FTP accounts and connecting with FileZilla

cPanel & WHM··· 985 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

Need hosting? See the plans.

WEB HOSTING

Looking for hosting that stays out of your way?

cPanel, a free SSL certificate, backups every night before dawn kept for a year, and support that answers in your language.

See hosting plans

Free migration of your current site · no lock-in

Going further with FileZilla

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

RECOMMENDED PRODUCT

Web hosting with cPanel

Domain and SSL included, daily backups and the panel you already know. from $6.60/mo (3-year plan, with coupon)

See plans
Was this answer helpful? Your answer helps us improve this article.

Related Articles

cPanel & WHM 13,744 How to access cPanel Control Panel? cPanel is the control panel where you manage everything in your hosting account - files, e-mail accounts, databases, bac...
cPanel & WHM 1,992 How to create an e-mail account in cPanel? Creating a professional e-mail address on your own domain - such as info@yourdomain.com - takes less than a minute in cP...
cPanel & WHM 2,431 How to change your cPanel password There are two ways to change your cPanel password, and the difference is simple: one needs the current one, the other do...
cPanel & WHM 1,647 What can you do in cPanel? cPanel is the control panel included with your hosting plan. Everything about your site - files, e-mail, databases, doma...
cPanel & WHM 1,597 Your cPanel access details To log in to cPanel you need three things: the address, your username and your password. This page explains what each on...
cPanel & WHM 998 Common FTP errors: 530, timeouts and files that never show up FTP is simple until the day it will not connect. These are the errors you get, in order of how often they show up, and w...