Last modified: November 6, 2024

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Overview

This document explains how to log in to cPanel, WHM, Webmail, and the Command Line Interface (CLI).

Log in

Select the cPanel & WHM product that you wish to log in to:

Service URLs

A cPanel & WHM service URL contains the following sections:

Section	Description	Example
Protocol	The protocol that your browser uses to communicate with a remote server. cPanel, WHM, and Webmail use the https protocol. This protocol provides HTTP over an encrypted connection. An encrypted SSL connection does not transmit your username and password in plain text.	https://
Address	The address consists of either an IP address or a domain name. This section of the URL specifies the remote server that you wish to access. When you use a domain name to access cPanel & WHM services, make certain that the domain’s domain name system (DNS) record has propagated across the DNS system. Note: If you cannot access the interface with your domain name, use your domain’s IP address. It may take up to 48-72 hours for your domain to propagate after you set up the DNS information.	example.com
Port number	The port number that the cPanel & WHM service uses. You must specify a port number to access a cPanel & WHM service. To specify a port number, enter a colon (:) and then the port number.	2083
Security token	The security token that the server appends to your session’s URL. Security tokens help to prevent unauthorized use of a website through Cross-Site Request Forgery (XSRF). Security tokens contain the string cpsess and a 10-digit number.	cpsess1234567890

For more information about cPanel, WHM, and Webmail connections, read our How to Configure Your Firewall for cPanel & WHM Services documentation.

External authentication

Your hosting provider may allow users to access cPanel or Webmail with external authentication credentials (for example, cPanelID, Google® Accounts, Facebook®, or your hosting provider’s portal). This reduces the number of passwords that you need to remember.

If you are a system administrator and wish to activate external authentication methods for your users, read our Manage External Authentications documentation.

Two-factor authentication (2FA)

Two-factor authentication (2FA) provides security through an additional login step. If you enable 2FA on an account, users must provide a generated six-digit security code in order to complete the login. For more information, read our Two-Factor Authentication for cPanel and Two-Factor Authentication for WHM documentation.

How to access cPanel

To access cPanel, you must first have or create a cPanel account. Then, enter the account’s IP address or domain and the 2083 port in your preferred browser. For example:

• https://198.51.100.1:2083 — Access cPanel over an encrypted connection with your IP address.
• https://example.com:2083 — Access cPanel over an encrypted connection with your domain name.

You can log in with one of the following methods:

Use your cPanel account

To log in with your cPanel account, perform the following steps:

1. Enter your cPanel username in the Username text box.
2. Enter your password in the Password text box. If you cannot remember your password, reset it or contact your hosting provider.
3. Click Log in. The cPanel Tools interface will appear.

If your account uses two-factor authentication (2FA), perform the following additional steps:

1. Open your preferred 2FA app in your smartphone to generate a six-digit security code.
2. Enter the provided six-digit security code.
3. Click Continue.

Use external authentication for cPanel

To log in with external authentication, perform the following steps:

1. Select the external authentication identity provider that you wish to use.
2. If you need to log in to the identity provider, the identity provider’s login interface will appear. Enter your authentication credentials.
   Note:

   If you own an account in the cPanel Store, the cPanel Tickets system, or the Manage2 billing system, use that username as your cPanelID. For more information, read our cPanelID documentation.

3. Authorize the provider to log in to the server, if needed.

The cPanel login interface appears and displays a message that confirms that you authenticated with the provider.

• If you already linked the identity provider to a single cPanel account, the interface automatically logs you in.
• If you already linked the provider to multiple cPanel accounts, a new interface appears. Select the desired cPanel account or click Link Another Account to link another cPanel account.
  Note:

  Use the add_authn_link UAPI function to add additional accounts. Once you add more than one account, you can link additional accounts in the login interface.

• If you need to link the identity provider to a cPanel account, you will see the following message:

  Your account is not associated with an existing "cPanel" account. Please log in to connect the account.

  Enter your username and password and log in to your account. This action links the external account to your cPanel account.

How to access WHM

To access WHM, enter the IP address or domain and the 2087 port in your preferred browser. For example:

• https://198.51.100.1:2087 — Access WHM over an encrypted connection with your IP address.
• https://example.com:2087 — Access WHM over an encrypted connection with your domain name.

You can log in with one of the following methods:

Use WHM account

To log in with your WHM account, perform the following steps:

1. Enter your WHM username in the Username text box.
2. Enter your password in the Password text box.
3. Click Log in. The WHM Home interface will appear.

If your account uses two-factor authentication (2FA), perform the following additional steps:

1. Open your preferred 2FA app in your smartphone to retrieve the six-digit security code.

2. Enter the six-digit security code that the app provides.

3. Click Continue.

Use external authentication for WHM

To log in with external authentication, perform the following steps:

1. Click the button that corresponds to your external authentication identity provider.
2. If you need to log in to the identity provider, the provider’s login interface will appear. Enter your authentication credentials.
   Note:

   If you own an account in the cPanel Store, the cPanel Tickets system, or the Manage2 billing system, use that username as your cPanelID. For more information, read our cPanelID documentation.

3. Authorize the provider to log in to the server, if needed.

The WHM login interface appears and displays a message that confirms that you authenticated with the provider.

• If you already linked the identity provider to a single WHM account, the interface automatically logs you in.

• If you already linked the provider to multiple WHM accounts, a new interface appears. Select the desired cPanel account or click Link Another Account to link another cPanel account.

  Note:

  Use the add_authn_link UAPI function to add additional accounts. Once you add more than one account, you can link additional accounts in the login interface.

• If you need to link the identity provider to a WHM account, you will see the following message:

  Your account is not associated with an existing "WHM" account. Please log in to connect the account.

  Enter your username and password and log in to your server. This action links the external provider to your WHM account.

Use the whmlogin script

The /usr/local/cpanel/scripts/whmlogin script generates a single-use session login URL for WHM. To access WHM with this script, perform the following steps:

1. Use SSH to access the server as the root user.
2. Run the /usr/local/cpanel/scripts/whmlogin script. The output will resemble the following example:

   https://198.51.100.1:2087/cpsess1234567890/login/?session=root%3aAqI0aGGAFWI_Mab_%3acreate_user_session%2c31cd420f0fd6aca696a2890f580f2f0a

3. Navigate to the provided URL in your preferred browser. The WHM Home interface will appear.

How to access Webmail

You can access Webmail directly through your browser or log in to Webmail through the cPanel interface.

Access Webmail directly

To access Webmail, enter the IP address or domain and the 2096 port in your preferred browser. For example:

• https://198.51.100.1:2096 — Access your Webmail over an encrypted connection with your IP address.
• https://example.com:2096 — Access your Webmail over an encrypted connection with your domain name.

You can log in with one of the following methods:

Use Webmail account

To log in with your Webmail account, perform the following steps:

1. Enter your username in the Username text box.
2. Enter your password in the Password text box.
3. Click Log in. The Webmail interface will appear.

Use external authentication for Webmail

To log in with external authentication, perform the following steps:

1. Click the button that corresponds to the external authentication identity provider that you wish to use.
2. If you need to log in to the identity provider, the provider’s login interface will appear. Enter your authentication credentials.
   Note:

   If you own an account in the cPanel Store, the cPanel Tickets system, or the Manage2 billing system, use that username as your cPanelID. For more information, read our cPanelID documentation.

3. Authorize the provider to log in to the server, if needed.

The Webmail login interface appears and displays a message that confirms that you authenticated with the provider.

• If you already linked the provider to a single Webmail account, the interface automatically logs you in.
• If you already linked the provider to multiple Webmail accounts, a new interface appears. Select the desired Webmail account or click Link Another Account to link another Webmail account.
  Note:

  Use the add_authn_link UAPI function to add additional accounts. Once you add more than one account, you can link additional accounts in the login interface.

• If you need to link the provider to a Webmail account, you will see the following message:

  Your account is not associated with an existing "Webmail" account. Please log in to connect the account.

  Enter your username and password and log in. This action links the external provider to your Webmail account.

Access Webmail from the cPanel interface

To access Webmail from the cPanel interface, perform the following steps:

1. Navigate to cPanel’s Email Accounts interface (cPanel » Home » Email » Email Accounts).
2. Click Check Email in the actions column in the row that corresponds to the email account that you wish to access Webmail. The Webmail interface will appear.

How to use SSH to log in to the command line

Many system administration tasks and some website administration tasks require that you access the server from the command line interface (CLI). For information about how to log in on the command line, read our How to Access the Command Line documentation.

Change the login interface locale

Changing the locale in the interface will change the default language the interface uses. To change the login interface’s locale, click the desired locale’s name at the bottom of the interface. If you do not see your locale, click ... to display a full list of available locales. After you select a new locale, the login interface will refresh using the new locale.