Inodes limit on hosting: how to check and reduce file count in Plesk

Inodes are a limit on the number of files and folders in your hosting account. This is different from disk space (GB). For example, thousands of small cache files or emails can hit the inode limit even when you still have free disk space.

When the inode limit is reached, you may see problems like:

• uploads fail (WordPress media, plugins, backups)
• new emails cannot be delivered (if mail is stored on the hosting account)
• errors when creating files (sessions, cache, logs)

Step 1: Check inode usage in Plesk

1. Log in to Plesk from My.GARMTECH.
2. In Plesk, open Statistics (or Dashboard depending on your view).
3. Find Inodes (used/limit). If it is close to 100%, clean up files before you hit the limit.

Step 2: Find what generates most files

Common inode “hotspots” on web hosting:

• WordPress cache (page cache, object cache, minified CSS/JS)
• Backup archives stored in your account
• Uploads (many small images, thumbnails)
• Temporary folders (tmp, session files)
• Mailboxes (each email message is stored as a separate file)

Step 3: Reduce inode usage safely

1. Clear application caches
   • WordPress: purge LiteSpeed Cache and remove old cache files.
   • Other CMS: clear cache directories (without deleting core files).
2. Delete old backups
   • Remove outdated ZIP archives and backups stored in httpdocs or in your home directory.
   • Keep only the most recent backups you actually need.
3. Clean up unused plugins/themes (WordPress)
   • Delete plugins/themes you no longer use (not just “deactivate”).
4. Review mailboxes (if email is stored on hosting)
   • Empty Spam/Junk and Trash folders.
   • Archive old mail locally if you keep years of email history on the server.
5. Remove staging copies / old site copies
   • Extra copies of WordPress (staging, backups in folders) often double inode usage.

Important: Do not delete system folders unless you know what they are. If you are unsure, start with caches and old backups.

Step 4: Prevent the issue from returning

• Keep only one cache plugin and configure automatic cache cleanup.
• Store backups off-server (Cloud Storage, your PC, or another storage location).
• Keep mailboxes tidy and use IMAP archiving if needed.