Open and use the cPanel built-in terminal

The cPanel terminal lets you run commands on your account from the browser. It is useful for a quick check or a one-off task without setting up an SSH client on your computer. It uses the hosting user's permissions, not those of a server administrator.

Open the terminal

1. Check that you have SSH access enabled on that account.
2. Log in to cPanel and look for Terminal, among the advanced tools.
3. Read the access warning and open the console.
4. Check where you are before running a task:

pwd
ls

pwd shows the current directory and ls lists its contents. Neither command changes any files. For PHP or Git tasks, also check php -v or git --version.

Run a task

Follow the application's guide and replace the names and paths in the examples with your account's. If a command moves, overwrites or deletes data, check the path and keep the backup you need before running it.

The terminal has no general recycle bin or universal undo button. Paste commands one at a time when you need to check the result of each step, and avoid running blocks that do not match your environment.

If it does not appear or does not connect

Enable SSH, log out of cPanel and log in again. If the option is still missing, check with support that it is enabled for that account. A browser extension, proxy or network restriction can interfere with the web terminal's connection; try another session or use an SSH client.

To leave, use exit. Do not rely on closing the tab to cancel a task or to keep it running: if the job is long, use the run and tracking mechanism the application provides and check its status before repeating it.