Knowledgebase

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) allows you to manage the files associated with your website. cPanel comes complete with an FTP server that is pre-configured and easy to use.

Add an FTP account

The addition of an FTP account will allow users to access the domain's folder on the server's hard disk.

To create an FTP account, perform the following steps:

1. In the Login text box, enter the desired username.
2. In the Password text box, enter the desired account password.
   • You can click the Password Generator link to have a strong password generated for you. For more information, read our Password Generator documentation.
3. Retype the password in the Password (Again) text box.
4. Specify the FTP account's home directory.
   • The Directory text box defines the top level of directory access that will be granted to the new account. For example, an account with a Directory assignment of /$dir will not be allowed to access the parent directory but will be able to access /$dir and all of its subfolders.
5. Set the disk space quota. The Quota field determines how much disk space will be allocated to the FTP account.
   • If the desired quota is not Unlimited, enter the maximum amount of data in MB.

   • The user will not be able to upload more than the total disk space allotment for your hosting account, regardless of the quota you set here.

6. Click Create FTP Account. The new account will appear in the FTP Accounts table.

If you experience problems when you attempt to upload files with FTP, you may need to adjust the quota to allow more disk space for your account.

Manage FTP accounts

The FTP Accounts table allows you to manage existing FTP accounts.

To search for a specific FTP account, perform the following steps:

1. Enter a keyword in the text box.
2. Click Search Accounts. The FTP Accounts table will display only the FTP accounts that contain the keyword.
3. To return to the list of all FTP accounts, click Clear Search.

Change an FTP account's password

To change an existing FTP account's password, perform the following steps:

1. Click Change Password for the FTP account for which you wish to change the password.
2. In the Password text box, enter the desired account password.
   • You can click the Password Generator link to have a strong password generated for you. For more information, read our Password Generator documentation.
3. Reenter the password in the Password (Again) text box.
4. Click Change Password.

Edit an FTP account's quota

The quota limits the amount of data that a user can upload to your server.

To change an FTP account's quota, perform the following steps:

1. Click Change Quota for the FTP account for which you wish to change the quota.
2. Select the desired FTP Quota option.

   • If the desired quota is not Unlimited, enter the maximum amount of data in MB.

     Note: The user will not be able to upload more than the total disk space allotment for your hosting account, regardless of the quota you set here.

3. Click Change Quota.

Remove an FTP account

To remove an FTP account, perform the following steps:

1. Click Delete for the FTP account that you wish to remove.
2. Confirm that you wish to delete the FTP account.
   • Click Delete Account to remove the FTP account. The files contained in the FTP account's home directory will not be removed.
   • Click Delete Account and Files to remove the FTP account and all of the files contained within the FTP account's home directory.
   • Click Cancel to hide the Delete options if you do not wish to delete the account.

Configure an FTP client

When you configure an FTP client through this interface, a script will download to your computer. When you run this script, the FTP client will automatically be opened, configured, and connected to your FTP server.

To configure an FTP client, perform the following steps:

1. Click Configure FTP Client for the desired FTP account.

2. Select an FTP client. You can choose between Filezilla, Core FTP, or Cyberduck.

   Note: cPanel currently only supports these three FTP clients for auto-configuration. You may use another client, but will need to configure the client manually.

3. Click the appropriate FTP or SFTP configuration link.
   • SFTP stands for Secure File Transfer Protocol and is an extension of SSH protocol.
   • Click Instructions (new window) to view detailed instructions for your chosen client.
4. Open and run the configuration script file that has downloaded to your computer.

The FTP client will automatically open, configure itself, and connect to your FTP server. Then, you will be free to manage your website’s content. If you encounter problems when you try to automatically configure your FTP client, make sure your client is properly installed on your computer. If problems persist, consult your FTP client’s documentation.

View the FTP logs

If you need to see who has accessed your site with FTP, you can view this information in the raw access log files for your website.

You can download these log files from the cPanel Raw Access Logs interface. FTP logs will include ftp_log in the filename.