The first time you open cPanel, the dashboard can feel like a wall of icons. The good news is that the Jupiter theme, the default look of modern cPanel, is organised into clear sections, and once you know what each one does, you can find any tool in seconds.
In this tour we go around the screen piece by piece, from the top bar to the last section at the bottom, so you know exactly where everything lives.
The layout at a glance
The Jupiter dashboard has four main areas:
- Top bar: the search box, notifications and your user menu.
- Left sidebar: quick links to the main dashboard (“Tools”) and any extra tools your host has added.
- Main area: groups of icons such as Email, Files and Databases.
- Right-hand panels: General Information and Statistics about your account.
Your host can hide tools, add its own icons or change the colours and logo, so your screen may not match ours exactly. The section names and the tools inside them, however, are almost always the same.
The top bar
Search Tools
The search box at the top is the fastest way around cPanel. Type a few letters, such as “email” or “php”, and matching tools appear instantly. Press Enter to open the first result.
Notifications
The bell icon shows alerts, such as an expiring SSL certificate or an account nearing its disk quota. It is worth a quick glance every time you log in.
User menu
Clicking your username at the top right opens a menu with:
- Password & Security: change your cPanel password.
- Change Language: switch the interface language if your host has enabled other languages.
- Contact Information: set the email address where cPanel sends alerts and password-reset codes.
- User Preferences: personal settings for your account.
- Reset Page Settings: restore the default layout if you have rearranged sections.
- Log out: end your session safely.
The left sidebar
The sidebar always has a Tools link that brings you back to the main dashboard. Depending on your host, you may also see links such as WP Toolkit for managing WordPress sites, Sitejet Builder for building a simple site with drag and drop, or Site Quality Monitoring. On a small screen the sidebar collapses into a menu icon.
General Information and Statistics
On the right (or at the bottom on a phone) you will find two very useful panels.
General Information shows your Current User (your cPanel username), Primary Domain, Shared IP Address, Home Directory (for example /home/username), the Last Login IP Address and a link to Server Information. Checking the last login IP is a simple way to spot logins you do not recognise.
Statistics shows how much of your plan you are using: disk usage, database disk usage, bandwidth, and counts of addon domains, subdomains, email accounts, FTP accounts and databases. On servers running CloudLinux you may also see CPU usage, entry processes, physical memory and I/O usage. Bars turn yellow or red as you approach a limit.
Every main section explained
Here is a quick reference before we look at each section in more detail.
| Section | What it is for | Most-used tools |
|---|---|---|
| Mailboxes and mail settings | Email Accounts, Forwarders, Email Deliverability | |
| Files | Website files and backups | File Manager, FTP Accounts, Backup |
| Databases | MySQL/MariaDB databases | MySQL Databases, phpMyAdmin |
| Domains | Domains, redirects, DNS | Domains, Redirects, Zone Editor |
| Metrics | Traffic and error reports | Visitors, Errors, Awstats |
| Security | Protection and SSL | SSL/TLS Status, Two-Factor Authentication |
| Software | PHP and apps | MultiPHP Manager, MultiPHP INI Editor |
| Advanced | Technical settings | Cron Jobs, Error Pages, Terminal |
| Preferences | Your account settings | Password & Security, User Manager |
Everything to do with mail on your domain. Email Accounts creates and manages mailboxes. Forwarders sends copies of mail to another address, and Autoresponders sends automatic replies, such as “out of office” messages. Default Address decides what happens to mail sent to addresses that do not exist. Track Delivery shows whether a message was delivered or rejected, and Email Deliverability checks your SPF and DKIM records. You will also find Email Filters, Global Email Filters, Spam Filters, Email Routing, Mailing Lists and Email Disk Usage.
Files
File Manager is the browser-based way to upload and edit your website files. Disk Usage shows which folders take up the most space. FTP Accounts creates logins for FTP programs, and Directory Privacy password-protects folders. Backup and Backup Wizard let you download or restore backups. You may also see Web Disk, Images and Git Version Control. Some hosts add a separate backup section, such as JetBackup, for restoring older copies.
Databases
MySQL Databases creates databases and users and links them together. The MySQL Database Wizard does the same in guided steps, which is ideal for beginners. phpMyAdmin lets you browse, import and export tables. Remote Database Access (called Remote MySQL on older versions) allows connections from another server.
Domains
The Domains tool lists your primary domain and lets you add new domains or subdomains and set their document root. In newer cPanel versions it replaces the older separate Addon Domains and Subdomains pages. Redirects sends visitors from one address to another. Zone Editor manages DNS records such as A, CNAME, MX and TXT when your domain uses the host’s nameservers. You may also see Site Publisher and Dynamic DNS.
Metrics
Reports about your traffic and server activity. Visitors shows recent hits, Errors shows the latest web server errors, Bandwidth shows data transfer, and Awstats gives visual traffic reports. Raw Access lets you download full access logs. On CloudLinux servers, Resource Usage tells you if your site has hit CPU or memory limits.
Security
SSL/TLS Status shows whether your domains have valid certificates (usually issued free through AutoSSL). Two-Factor Authentication adds a phone code to your login. IP Blocker blocks visitors by IP address, Hotlink Protection stops other sites from embedding your images, and ModSecurity is a web application firewall you can toggle per domain. SSH Access, SSL/TLS and Manage API Tokens are here for more advanced users.
Software
MultiPHP Manager sets the PHP version for each domain, and MultiPHP INI Editor changes settings such as upload_max_filesize and memory_limit. On CloudLinux servers you may see Select PHP Version instead. If your host includes an app installer like Softaculous, it usually appears here. Optimize Website turns on compression for faster pages.
Advanced
Cron Jobs schedules tasks to run automatically. Terminal gives command-line access if your host allows it. Error Pages customises pages like 404 Not Found, Indexes controls folder listings, and Track DNS runs lookups and traceroutes. You may also find Apache Handlers, MIME Types and Virus Scanner.
Preferences
This section repeats a few user-menu options, such as Password & Security, Change Language and Contact Information, and adds User Manager, where you can create sub-accounts with access only to email, FTP or Web Disk.
Tips for finding your way faster
- Use Search Tools instead of scrolling; it is the quickest route to any icon.
- Collapse sections you rarely use by clicking the section title, so the ones you need stay near the top.
- Drag sections into the order you prefer. If you make a mess, use Reset Page Settings.
- Bookmark tool pages you visit often, such as File Manager. Bookmarks still work after your session expires; you will simply be asked to log in again.
Tip: If a tool from a tutorial is missing, search for it first. If it does not show up, your host has probably disabled it for your plan, so ask support before assuming something is broken.
Frequently asked questions
Can I switch back to the old Paper Lantern theme?
Not on current versions. Paper Lantern was retired, and Jupiter is now the standard cPanel theme.
Why does my cPanel look different from screenshots online?
Hosts can change the logo, colours and available tools. The section names and tool names are usually the same, so use the search box to find what you need.
Where can I see my cPanel username?
In the General Information panel, next to Current User.
Can I hide sections I never use?
You can collapse them and reorder them. Fully removing tools is controlled by your host in WHM.
Conclusion
The Jupiter theme groups cPanel’s many tools into logical sections: Email, Files, Databases, Domains, Metrics, Security, Software, Advanced and Preferences. Keep an eye on the Statistics panel, use Search Tools to jump straight to what you need, and refer back to this tour whenever you are unsure where something lives. Within a few sessions, the dashboard will feel familiar.
