1. Check File Permissions: The first step is to check the file permissions of the parent directory. You can do this by using an FTP client or by using the File Manager in your hosting control panel. The parent directory should have a permission of 755 or higher.
2. Change File Permissions: If the file permissions are not set correctly, you can change them by using an FTP client or the File Manager in your hosting control panel. To change the permissions, right-click on the parent directory and select “File Permissions”. Then, set the permissions to 755 or higher.
3. Check the User: The next step is to check the user that is assigned to the parent directory. This user should be the same user that is assigned to the WordPress installation. You can check this by using an FTP client or the File Manager in your hosting control panel.
4. Change the User: If the user is not correct, you can change it by using an FTP client or the File Manager in your hosting control panel. To change the user, right-click on the parent directory and select “Change Owner”. Then, select the correct user from the list.
5. Check the Group: The last step is to check the group that is assigned to the parent directory. This group should be the same group that is assigned to the WordPress installation. You can check this by using an FTP client or the File Manager in your hosting control panel.
6. Change the Group: If the group is not correct, you can change it by using an FTP client or the File Manager in your hosting control panel. To change the group, right-click on the parent directory and select “Change Group”. Then, select the correct group from the list.
In this article, you are going to learn how to fix the “Is its parent directory writable by the server?” error. It is a common issue in WordPress that prevents you from uploading files to your website.
How to Fix “Is its parent directory writable by the server?” Error on Shared Hosting
The error can happen due to incorrect permissions, ownerships, or the location of the uploads folder. Regardless of the cause, we’re here to show you how to fix this error quickly.
There are two methods of resolving the issue on shared hosting — by changing the directory path and permissions of the uploads folder.
Method 1 – Changing the Uploads Folder Directory
Sometimes, the “Is its parent directory writable by the server?” issue occurs because WordPress can’t recognize the location of the uploads folder.
You might face the problem after you have just moved your site to another hosting provider. To fix it, you need to modify your WordPress config file:
- Access your hosting file manager or FTP, and search for the wp-config.php file. It is commonly located in the root folder of your website (/public_html).
- Open the file and add the following code:
define( 'UPLOADS', 'wp-content/uploads' );
before this line:
require_once(ABSPATH . 'wp-settings.php');
- Save the file. Now, try to upload your media files again.
Method 2 – Changing Folder Permissions
If you still get the “Is its parent directory writable by the server?” error after following Method 1, you might want to try resetting the permissions of your uploads folder.
Simply follow the instructions below:
- Connect to your account via an FTP client or file manager. Go to the WordPress installation directory — commonly in /public_html.
- Open the wp-content folder and right-click on the uploads folder.
- Click on File Permissions. A new dialogue box will pop up. Look for the Numeric Value field and enter 755.
- Scroll down and make sure the Recurse into subdirectories box is checked.
- Select Apply to directories only and click OK.
By performing this method, you will reset the permissions of the uploads folder and its subfolders to 755.
The number means the owner of the file can read, write, and execute the file. This is important to allow the directory to be writable. Hence, fixing the “Is its parent directory writable by the server?” error.
How to Fix “Is its parent directory writable by the server?” Error on VPS
If your WordPress site is hosted on VPS, you can try the following solution to fix “Is its parent directory writable by the server?” error. However, note that this method only works for Linux running on Apache webserver.
Before we begin, let’s understand some basics. By default, your Apache web server uses the www-data user and www-data group to access files and folders.
However, there is a possibility that the uploads folder is not owned by www-data. This situation leads to the “Is its parent directory writable by the server?” issue.
What you need to do is change the owner of the uploads directory to www-data:
- Connect to your VPS via SSH. You can learn how to do so in our SSH tutorial.
- Navigate to the wp-content folder inside your WordPress installation directory.
cd public_html/wp-content
- Change the owner and group of the uploads folder to www-data by executing this command:
chown -R www-data:www-data uploads
- Just like on shared hosting, the default permissions for the uploads folder might be incorrect. Therefore, while you are inside the wp-content folder, you may run the following command:
chmod 755 -R uploads
It will set permissions for plugins and all subdirectories inside it to 755.
Note that you can change Linux folder ownerships and permissions via the command line even further.
The solution above might not work if you switched over to a new hosting provider, as configurations between hosting services may vary.
Conclusion
The “Is its parent directory writable by the server?” issue can be frustrating because it won’t allow you to upload files to your WordPress site. Thankfully, in this article, you have learned the various solutions to this error, both on shared hosting and VPS.
The most common method is to change the owners and permissions of the uploads folder. If this option doesn’t work, you may want to modify the uploads directory or the wp-config.php file.
Hopefully, by following this guide, you can quickly fix the issue. Good luck!
How to Fix the “Is its parent directory writable by the server?” WordPress Error
The “Is its parent directory writable by the server?” WordPress error is a common issue that can occur when you are trying to upload a file or install a plugin. This error occurs when the server does not have the correct permissions to write to the parent directory of the file you are trying to upload. Fortunately, this error can be easily fixed by changing the permissions of the parent directory.
Step 1: Access the File Manager
The first step is to access the file manager of your hosting account. This can usually be done through the control panel of your hosting provider. Once you have accessed the file manager, you will need to locate the parent directory of the file you are trying to upload.
Step 2: Change the Permissions
Once you have located the parent directory, you will need to change the permissions of the directory. To do this, right-click on the directory and select “Change Permissions”. You will then need to set the permissions to “755”. This will give the server the correct permissions to write to the directory.
Step 3: Try Uploading the File Again
Once you have changed the permissions of the parent directory, you can try uploading the file again. If the error persists, you may need to contact your hosting provider for further assistance.
Conclusion
The “Is its parent directory writable by the server?” WordPress error can be easily fixed by changing the permissions of the parent directory. Once you have changed the permissions, you can try uploading the file again. If the error persists, you may need to contact your hosting provider for further assistance.
