Most of the times when you migrate a site from one hosting company to another and start making any changes like installing a plugin or something similar, you might get an error “Is Its Parent Directory Writable By The Server”. This error usually prevents you from uploading anything on your site.
It’s directly associated with the wp-content folder of a WordPress site because that’s where every media file, plugin, and theme gets uploaded to be stored. It might be happening because of the wrong path or folder permissions.
In this tutorial, you will learn about how to fix “Is Its Parent Directory Writable By The Server” using two different methods. If the first method works, you won’t need to apply the second.
Method 1. Change Folder Permissions.
As you may already know, WP-CONTENT is a folder in the core of WordPress software that you have installed on your hosting company to use the WordPress CMS to manage a site. So, you have to make sure that folder permissions for WP-CONTENT are correct.
Here are a few steps you have to follow:
- Log into your hosting account and open the cPanel.
- Click on the File Manager because all files and folders of your WordPress site are stored in it.
- From the left sidebar, click on “public_HTML” because most sites are stored in it.
- Right-click on the wp-content folder and choose “Change Permissions”.
- On the popup, make sure, permissions are 755.
- Save changes.
After making these changes, please try to install the plugin you’re doing earlier. It’s always a good idea to clear your browser’s cache or use a different browser.
Sometimes, a browser’s old cache or version prevents you from making such changes. If everything works, you don’t need to try the second method. If you still get an error “Is Its Parent Directory Writable By The Server”, please follow the second method.
Method 2. Change the Path of the Uploads Directory.
When you migrate a site from one hosting company to another, WordPress might not recognise the original path of the uploads directory. So, if you add it, everything will be fine.
To do so, you have to edit the wp-config.php file. Here are the required steps:
- To edit the wp-config.php file, you have to open the File Manager again.
- After clicking on the public_html directly from the left-sidebar, right-click on the wp-config.php file. If you don’t find the file, please scroll to the bottom because, at the top, you will see folders. Files are usually present at the bottom.
Select “Edit”.
- A popup will show up to let you know about it. Click on “Edit“.
- Add this line:
define( ‘UPLOADS’, ‘wp-content/uploads’ );
Before this line:
require_once(ABSPATH . ‘wp-settings.php’);
- Click on “Save Changes” from the top-right corner of the wp-config.php file.
Again, please clear your browser’s cache or use a different browser to check if you still get an error while uploading anything. The error doesn’t appear only while installing a plugin. You might get it while uploading an image, any media file, or even installing a new theme.
If you upload anything, it’s related to the Uploads directory that’s available in the wp-content folder.
Could You Fix “Is Its Parent Directory Writable By The Server”?
Isn’t it frustrating to get an error after setting up a new site or moving to a new web hosting company? Sometimes, you might blame your new hosting company for getting such an error, but they don’t have anything to do with it. It happens with the WordPress software and its path to the Uploads directory.
Now and then, we all face some issues with our sites. I have encountered some unknown errors. When I got “Is Its Parent Directory Writable By The Server” on a site, it’s unexpected and strange because I had never seen such an error. The same can happen to you.
The most important thing is to understand the concept and make sure you do the right thing by using any of the above-mentioned methods.
- Do you need the best wordpress hosting? Check out for our recommendations by clicking here.
