Suddenly out of storage? How to find and delete hidden data

Suddenly out of storage space? How to find and delete hidden data

If your hosting account storage space is suddenly full, it doesn't necessarily mean that you intentionally uploaded a lot of new images, videos, or files. Often, the occupied storage space grows in the background: due to error logs, cache files, automatic backups, old archives, email data, temporary files, or forgotten installations.

A full webspace can cause various problems. New files can no longer be uploaded, emails may be affected, CMS updates fail, or your website may display error messages. Especially with WordPress, Joomla, shop systems, or other dynamic applications, a lack of storage space can quickly lead to consequential issues.

In this article, you will learn how to analyze disk usage in cPanel, find typical resource hogs, and safely remove files that are no longer needed. The goal is not to delete files indiscriminately, but to targetedly identify the causes and cleanly purge unnecessary data.

Why is my storage space suddenly full?

Storage space is not only occupied by visible website files. Logs, caches, backups, and system data can also consume a lot of storage. A hosting account usually contains not only your website's files, but also emails, temporary files, logs, installation files, backups, and data exports, depending on usage.

Typical causes of a sudden high storage usage include:

• heavily grown error_log files,
• cache folders from WordPress, Joomla, or other CMS systems,
• old ZIP, TAR, or backup files,
• database exports with the extension .sql,
• forgotten test installations or old website versions,
• large upload folders containing images, videos, or downloads,
• full email mailboxes,
• temporary files from plugins, themes, or scripts,
• automatically generated backups by backup plugins.

Before you delete anything, you should first find out where the storage space is actually being used.

Step 1: Check storage space usage in cPanel

cPanel offers a dedicated tool for analyzing disk usage. This shows you which directories occupy a particularly large amount of space. This allows you to specifically look for the cause instead of opening all folders manually.

How to check your disk usage

1. Log in to cPanel.
2. In the Files section, open the Disk Usage feature.
3. Wait until cPanel has calculated the folder sizes.
4. Sort or review the largest directories.
5. Take note of which folders are consuming an unusual amount of storage.
6. Then open the File Manager to check these folders more closely.

The disk usage feature is particularly helpful for finding large directories. However, it does not always show immediately which individual file is responsible. For that, you will use the File Manager afterwards.

Step 2: Find large files in the File Manager

After you have found the largest directories via Disk Usage, you can inspect them more closely in the cPanel File Manager. Many storage issues can be traced back to single large files or a few large folders.

How to proceed

1. Open the File Manager in cPanel.
2. Navigate to the folder that stood out in Disk Usage.
3. Check the Size column, if displayed.
4. Sort the files by size, if the interface supports it.
5. Look for very large files, old archives, or log files.
6. If needed, download important files locally before deleting them.

Large files are frequently found in folders such as public_html, wp-content, uploads, backup, cache, tmp, or in subfolders of individual plugins and applications.

Frequent resource hog: error_log files

One of the most common causes of suddenly full webspace is files named error_log. These files contain error messages from PHP applications, plugins, themes, or scripts. If an error occurs only once, it is usually not a problem. However, if the same error is logged on every page view, an error_log file can become very large within a short period of time.

Especially with WordPress websites, a faulty plugin function, an incompatible theme, an outdated PHP version, or a buggy script can repeatedly generate entries. This causes the log file to grow continuously.

Am I allowed to delete an error_log file?

Yes, an error_log file can usually be deleted to immediately free up storage space. However, if the underlying error is not fixed, the file may be recreated and grow again.

Therefore, the following process is recommended:

1. Check the size of the error_log file.
2. Open the file if it is a moderate size, or download it.
3. Check the latest error messages, if possible.
4. Delete the file if it is very large or no longer needed.
5. Check back after some time to see if it is recreated.
6. If it grows back quickly, the actual root cause of the error must be resolved.

Cache folders of CMS, plugins, and shop systems

Many modern websites use caching systems to load faster. This involves storing pre-rendered pages, scripts, CSS files, images, or other intermediate results. This improves performance, but can also occupy a lot of storage space.

Typical cache folders might be named like this, for example:

• cache
• tmp
• wphb-cache
• wp-content/cache
• wp-content/uploads/cache
• var/cache
• storage/cache

In WordPress, cache files often originate from performance plugins, security plugins, image optimization plugins, or page builders. Joomla, Magento, Laravel, and other systems also use their own cache or temporary directories.

Safely clearing cache

If possible, do not empty cache folders directly via the File Manager, but rather through the interface of the respective application or plugin first. Many plugins offer a function like Purge Cache, Clear Cache, or Empty Cache.

This is safer because the application itself knows which files can be removed and which need to be rebuilt. If you delete cache folders manually, temporary display errors or immediate regeneration of cache files may occur depending on the system.

Old backups, archives, and ZIP files

Old backups are a very common cause of full storage space. Many customers create a ZIP file of the website before making changes, upload a CMS package, or generate database exports. These files are then often left on the server and forgotten.

Look specifically for files with the following extensions:

• .zip
• .tar
• .tar.gz
• .gz
• .sql
• .bak
• .old
• .backup

Such files can be very large. Database exports with the .sql extension often contain sensitive content as well. They should not permanently reside in the publicly accessible web directory.

Recommended handling of old backups

1. Check if the backup is still required.
2. Download important backups to your computer.
3. Save them additionally in a secure location.
4. Delete archives that are no longer needed from the web server.
5. Do not store database exports publicly accessible in public_html.

WordPress: Typical storage consumers

On WordPress websites, there are some particularly common sources of storage consumption. Many of these are fundamentally normal, but can become very large over time.

With WordPress, you should avoid deleting files indiscriminately in the File Manager if possible. Media should ideally be removed via the WordPress Media Library, so that WordPress manages the associated entries correctly.

Email mailboxes as a cause for full storage space

It's not just website files that can occupy storage space. Depending on your hosting configuration, email data also counts toward your account's storage usage. Large mailboxes, many attachments, or old emails can consume substantial space.

Check specifically for:

• mailboxes with a very large number of messages,
• old emails with large attachments,
• Trash and Spam folders,
• email accounts that are no longer in use,
• local email clients that leave messages on the server.

If emails are taking up a lot of space, you should archive old messages, empty Trash and Spam folders, or clean up mailboxes that are no longer needed. However, do not delete mail directories directly in the File Manager, as this can corrupt mailboxes.

Forgotten test installations and old websites

Old website versions are frequently left on the server: previous WordPress installations, test folders, old shops, temporary development states, or copies created before a relaunch. Such folders not only take up storage space, but can also pose a security risk if they contain outdated software.

Typical folder names include, for example:

• old
• backup
• test
• dev
• staging
• new
• website-old
• wordpress-old

Check if such folders are still actively needed. If not, back them up locally if necessary and remove them from the server.

What you'd better not delete directly

When facing storage space issues, it's tempting to simply remove large folders. However, this can be dangerous. Some folders and files are essential for the operation of your hosting account or website.

If you are unsure whether a file can be deleted, do not delete it immediately. Download it first, rename it as a test, or ask support.

Safe cleanup workflow for full storage space

To safely free up storage space, a structured workflow is recommended:

1. Check the Disk Usage in cPanel.
2. Identify the largest directories.
3. Open these directories in the File Manager.
4. Look for error_log, old ZIP files, backups, cache folders, and large media files.
5. Download important files locally before deleting them.
6. Clear caches via the respective CMS or plugin if possible.
7. Only delete files whose purpose you know.
8. Check the Disk Usage again afterwards.
9. Test your website and key functions.

How to avoid future storage issues

Many storage problems can be avoided by checking your hosting account regularly and monitoring automated processes.

• Regularly check the Disk Usage in cPanel.
• Remove old ZIP files and database exports after downloading them.
• Monitor backup plugins and their retention times.
• Clear cache files via the application when necessary.
• Check large email mailboxes and empty Spam and Trash folders.
• Remove old test installations when they are no longer needed.
• Fix root causes of errors if error_log files grow regularly.
• Optimize large images before uploading them.

When does a larger hosting package make sense?

Not every storage space problem is caused by unnecessary files. Sometimes a project genuinely grows: more images, more products, more emails, more downloads, more backups, or more visitors. If you have to clean up regularly and yet hardly any space remains free, a larger hosting package can make sense.

An upgrade is particularly obvious when:

• your website is permanently growing,
• you offer a lot of media, PDFs, or downloads,
• multiple websites are operated in the same account,
• email mailboxes require a lot of storage,
• regular backups need more space,
• you quickly reach the limit again despite cleaning up.

Before an upgrade, it is still worth a brief check to see if unnecessary data can be removed. This ensures that you do not permanently pay for storage space for old or redundant files.

FAQ: Storage space full in cPanel

Can I simply delete an error_log file?

Yes, an error_log file can generally be deleted to free up storage space. However, if the underlying error persists, the file will be created again and can grow back.

Why is my storage space full even though I haven't uploaded anything?

Often, files grow automatically in the background, such as error logs, cache files, backups, temporary files, or email mailboxes. Therefore, you should check the Disk Usage in cPanel first.

Am I allowed to delete cache folders directly?

It is better to empty the cache via the respective CMS or plugin. Manual deletion can lead to temporary display issues depending on the application, or cause the cache to be rebuilt immediately.

Are old ZIP backups on the server dangerous?

They can be a security risk, especially if they reside in the publicly accessible web directory and contain sensitive files or database exports. Download important backups locally and remove archives that are no longer needed from the server.

Can I delete the mail folder if it is large?

No. The mail folder can contain email data and should not be manually deleted in the File Manager. Clean up emails via Webmail, an email client, or the corresponding cPanel functions.

What do I do if the storage space is not displayed as free immediately after deleting?

Wait a moment and check the Disk Usage again. Depending on the interface, the display update may be slightly delayed. Also, check if deleted files are still in the trash can.