safe file and directory permissions
• Troubleshoot large file uploads
• Fix a 500 Internal Server Error
• Fix a 403 Forbidden error

Last reviewed: 2026-07-25.