How to Access Your Web.Config

DNN > How To
How to Access the Web.config for Websites Hosted in Our Environment

Caution: Before making any modifications to your web.config make sure you create a viable backup of your site that can be restored should the edits create a problem. To back up your site, refer to Back Up Your Website Using Plesk.

In a default installation, your web.config file is located in the httpdocs folder. If file extensions are not listed, it may just appear as web. Visual Studio is the program we recommend using when modifying the web.config. However, if it is not installed on your local machine, you can use Notepad ++ or simply Notepad to make changes to the web.config file.

Options for Accessing Your Web.config
  • Use FTP to download, modify, then upload the file.
  • Use Plesk Control Panel to access and modify the file.
  • Use Remote Desktop to access the file (for Dedicated Server customers).
Use FTP to Download, Modify, and then Upload the Web.config File Back to the Server
  1. Open your FTP program on your local machine.
  2. Use FTP to access your site. See How to Use FTP for information on how to use your ftp account to access your files.
  3. Navigate to the httpdocs folder.
    • Web.config in FileZilla
  4. Select the web.config file and drag it to your local machine. 
  5. Make a copy, then modify the file as needed to resolve the issue you are working through.
  6. To send the updated file back to your server, drag the modified version to the httpdocs folder.
If you are unsure of which version of Plesk you are running refer to How to Determine Which Version of Plesk Control Panel is Installed on a Server.
 
 
Use Plesk 12.x and Onyx to Access and Modify the Web.Config File
  1. Log into your Control Panel.
  2. In the Subscriptions tab, click on your domain. 
  3. Click on Websites and Domains tab and click Show More at the bottom of the page.
  4. Click the icon for File Manager.
  5. Click on the httpdocs directory on the left 
  6. Click on your web.config. 
  7. To edit your web.config, click Edit in Text Editor or Edit in Code Editor.
  8. When you have finished editing it, click on Save to save your changes and recycle the application pool.
Use Remote Desktop to Access and Modify the Web.config File on Your Dedicated Server
  1. Log into your Dedicated Server using Remote Desktop.
  2. Click on Start > Computer > double click on Local Disk (C:)
  3. Double click on inetpub. Double click on vhosts. Double click on the domain of which the web.config needs to be accessed.
  4. Double click on httpdocs. Right click on the web.config (or simply web if file extensions are hidden) and choose Copy. 
  5. Paste a copy of the web.config in the Private folder of the domain or on the Desktop in case the changes you make need to be reverted.
  6. Double click on web.config in httpdocs and make the necessary modifications to the file.
 
Article ID: 636, , Modified: January 28, 2020 at 10:40 AM

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