DirectAdmin allows you to monitor how much disk space your hosting account is using.
This guide explains how to check your disk usage and identify what is using storage space on your hosting account.
Why Disk Usage Matters
Your hosting account includes a certain amount of storage space.
Disk usage may increase because of:
- website files
- email accounts
- backups
- images
- databases
- log files
- WordPress installations
Monitoring storage usage helps prevent:
- website problems
- email delivery failures
- backup issues
- account limitations
Before You Start
Before checking disk usage, make sure:
- You can log into DirectAdmin
- Your hosting account is active
If you have not logged in yet, please see:
- How to Log Into DirectAdmin
How to Check Disk Usage
Step 1 — Log Into DirectAdmin
Open your browser and visit: https://cp.yourdomain.co.za (Replace yourdomain.co.za with your own domain name)
Enter your hosting username and password.
Step 2 — View Account Statistics
After logging in, DirectAdmin normally displays account statistics on the dashboard.
This may include:
- Disk Usage
- Bandwidth Usage
- Email Usage
- Database Usage
Step 3 — Open System Information
Depending on your DirectAdmin version:
Click: System Info & Files
Click: User Statistics
Here you will see a global view of your usage on your account.
To see a more detailed view of disk usage
Click: Disk Usage on the top breadcrumb menu. Use Expand to see which folders, etc are using the disk storage.
You may then see more detailed storage information.
Common Causes of High Disk Usage
Email Accounts
Large mailboxes are one of the most common causes of high storage usage.
Check for:
- large attachments
- old email
- spam folders
- sent mail
- IMAP Mailboxes. These are a large user of diskspace as they effectively store all your emails from your PC on the server. This becomes the central mailbox for all mail. Some issues seen with IMAP Mailboxes on PCS is storage keeps growing, the bigger the mailbox the longer the email sync times each send and receive, corrupt indexing, requiring removal and re-addition of mailboxes.
Suggested setup :
PCs / Laptops: Set these to use POP accounts with the leave a copy on the server enabled and set to 14 days. This allows phone, tabs etc checking mail via IMAP to see the last 14 days mail. this can be set to longer, but keep storage use in mind.
Phones / Tabs: Set these to use imap, this is the default mail account type when adding mail accounts to these devices.
Outcome, the PC keeps a local copy of the mails in a PST file, which can be backed up and stored for safety. Email checking is fast. Online mailbox is maintained automatically, not requiring large mailboxes online.Phones and tabs can see the last 14 days mails and never have to cleanup online mailboxes manually again. No additional Storage costs. No more slow mail checking.
Website Backups
Old backup files can use large amounts of storage space.
Examples include:
.zip
.tar.gz
Wordpress backups in wordpress manager, etc.
backup archives.
WordPress Installations
WordPress websites may grow over time because of:
- images
- plugins
- themes
- cache files
- backups
Log Files
Error logs and access logs may become large over time.
Unused Website Files
Old:
- test websites
- temporary files
- unused themes/plugins
can increase disk usage unnecessarily.
How to Reduce Disk Usage
Remove Old Backups
Download important backups to your computer and remove old copies from hosting where possible.
Clean Email Accounts
Delete:
- old messages
- spam
- large attachments
especially from:
- Junk folders
- Trash folders
- Sent Items
Convert IMAP Accounts to POP accounts on PCs/Laptops.
Remove Unused WordPress Plugins and Themes
Unused plugins and themes can:
- use storage space
- create security risks
Clear Cache Files
Some caching plugins generate very large cache folders over time.
Helpful Tips
Monitor Disk Usage Regularly
Checking storage regularly helps avoid account issues later.
Keep Websites Organized
Remove:
- unused files
- test websites
- old installations
when no longer needed.
Store Large Backups Offsite
We recommend storing backups:
- locally
- externally
- in cloud storage
instead of permanently on hosting accounts.
Troubleshooting
Hosting Account Full
If your hosting account reaches its storage limit:
- websites may stop updating
- email may stop receiving
- backups may fail
Remove unnecessary files or contact HostworX support.
Email Cannot Receive Messages
Full mailboxes are a common cause of email delivery problems.
Clear storage space if necessary.
Website Uploads Fail
Large uploads may fail if:
- disk space is exhausted
- quotas are exceeded
Backup Creation Failed
Backups require free disk space to generate successfully.
Security Tips
- Remove unused files regularly
- Delete old backups safely
- Keep WordPress updated
- Monitor website growth
- Keep hosting passwords secure
