diff --git a/lib/Froxlor/Api/Commands/Domains.php b/lib/Froxlor/Api/Commands/Domains.php
index a65c29a6..a0e5efde 100644
--- a/lib/Froxlor/Api/Commands/Domains.php
+++ b/lib/Froxlor/Api/Commands/Domains.php
@@ -595,12 +595,20 @@ class Domains extends ApiCommand implements ResourceEntity
 					$ssl_redirect = 2;
 				}
 
-				if (!preg_match('/^https?\:\/\//', $documentroot)) {
-					if (strstr($documentroot, ":") !== false) {
+				// Check if given documentroot is either a valid URL or a valid path
+				if (preg_match('/^https?\:\/\//', $documentroot)) {
+					$encoded = $idna_convert->encode($documentroot);
+					if (!Validate::validateUrl($encoded, true)) {
+						Response::standardError('invaliddocumentrooturl', '', true);
+					}
+					$documentroot = $encoded;
+				} else {
+					if (strpos($documentroot, ':') !== false) {
 						Response::standardError('pathmaynotcontaincolon', '', true);
 					} else {
 						$documentroot = FileDir::makeCorrectDir($documentroot);
 					}
+					$documentroot = FileDir::makeCorrectDir($documentroot);
 				}
 
 				$domain_check_stmt = Database::prepare("
@@ -1414,8 +1422,18 @@ class Domains extends ApiCommand implements ResourceEntity
 				}
 			}
 
-			if (!preg_match('/^https?\:\/\//', $documentroot) && strstr($documentroot, ":") !== false) {
-				Response::standardError('pathmaynotcontaincolon', '', true);
+			$idna_convert = new IdnaWrapper();
+			if (preg_match('/^https?\:\/\//', $documentroot)) {
+				$encoded = $idna_convert->encode($documentroot);
+				if (!Validate::validateUrl($encoded, true)) {
+					Response::standardError('invaliddocumentrooturl', '', true);
+				}
+				$documentroot = $encoded;
+			} else {
+				if (strpos($documentroot, ':') !== false) {
+					Response::standardError('pathmaynotcontaincolon', '', true);
+				}
+				$documentroot = FileDir::makeCorrectDir($documentroot);
 			}
 
 			if ($this->getUserDetail('change_serversettings') == '1') {
@@ -2099,7 +2117,6 @@ class Domains extends ApiCommand implements ResourceEntity
 				}
 			}
 
-			$idna_convert = new IdnaWrapper();
 			$this->logger()->logAction(FroxlorLogger::ADM_ACTION, LOG_WARNING, "[API] updated domain '" . $idna_convert->decode($result['domain']) . "'");
 			$result = $this->apiCall('Domains.get', [
 				'domainname' => $result['domain']
diff --git a/lib/Froxlor/Api/Commands/SubDomains.php b/lib/Froxlor/Api/Commands/SubDomains.php
index 76342d2a..518085fb 100644
--- a/lib/Froxlor/Api/Commands/SubDomains.php
+++ b/lib/Froxlor/Api/Commands/SubDomains.php
@@ -549,32 +549,33 @@ class SubDomains extends ApiCommand implements ResourceEntity
 	 */
 	private function validateDomainDocumentRoot($path = null, $url = null, $customer = null, $completedomain = null, &$_doredirect = false)
 	{
-		// check whether an URL was specified
 		$_doredirect = false;
-		if (!empty($url) && Validate::validateUrl($url, true)) {
-			$path = $url;
+		$idna = new IdnaWrapper();
+
+		// url mode: either $url or $path begins with http:// or https://
+		$maybeUrl = !empty($url) ? $url : (preg_match('/^https?\:\/\//', $path) ? $path : '');
+		if ($maybeUrl !== '') {
+			$encoded = $idna->encode($maybeUrl);
+			if (!Validate::validateUrl($encoded, true)) {
+				Response::standardError('invaliddocumentrooturl', '', true);
+			}
 			$_doredirect = true;
-		} else {
-			$path = Validate::validate($path, 'path', '', '', [], true);
+			return $encoded;
 		}
 
-		// check whether path is a real path
-		if (!preg_match('/^https?\:\/\//', $path) || !Validate::validateUrl($path, true)) {
-			if (strstr($path, ":") !== false) {
-				Response::standardError('pathmaynotcontaincolon', '', true);
-			}
-			// If path is empty or '/' and 'Use domain name as default value for DocumentRoot path' is enabled in settings,
-			// set default path to subdomain or domain name
-			if ((($path == '') || ($path == '/')) && Settings::Get('system.documentroot_use_default_value') == 1) {
-				$path = FileDir::makeCorrectDir($customer['documentroot'] . '/' . $completedomain, $customer['documentroot']);
-			} else {
-				$path = FileDir::makeCorrectDir($customer['documentroot'] . '/' . $path, $customer['documentroot']);
-			}
-		} else {
-			// no it's not, create a redirect
-			$_doredirect = true;
+		// path mode: regular directory path
+		$path = Validate::validate($path, 'path', Validate::REGEX_DIR, '', [], true);
+
+		// default path if empty and setting active
+		if (($path === '' || $path === '/') && Settings::Get('system.documentroot_use_default_value') == 1) {
+			return FileDir::makeCorrectDir($customer['documentroot'] . '/' . $completedomain, $customer['documentroot']);
 		}
-		return $path;
+		// check if path does not contain a colon
+		if (strpos($path, ':') !== false) {
+			Response::standardError('pathmaynotcontaincolon', '', true);
+		}
+
+		return FileDir::makeCorrectDir($customer['documentroot'] . '/' . $path, $customer['documentroot']);
 	}
 
 	/**
diff --git a/lng/de.lng.php b/lng/de.lng.php
index d1bc4f98..55306156 100644
--- a/lng/de.lng.php
+++ b/lng/de.lng.php
@@ -878,6 +878,7 @@ return [
 		'plausibilitychecknotunderstood' => 'Die Antwort des Plausibilitätschecks wurde nicht verstanden',
 		'errorwhensaving' => 'Bei dem Speichern des Feldes "%s" trat ein Fehler auf',
 		'pathmaynotcontaincolon' => 'Der eingegebene Pfad sollte keinen Doppelpunkt (":") enthalten. Bitte geben Sie einen korrekten Wert für den Pfad ein.',
+		'invaliddocumentrooturl' => 'Die URL, die Sie für den Pfad eingegeben haben, ist ungültig. Bitte geben Sie eine korrekte URL oder einen Unix-Pfad ein.',
 		'notrequiredpasswordcomplexity' => 'Die vorgegebene Passwort-Komplexität wurde nicht erfüllt.<br />Bitte kontaktieren Sie Ihren Administrator, wenn Sie Fragen zur Komplexitäts-Vorgabe haben.',
 		'stringerrordocumentnotvalidforlighty' => 'Ein Text als Fehlerdokument funktioniert leider in LigHTTPd nicht, bitte geben Sie einen Pfad zu einer Datei an',
 		'urlerrordocumentnotvalidforlighty' => 'Eine URL als Fehlerdokument funktioniert leider in LigHTTPd nicht, bitte geben Sie einen Pfad zu einer Datei an',
diff --git a/lng/en.lng.php b/lng/en.lng.php
index 96513d0f..e79abef9 100644
--- a/lng/en.lng.php
+++ b/lng/en.lng.php
@@ -951,6 +951,7 @@ return [
 		'notrequiredpasswordlength' => 'The given password is too short. Please enter at least %s characters.',
 		'overviewsettingoptionisnotavalidfield' => 'Whoops, a field that should be displayed as an option in the settings-overview is not an excepted type. You can blame the developers for this. This should not happen!',
 		'pathmaynotcontaincolon' => 'The path you have entered should not contain a colon (":"). Please enter a correct path value.',
+		'invaliddocumentrooturl' => 'The URL you have entered for the documentroot is not valid. Please enter a correct URL or a unix-path.',
 		'exception' => '%s',
 		'notrequiredpasswordcomplexity' => 'The specified password-complexity was not satisfied.<br />Please contact your administrator if you have any questions about the complexity-specification',
 		'stringerrordocumentnotvalidforlighty' => 'A string as ErrorDocument does not work in lighttpd, please specify a path to a file',