Managing disk space is essential to make the most of your hosting. In this guide, you will learn how to view and manage your disk space usage in DirectAdmin.

Viewing Disk Space

Via the Dashboard

  1. Log in to DirectAdmin
  2. On the main dashboard, you will immediately see your disk space usage
  3. A bar shows how much space you are using and how much is available

Detailed Overview

  1. Go to Disk Usage or Schijfgebruik
  2. You will see an overview per folder and file type
  3. The largest folders are shown first

What Counts Towards Disk Space?

Your disk space quota includes:

  • Website files - HTML, PHP, images, uploads
  • Databases - MySQL databases and tables
  • Email - All email messages in your mailboxes
  • Logs - Access logs and error logs
  • Backups - Local backups on the server

Common Space Hogs

Type Location Typical Size
WordPress uploads /wp-content/uploads/ Images, PDFs
Database MySQL Posts, products, logs
Email Mailboxes Attachments, old mail
Logs /logs/ Access and error logs
Backups /backups/ Full site backups
Cache /cache/ or /wp-content/cache/ Temporary files

Freeing Up Space

1. Deleting Old Emails

Email with large attachments is often the culprit:

  1. Log in to webmail
  2. Sort by size
  3. Delete emails with large attachments
  4. Empty the trash

2. Deleting Unused Files

  1. Go to File Manager
  2. Navigate to /public_html/
  3. Look for:
    • Old backup files (.zip, .tar.gz)
    • Unused themes and plugins
    • Test files and folders
  4. Delete what you no longer need

3. Cleaning Up WordPress

For WordPress websites:

  1. Delete unused themes (Appearance > Themes)
  2. Delete inactive plugins (Plugins > Installed Plugins)
  3. Empty the trash (Posts > Trash)
  4. Delete old revisions of posts
  5. Optimize images with a plugin like Smush

4. Optimizing the Database

  1. Go to phpMyAdmin in DirectAdmin
  2. Select your database
  3. Select all tables
  4. Choose Optimize table from the dropdown menu

This clears fragmented space and can reduce your database size.

5. Cleaning Up Logs

Access and error logs can grow large:

  1. Go to File Manager
  2. Navigate to /domains/jouwsite.nl/logs/
  3. Download the logs if needed for analysis
  4. Delete or empty old log files

Tip: Ask support to set up automatic log rotation.

6. Clearing Cache

Caching plugins store temporary files:

  1. Clear the cache via your caching plugin (W3 Total Cache, WP Super Cache, etc.)
  2. Manually delete files in /wp-content/cache/ if necessary

Increasing Quota

If you consistently need more space:

  1. Check what hosting package you have
  2. Consider upgrading to a larger package
  3. Contact sales for options

Warnings When Disk is Full

DirectAdmin sends warnings when you:

  • Reach 80% of your quota (yellow warning)
  • Reach 90% of your quota (orange warning)
  • Reach 100% (red warning - action required)

Consequences of a Full Disk

If your disk space is full:

  • New emails are rejected
  • Website cannot upload files
  • Database cannot write new data
  • Backups fail

Monitoring Tips

  1. Check monthly: Regularly review your disk usage
  2. Set alerts: Configure email alerts for quota warnings
  3. Automate cleanup: Use cron jobs for automatic log rotation
  4. Monitor growth: Keep track of how quickly your space is growing

Disk Space per Domain

If you have multiple domains:

  1. Go to Domain Usage or check per domain
  2. See which domain uses the most space
  3. Focus cleanup on the largest consumer

Best Practices

  1. Optimize images before uploading them
  2. Use external storage for large files (CDN, cloud storage)
  3. Limit email attachments - send links instead of large files
  4. Archive old data - move old content to external storage
  5. Regularly store backups externally and delete local copies

Need Help?

We are here for you! Are you facing any issues or have questions? Our support team is happy to assist you personally. Send us a message via the ticket system - we usually respond within a few hours and are happy to help.