Fix a WordPress site that moved to a new vhost directory by checking two separate layers: first, make sure the active Apache or Nginx virtual host and PHP handler use the new document root; second, give the account that actually runs PHP read and traversal access to the tree, with write access only to directories WordPress must modify. A filesystem move alone proves neither condition.
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Why a moved site can load but fail to install plugins or upload media
WordPress can display pages while administrative writes fail because reading and writing are separate operations. The web server may still be serving an old directory, or PHP may be executing with an account that cannot traverse the new path. Existing PHP files and media can therefore load even though an upload, plugin installation, theme update or automatic update returns a permissions error.
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Unix permissions also apply to every parent directory. The PHP account needs execute (traverse) permission on each directory from the filesystem root to the WordPress directory, read permission for files it must load, and write permission only on paths that WordPress is expected to change. The correct owner and group vary by host; www-data is common on some Linux distributions but is not universal.
Safe repair workflow
- Back up the WordPress directory, uploads and other site files, plugins, and the database before changing ownership, modes or server configuration.
- Verify the active virtual-host configuration and PHP path mapping.
- Identify the account that actually runs PHP or the web server.
- Inspect every parent directory, the moved document root,
wp-content, uploads and any ACL or mandatory-access-control rules. - Apply a least-privilege ownership and mode scheme.
- Grant narrowly scoped write access to required WordPress paths.
- Handle
.htaccessonly when an Apache workflow needs WordPress to edit it. - Review WordPress mode constants, test normal operations and remove temporary migration settings.
1. Back up before touching permissions
Create a restorable copy before running recursive chown or chmod commands. WordPress’s migration guidance calls for backups of the WordPress directory, images and uploads, plugins and other files, plus the database. Keep the backup outside the directory being repaired and verify that it can be read.
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A permissions change can make both the web process and your deployment account unable to work. A backup lets you reverse an ownership mistake, restore a missing configuration file or recover from an accidental recursive command.
2. Confirm that the active vhost uses the new directory
Do this before changing modes. A stale path can imitate a permissions problem because Apache, Nginx or PHP-FPM may still reference the old tree.
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Inspect the enabled virtual host and confirm that its DocumentRoot points to the moved directory. Also check any PHP-FPM proxy or handler definition for a stale socket or path. On systems that provide it, the virtual-host listing command can show which configuration is active:
apachectl -SThen inspect the enabled site configuration for the new root and PHP handler. The exact enabled-sites location differs by distribution, so use the path reported by your host’s Apache configuration.
Nginx checks
Confirm the active server block’s root directive and its PHP location block. The fastcgi_pass socket or upstream must be the intended PHP-FPM pool, and fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME must resolve to the new root rather than the old one. A typical diagnostic is:
nginx -TReview the rendered configuration, not only an unenabled file in a sites-available directory. Nginx does not use .htaccess for rewrites; rewrite rules belong in the server configuration.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsCheck the effective document root from the application
Compare the configured root with the directory containing the WordPress files that are actually being served. If the front end shows an old theme, old media or an old plugin version, stop and correct the vhost or PHP path mapping before changing permissions.
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3. Identify the account that runs PHP
Do not assume the service account is www-data. Depending on the host, PHP-FPM can run as a per-site user, Apache can use a different account, and containers can map a numeric user ID that has no familiar name on the host.
Inspect the running processes and the PHP-FPM pool configuration. A process listing can provide a lead:
ps -eo user,group,comm | grep -E 'php-fpm|apache2|httpd|nginx'Confirm the result against the pool’s user and group settings or the hosting provider’s documented execution model. The account that serves static files is not always the account that executes PHP. On managed hosting, ask the provider which user and group should own code and which paths are supported for WordPress writes before changing server configuration.
4. Inspect the complete path, not just the WordPress files
Use a path inspection tool to display permissions on every component:
namei -l /var/www/example.com/publicReplace the example path with the actual document root. Every parent directory needs execute permission for the relevant user or group. A directory mode that looks correct at the final level cannot compensate for a parent directory that blocks traversal.
Inspect the moved tree and its important subdirectories:
stat -c '%A %U:%G %n' /var/www/example.com/public /var/www/example.com/public/wp-content /var/www/example.com/public/wp-content/uploadsAlso check for access-control lists when ordinary owner, group and other bits look correct:
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getfacl -p /var/www/example.com/public/wp-content/uploadsOn hosts using SELinux, AppArmor or another isolation layer, a Unix-mode change may not be sufficient. Check the host’s policy and audit logs rather than disabling the security control as a shortcut.
5. Apply a least-privilege baseline
WordPress hardening guidance describes directory mode 755 as a typical baseline and generally limits regular files to 644. Those values allow the site account to maintain the code while the PHP process can read and traverse it. They are a starting point, not a universal rule: the owner, group and required write paths depend on the execution model.
Choose ownership before running recursive commands
A safer arrangement for many single-site Linux deployments is:
- A site-maintainer or deployment account owns the code.
- The PHP/web-server account can read and traverse the code.
- Only WordPress-writable directories receive write access for the PHP account.
- Administrators use SFTP, SSH or a documented deployment process instead of making the entire tree writable.
If the actual maintainer is siteadmin and the verified PHP group is phpgroup, a pattern such as this may be appropriate:
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find /var/www/example.com/public -type d -exec chmod 755 {} ;
find /var/www/example.com/public -type f -exec chmod 644 {} ;Those account and path names are examples. Substitute the accounts confirmed on this server; never copy a distribution-specific ownership command blindly. A recursive ownership change can remove a deployment user’s access or give the web process control of code that should remain administrator-owned.
Give WordPress write access only where it needs it
Media uploads normally belong under wp-content/uploads. Plugin and theme installation or automatic updates may require WordPress to write in parts of wp-content, depending on the site’s update method and filesystem credentials. Prefer group permissions or an ACL over making the whole document root writable.
For a verified shared group, one possible pattern is:
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chgrp -R phpgroup /var/www/example.com/public/wp-content/uploads
find /var/www/example.com/public/wp-content/uploads -type d -exec chmod 775 {} ;
find /var/www/example.com/public/wp-content/uploads -type f -exec chmod 664 {} ;Use this only when the PHP account is genuinely a member of phpgroup and the site’s security policy permits group writes. An ACL can grant the PHP account access without changing the primary owner:
setfacl -R -m u:phpuser:rwX /var/www/example.com/public/wp-content/uploads
setfacl -R -d -m u:phpuser:rwX /var/www/example.com/public/wp-content/uploadsReplace phpuser with the verified account and confirm that ACLs are supported and preserved by the host. If the provider supplies a repair tool or a prescribed ownership scheme, use that instead of inventing one.
Why chmod 777 is not a fix
Mode 777 gives every local user and the web process read, write and execute access. WordPress warns that world-writable files increase the damage a compromised web process or another local account can cause. It can make a symptom disappear while hiding the real owner, group, vhost or security-policy error. Treat it as an insecure diagnostic shortcut, not a durable repair; revert it and implement the narrowest permissions that pass the required test.
6. Handle .htaccess only for Apache
Apache installations using WordPress’s permalink rules may need WordPress to create or update .htaccess. Grant write access to that file only when the Apache configuration and the site’s normal workflow require it. Keep the rest of the code non-writable by PHP where possible.
Nginx does not read .htaccess. If an Nginx site has rewrite or front-controller problems after the move, correct the server block instead of changing the mode of an unused file.
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7. Review WordPress’s file-mode settings
FS_CHMOD_DIR and FS_CHMOD_FILE in wp-config.php can override the defaults WordPress uses for newly created directories and files. If new uploads or plugin files consistently receive unexpected modes, inspect these constants and compare them with the host’s required policy.
Change them only with a specific reason. A constant cannot grant access that the filesystem denies, and it cannot repair a stale vhost path or a missing parent-directory execute bit.
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8. Test the repair in the order users experience it
- Load the public front end and confirm that it is serving the moved installation, not a cached or old tree.
- Open
/wp-adminand check for PHP or filesystem errors. - Upload one small test image, then verify that the file appears in the expected year/month uploads directory and can be served.
- Perform a controlled plugin or theme update if that operation is part of the site’s normal workflow. Use a maintenance window and a backup.
- Review the Apache, Nginx and PHP-FPM error logs if any step fails. The exact log location is host-dependent.
- Check the site’s WordPress and home URLs after the move, including HTTPS and any changed path or domain.
- Remove temporary migration settings and credentials used during the move.
WordPress specifically warns that leaving the RELOCATE constant in wp-config.php is insecure. If it was added during migration, remove it after the correct URLs are saved and the site works.
Choose the repair method for the server’s execution model
| Execution model | Typical code owner | Where PHP writes | Preferred adjustment | Main caution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shared hosting | Provider-defined account | Provider-defined content paths | Use the host’s file manager, repair utility or support instructions | Do not assume service names or change server configuration you do not control |
| Per-site PHP-FPM pool | Deployment or site-maintainer user | Usually wp-content paths required by the site’s update workflow |
Verified group permissions or ACLs for those paths | Confirm the pool’s actual user and group before chown |
| Single system user running both deployment and PHP | The same site user | As required by WordPress | Keep directories and files at least privilege; avoid broad world write | A compromised PHP process may have control of all code owned by that user |
| Containerized deployment | Host or container numeric UID/GID | Mounted volume paths | Align UID/GID and mount permissions with the container image and deployment process | A name such as www-data on the host may not represent the container user |
| Security-controlled host | Host-specific | Mode bits plus ACL or policy labels | Use documented ACL, SELinux, AppArmor or isolation rules | Do not disable mandatory controls to mask an ownership problem |
Troubleshoot by symptom
The site shows an old version after the move
Check the active Apache DocumentRoot or Nginx root, PHP-FPM’s SCRIPT_FILENAME mapping and caches. This is primarily a path-selection problem, not a permission problem.
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Verify the PHP account, parent-directory traversal and write access to wp-content/uploads. Inspect ACLs and host security logs if the owner/group and mode bits appear correct.
Plugin installation asks for FTP credentials
WordPress cannot write through its preferred filesystem method. Confirm that the PHP account has the intended access to the relevant wp-content paths and that FS_CHMOD_DIR or FS_CHMOD_FILE is not producing unusable modes. Do not solve this by making the whole tree 777.
New files have the wrong permissions
Review the two FS_CHMOD_* constants, the process umask and any default ACL on the destination directory. Correct the source of the mode rather than repeatedly changing individual files.
Apache permalinks fail after the move
Check whether Apache can read the intended .htaccess and whether the directory allows traversal. If WordPress must update the file, grant only the required write access. For Nginx, configure rewrites in the server block instead.
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Changing Unix modes has no effect
Recheck the active vhost and PHP-FPM pool, then inspect ACLs and SELinux, AppArmor or hosting-isolation rules. A stale path or mandatory policy can override an apparently correct mode-bit repair.
When to stop and contact the host
Managed-hosting customers should use provider documentation or support when they cannot identify the PHP account, do not control the vhost, or are unsure how the provider implements isolation. WordPress notes that permission requirements differ from host to host. Ask the provider for the supported document root, PHP-FPM user/group, writable WordPress paths and any required ACL or security-label procedure.
Escalate rather than guessing if a recursive ownership command would affect multiple sites, if the directory is a shared mount, if the server uses containers, or if changing permissions could violate the provider’s security model.
Quick Recap
Final security checklist
- The active vhost and PHP path mapping reference the new directory.
- The verified PHP account can traverse parent directories and read the WordPress code.
- Directories use a host-approved baseline such as
755and files such as644, with documented exceptions. - Only required content paths are writable by PHP.
- No production path relies on
chmod 777. - Apache-only
.htaccesswrite access is limited and Nginx rewrites are configured in Nginx. FS_CHMOD_DIRandFS_CHMOD_FILEmatch the intended policy.- Uploads and a controlled update have been tested, logs reviewed and URLs confirmed.
- The insecure
RELOCATEconstant and other temporary migration settings have been removed. - A verified backup exists before and after the repair.
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