WordPress & cPanel: What It Is & When To Use It

Paying for hosting means you’re paying for the use of a server. With most types of hosting plans, you get access to a control panel that gives you some control over the server configuration. cPanel is one of the most popular control panels, so you’ll want to know how to use it.

cPanel gives you access to several configuration options for your WordPress website. Understanding how it works will give you a significant advantage when it comes to troubleshooting site issues.

In this article, we’ll give you a comprehensive introduction to using cPanel for WordPress. You’ll be able to apply this knowledge to any website or hosting account that uses cPanel. Let’s get to it!

An Introduction to cPanel

cPanel is a control panel for hosting accounts. To use it, your hosting provider pays for a license.

This license also enables them to set up individual cPanel accounts for customers:

If you pay for web hosting, chances are you have access to cPanel. It’s the most popular hosting control panel software on the market and it’s also one of the most user-friendly options.

cPanel enables you to make changes to your hosting setup without needing to interact with the server directly. Some of the things you can do include changing Domain Name System (DNS) settings, creating site backups, uploading files using the web file manager, and more.

To connect to the hosting control panel, you’ll need a cPanel username and password. These will typically be provided via email after you sign up for a hosting plan.

cPanel is not the only hosting control panel software available, but it’s so popular that learning how to use it can be a smart option. If your hosting provider uses cPanel, like NameHero, you’ll want to start learning right away.

5 Handy cPanel Tools for WordPress Website Management

cPanel offers dozens of built-in tools and features you can use to manage your website and hosting account. For this tutorial, we’re going to focus on the most important cPanel tools you can use to manage WordPress sites.

Note that you can log into the cPanel through your web hosting account.

1. Configure the WordPress DNS Settings

Domain Name System (DNS) settings control what sites your domains point toward. When you register a domain, one of the first things you’ll want to do is modify its DNS settings and configure the nameservers.

To change the DNS settings for domains associated with your cPanel account, navigate to the Domains tools section. Select the Zone Editor tool:

In the next screen, you’ll see a list of the domains associated with the account. Next to each domain, you’ll see options to modify its CNAME and A records:

To change which site the domain points to, you’ll want to update its A records. This process can look different if you’re using a custom version of cPanel, such as the one NameHero offers:

Our custom cPanel setup offers a streamlined DNS management interface. You can read instructions on how to use that interface to update DNS records in NameHero.

2. Use the Web File Manager

The cPanel web file manager enables you to interact with your server’s file system. That includes your WordPress site files and everything that powers the website aside from the database.

The web file manager can be a fine option for making quick uploads and small edits to files. To use it, navigate to the cPanel dashboard and look for the Files tools:

Click on File Manager and a new page will open. The file manager is easy to use even without advanced technical knowledge. It works similarly to the file system in operating systems such as Windows and macOS:

You can navigate between directories using the menu to the left or the file overview to the right of the screen. You can use this tool for WordPress site management and troubleshooting by editing core files, deactivating plugins and themes, and even cleaning up the media library.

3. Set Up Custom Email Accounts

cPanel includes tools for helping you set up and manage custom email accounts. In order to use these tools, you’ll also need to sign up for an email hosting plan through your provider and register an email domain.

NameHero offers email hosting plans for business websites. Plus, our hosting plans include email hosting, so you won’t need to sign up for another service.

With the right hosting plan, you can access a suite of email management tools from the cPanel dashboard. To create a new account, select the Email Accounts option from the dashboard:

On the next page, you’ll see a list of the email addresses you’ve already set up for the account. To create a new account, click on the +Create button:

cPanel will ask you to set an email username and password, and select which domain to use. Only the domains you manage using cPanel will appear as options.

Once the address is set up, you’ll be able to manage the email account using your favorite client. You can also stick with cPanel and use its webmail functionality to check emails from the dashboard.

4. Access the WordPress Database

All WordPress websites have a database. This stores critical information such as user data and the content you publish on the site.

While working on your WordPress site, you might need to access the database for troubleshooting purposes. This is easy to do if you have access to cPanel.

To access the WordPress database, go to Databases > phpMyAdmin:

phpMyAdmin will display a list of available databases to the left. Unless you’re running multiple WordPress websites (as we are), the list should only contain one entry:

Select the database for your WordPress site and phpMyAdmin will list the tables it contains. Using phpMyAdmin, you can add, edit, and even drop tables. The software also enables you to use Structured Query Language (SQL) queries.

As a rule of thumb, we recommend against making changes to the database without a recent site backup. You’ll also want to check the phpMyAdmin documentation to learn how to use the software safely.

5. Use the cPanel WP Toolkit

Considering how popular WordPress is, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that cPanel offers a suite of custom tools for the CMS.

So far, we’ve covered native cPanel features that you can use with WordPress installations. WP Toolkit is a full suite of tools designed specifically for WordPress management and built into cPanel.

You can access the WP Toolkit through the main cPanel navigation menu:

WP Toolkit is ideal if you manage multiple WordPress websites. It offers functionality similar to what you’d find in managed WordPress hosting, but through cPanel:

With WP Toolkit, you can install WordPress, manage plugins and themes, reset passwords, put the site into maintenance mode, take care of backups, and more.

You can check out the full list of WP Toolkit features through its cPanel documentation. However, keep in mind that not all cPanel installations offer it. This largely depends on your web hosts and it’s a feature that some of them choose to disable.

If you want access to WP Toolkit, you can start by looking for a managed WordPress account. Managed hosting plans tend to offer similar perks to WP Toolkit.

Plus, with a managed hosting plan (like the ones NameHero offers), you get access to WordPress experts who handle several important tasks for you, like updates and backups. This way, you won’t need to worry about site maintenance.

Conclusion

With most hosting plans, you’ll get access to cPanel. This is a hosting control panel that enables you to configure your hosting server and account. Many hosting providers offer cPanel access, including those that specialize in WordPress. However, cPanel is not unique to WordPress websites.

cPanel includes a lot of options for managing your site. For instance, you can:

1. Configure the WordPress DNS settings.
2. Use a web file manager.
3. Set up custom email accounts.
4. Access the WordPress database.
5. Use the cPanel WP Toolkit.

NameHero offers a cPanel for all users. With our cPanel accounts, you get access to all the tools mentioned above. To get started, check out our managed WordPress hosting plans!