FTP accounts and connecting with FileZilla

cPanel & WHM··· 982 views· 3 min read

FTP is handy when you have many files to move, or when you prefer working from your computer instead of the File Manager in the browser.

Creating an FTP account

1 In cPanel, open FTP Accounts.
2 Choose a name and a strong password, and set the directory - this is the important part: the account only sees that folder and what's inside it.
3 Create. The full username is name@yourdomain.com.

Connecting with FileZilla

1 Download FileZilla (the free client) and open File → Site Manager → New Site.
2 Fill in the connection details:

•  Host: ftp.yourdomain.com
•  Port: 21
•  Protocol: FTP - File Transfer Protocol
•  Encryption: Use explicit FTP over TLS
•  User: the full account, name@yourdomain.com

3 Connect. Accept the certificate on the first connection.

Where to put the files

A website's files go inside public_html. Anything you upload outside that folder is not published on the web - which is exactly why files sometimes seem to "not appear" on the site.

Only need to move one file? The File Manager in cPanel does the same job without installing anything, and is faster for small jobs.
Connection refused or timing out? Set FileZilla to passive mode - it's under Site Manager, in the Transfer Settings tab. Office and corporate networks often block active mode. If it still fails, your IP may be blocked: see how to unblock your IP address.

FTP won't connect from your network? We'll check the block.

Open a support ticket

In our plans

  • FTP accounts are unlimited on every hosting plan, so a developer or agency can have an account of its own, limited to one folder, and you delete it when the job is done.
  • SFTP needs SSH on the account. To find out whether yours has it, look for Terminal or SSH Access in cPanel: if either appears, the account has SSH, and SFTP uses port 2299 instead of 21.
  • If neither appears, keep using FTP over TLS on port 21. If you need SSH, talk to us.

SEE ALSO

Creating databases and using phpMyAdmin

How to change your PHP version

How to install WordPress in a few clicks

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Going further with FileZilla

This article gets you connected. These two cover the program itself.

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