As of April 8th 2026, there is a limit of 250,000 files per cPanel account across all MyHost shared hosting services. This means you'll need to keep the total file count below this threshold. These limits don't affect the amount of storage your plan has, only the total number of files per cPanel account.
Our announcement in the MyHost blog contains some more information about why we made these changes. The TL;DR is that high file counts can cause core server operations to slow down or time out, even if the total disk usage is low. We need these limits to ensure the reliability and performance of our services, and to ensure restorations from backups don't get stuck on a directory with millions of files.
How can I check my current usage?
cPanel's main menu (where the big list of options is) has a statistics panel on the right side. The "File Usage" panel should display your current usage and the limit. If you see a limit higher than 250,000, please read the section on "How does this impact existing customers?".
How can I check what's using all my files?
We recommend using cPanel's File Manager or your preferred FTP Client to inspect the files on your account. Look for directories containing thousands of small files. If you have a Wordpress site, `wp-content` is a good place to start looking.
If you're comfortable with using basic Linux commands in the cPanel Terminal (available on cPanel's front page), you can try the command du --inodes -s * | sort -hr to list how many files are under the current directory. Please note this command takes a while to execute if you have hundreds of thousands of files.
Is 250,000 files enough? What causes high file usage?
For most people, yes. Out of the thousands of accounts hosted with us, less than 1% are affected by these changes. Of these, the majority appear to have an issue with their sites that is causing a buildup of files in their hosting plan, meaning they can be easily brought back under the limit. We'll be working with these customers to help identify these issues as described in the next section.
How does this impact existing customers?
If your account is above the 250,000 file limit, you'll find you have an additional 100,000 files worth of headroom above your current usage. This is to give you time to identify any issues with your sites and clear out any unnecessary files. We'll follow up with you over the coming days to ensure you're on the right track.
Once your site is at a safe file count, we'll cap your account to 250,000 files. You will still have access to prior backups that exceed the limit; please contact us at support@myhost.nz before attempting to restore any of these backups so we can accommodate a safe restoration.
How does this impact resellers?
The rule of thumb is 250,000 files per cPanel account. Our Professional Reseller plans give you multiple cPanel accounts to play with, which means each of your customers will have separate 250,000 file limits.
If you're on a Reseller Developer plan, you have one cPanel account within which you manage all your domains and websites, therefore they are collectively subject to a 250,000 file limit. If 250,000 files isn't enough to accommodate your customers, the Professional Reseller plan might be a better fit for you.
What happens if I go over? Will I be notified?
- If you exceed 200,000 files: you will receive an email notification warning you that you're getting close to the limit.
- If you exceed 250,000 files: you will have 7 days to get the site below 250,000 files before you are blocked from creating any new files.
- If you exceed 300,000 files: you will be immediately blocked from creating any new files.
If your site depends on the ability to create files (e.g. if you have a caching plugin), then these blocks may cause downtime for your site. We strongly recommend investigating any high file counts before this happens. If you need assistance with tracking down these files, please reach out to support@myhost.nz.
What if I need more than 250,000 files?
If your requirements exceed these limits, we offer several alternatives:
- Professional Reseller Plans: Includes multiple cPanel accounts, each with their own 250,000 file limit.
- Virtual Private Servers: Our VPS offerings are not subject to file limits, though they require manual configuration.
- Standalone cPanel Servers: These servers are exempt from shared limits but carry a higher cost due to licensing.
If these options aren't suitable or you aren't sure what's best for you, contact us at sales@myhost.nz and we'll work with you to find the best solution.
