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FTP: How to Connect to Your Website

FTP is an acronym for File Transfer Protocol. As the name suggests, it is used to transfer files and folders between your local machine (desktop) and your hosting account. We have provided guides to demonstrate how to connect to your website using FTP.

File Manager: File Manager is built into your Domain dashboard and is helpful for uploading small groups of files. You can also use File Manager to organize and manage your website files.

Windows Explorer: Windows Explorer is used to view, open, copy, move, and manage your files on your Windows PC. When connecting via FTP, Windows Explorer can do the same thing with your website files.

FTP Client: FTP clients are the preferred method when using FTP to transfer files. An FTP Client is an application that specializes in optimizing your FTP connection. FTP clients need to be downloaded and installed before use.

Offline Website Builder: Many website builders are stored online inside of your hosting account. However, many popular offline builders exist, which are stored on your personal computer instead. When it is time to publish your website online, these offline builders temporarily connect to your account via FTP to upload a published copy of your website. While some offline website builders may need to be manually uploaded through an FTP Client, some have the capability of connecting via FTP directly.

Error When Uploading Files

Files uploaded through FTP are scanned for malware. Potentially harmful files are blocked and not allowed on hosting servers. When uploading multiple files at once, only those marked for malware are blocked.

If you receive an error while uploading files, we recommend the following:

  1. Check folder permissions to make sure the folder allows for file uploads.
  2. Check to confirm that your FTP settings are correct.
  3. Wait a few minutes, then try to upload the file(s) again.
  4. Attempt to upload the file(s) using File Manager.
  5. Contact us to see if the file(s) are being flagged for malware.

How can I securely allow others to upload to my site as well?

The primary FTP user of your hosting account uses the same login credentials as your hosting account. Because of this, we highly recommend that you never share your primary FTP user credentials with a third party, even if they are your webmaster or website designer. With us, you can create unique secondary FTP users with limited access to select website folders.

What are the generic FTP settings?

  • FTP Server Address: ftp.yourdomainname.com
  • Username: FTP username (Same as your hosting account username or the FTP account created)
  • Password: FTP password (Same as your hosting account password or FTP user password)
  • Port: 21 or 22 (You may try 2222 if you change the connection type to SFTP. SFTP is an encrypted version of FTP, meaning that your files will be transferred over a more secure connection.
  • Passive FTP: Enabled. (Passive FTP generates a connection type where the FTP client connects to the server. Active FTP generates a connection type where the FTP client requests the server to connect to the client. The FTP servers work best when using a Passive FTP connection. If you do not see an option in your FTP client to enable Passive FTP, it is probably enabled by default.)

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Related Articles

FTP: How to Connect Using an FTP Client
FTP: How to Connect Using File Manager
FTP: How to Connect Using Windows Explorer
FTP: How to Create Multiple FTP User Logins
FTP: How to Connect Using an Offline Website Builder