> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.stablepoint.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to Configure and Manage WebDAV Web Disks With cPanel

cPanel and WHM provide several options for managing files on your account, including a File Manager, FTP, SFTP, and a Web Disk. Web Disk also enables you to use an encrypted connection, making it more secure than traditional techniques like FTP. With Web Disks, cPanel users can use appropriate applications on PCs and mobile devices to manage and modify files kept on their server. Web Disk is cPanel's implementation of the WebDAV standard. In this guide we break down the configuration process, but first let's look at Web Disk and WebDAV.

## An overview of WebDAV & Web Disks

Web Distributed Authoring & Versioning (WebDAV) is an HTTP protocol extension that enables remote web content authoring by clients. The protocol lays a foundation for users to create, modify, and move files on a server using a supported program. WebDAV is natively supported by macOS and Windows, and there are several WebDAV-compatible apps for Android and iOS. One of WebDAV's most useful features is that it allows you to keep track of author and modification-date properties, as well as manage namespaces, collections, and overwrite protection.

Web Disk is based on an extension to the web's original HTTP and HTTPS protocols, unlike other technologies such as SMB and FTP. It's worth remembering that WebDAV's versioning features aren't as sophisticated as Git's — if you're seeking a modern code version control solution, look at cPanel's Git integration instead. Other protocols such as CalDAV and CardDAV are built on top of WebDAV, providing shared calendar and contact information on a remote server.

cPanel can automatically create a Web Disk account for individuals to manage files in their home directory from anywhere. Users can create additional accounts to share folders within their home directory.

## FTP, SFTP, SMB, WebDAV — which one is better?

* **SMB** is a "true" file-sharing protocol that enables low-level file locking and sharing control, but it is not an ideal candidate for WAN file sharing: it is difficult to firewall, is sensitive to network latency, and is largely tied to Windows.
* **FTP** is old and widespread, so FTP servers and clients are available for practically all platforms. Security is generally weak, though it can transport large files quickly (while being inefficient with small ones).
* **WebDAV** brings simplicity, security (with SSL) and versioning to online file sharing. It uses HTTPS as a transport, which adds overhead and can be slower and more memory-intensive with large files. It does not support file locking except in the scope of content revision control.
* **SFTP** (Secure File Transfer Protocol) is far safer than plain FTP and highly functional, though not well suited to collaborative workflows. If your server supports it, prefer it over FTP.

## WebDAV configuration process on cPanel

1. Log in to cPanel to reach your dashboard.
2. Select **Web Disk** from the Files section.
3. The main Web Disk account is visible. Its username and password are the same as your cPanel account — you would not want to share those with every user, so create a separate Web Disk account for them:
   * Enter the Web Disk account's username.
   * Enter a domain from your cPanel.
   * Use the Password Generator or enter your own password.
   * Enter the directory the Web Disk account should use. (It's not a good idea to put new users' directories in your public\_html folder, as that exposes their contents. You can also give access to your full home folder.)
   * Choose whether the account's directory should have read/write or read-only permissions.
4. Click **Create**. cPanel then launches the Web Disk, and you can access data from your devices.

## How to use your devices to access WebDAV Web Disks

There are various methods to access Web Disks, and they vary based on your device's operating system and preferred WebDAV client.

* On **Windows**, click "Enable Digest Authentication" first.
* To connect a client to the primary account of your Web Disk, click "Change Client Access".

cPanel automatically detects your operating system and provides a direct link with configuration instructions. If detection fails, select your platform manually. For desktops (Finder on macOS, Windows Explorer, Linux file managers) a custom configuration script is provided — download it and run it (you may need to make it executable). The script configures your system's file browser so you can view and modify files as if they were stored locally. On mobile operating systems like iOS and Android, you'll need a third-party app that supports WebDAV.