FTP lets you upload and download website files from your computer with a client such as FileZilla, WinSCP, or Cyberduck. Every Beginner and Standard plan includes unlimited FTP accounts. Give each person their own login and only the folder they need.
This article is for shared hosting. Open cPanel from the portal. Do not guess a hostname.
For a few files in the browser, use the File Manager instead. For a new WordPress site, install from WordPress Toolkit or Installatron first. See Install WordPress.
Open cPanel
- Sign in at the portal.
- Open the hosting service for the site.
- Click Log in to cPanel.
You do not need a server hostname to get in.
Your main cPanel username can already connect over FTP to the whole account. Create extra accounts so you do not share that password.
Create an FTP account
1. In the Files section, open FTP Accounts.
2. Under Add FTP Account, fill in:
- Log In: the left-hand part of the username (for example deploy). cPanel builds the full login as deploy@yourdomain.com. Use the full string later in the client.
- Domain: the domain this login belongs to, if the form shows a list.
- Password: a strong password, or click Generate. Save it somewhere safe. This is not your portal password.
- Directory: the only folder this login can see. cPanel usually fills public_html/deploy as you type the login. Change that to match the site:
- Main website: public_html
- Addon domain: that addon's document root (the folder you chose when you added the name)
- Subdomain: that subdomain's document root (for example public_html/blog)
- Quota: leave Unlimited unless you want a cap on how much this login can store.
3. Click Create FTP Account.
The Directory field is a jail. If you clear it or set it to /, the login can see the whole home directory. Only do that when you mean to.
After it is created, open Configure FTP Client on that row. Copy the values from there. Do not guess a hostname.
| Setting | Where to copy it |
|---|---|
| Host / server | FTP Server on Configure FTP Client |
| Username | The full FTP login, including @yourdomain.com |
| Password | The password you set (or just generated) |
| Port | 21 |
| Encryption | Explicit FTP over TLS (FTPS) when the client offers it |
If the domain's public DNS still points somewhere else (you are migrating, or AtlasDNS is not on this name yet), use the Shared IP Address from cPanel General Information as the host so the client reaches this account. Once the name is on our nameservers, the hostname from Configure FTP Client is fine.
Our nameservers are:
ns1.atlasdns.net.au
ns2.atlasdns.net.au
ns3.atlasdns.net.auDNS for domains registered with us is Domains → the domain → DNS in the portal. See Point your domain at your hosting.
Connect with an FTP client
FileZilla (Windows, macOS, Linux), WinSCP (Windows), and Cyberduck (macOS and Windows) all work. The steps below use FileZilla. Other clients use the same values.
1. Install and open the client.
2. Open the connection form (File → Site Manager in FileZilla, then New site).
3. Enter:
- Protocol: FTP (not SFTP)
- Host: the FTP Server value you copied
- Port: 21
- Encryption: Require explicit FTP over TLS (FileZilla wording). WinSCP calls this explicit TLS/SSL. Cyberduck calls it FTP-SSL (Explicit AUTH TLS).
- User: the full FTP login
- Password: the password for that FTP account
4. Connect.
5. Trust the TLS certificate if the client asks the first time.
6. Local files are on one side, the server on the other. Drag files across.
Website files for the main domain belong in public_html. If you jailed the login to that folder, you are already there when you connect. Do not upload an addon or subdomain site into the main public_html folder unless that is the document root you chose.
Configure FTP Client can also download a FileZilla (or Cyberduck) config file. Import that if you would rather not type the host by hand.
SFTP (port 22) is SSH. It is not the same as FTP or FTPS, and extra FTP accounts do not use it. Stay on FTP over TLS, port 21. If you specifically need SSH or SFTP, open a support ticket.
Manage FTP accounts
On the same FTP Accounts page:
- Change Password: set a new password, then update the client.
- Change Quota: cap or uncap how much that login can store. Account-wide space is under Check Disk Usage.
- Configure FTP Client: show or re-download the host, username, and port.
- Delete: remove the login. Files in that folder stay on the account unless you tick the option to delete them.
The Special FTP Accounts list is the main cPanel user. You cannot delete that one. Do not share it with contractors.
When a project ends, delete that person's FTP account. See Keep your website secure.
If you cannot connect
- Login failed: use the full username (
deploy@yourdomain.com), not onlydeploy. Passwords are case-sensitive. Set a new password in FTP Accounts and try again. - Host will not resolve: copy FTP Server again from Configure FTP Client. If the domain does not point here yet, use the Shared IP Address instead.
- TLS warning or the client refuses encryption: confirm the protocol is FTP with explicit TLS, port 21, not SFTP. Then try again.
- You land in an empty or unexpected folder: check Directory on that FTP account. Change it to
public_htmlor the addon / subdomain document root. - The network blocks FTP: some office and hotel networks interfere with port 21. Use the File Manager, or try from another network.
If it still will not connect, open a support ticket and we will check the account with you. Include the FTP username (not the password) and whether you used the hostname or the shared IP.
Good habits
- One login per person or per tool. Revoke it when the work is done.
- Jail each extra account to the folder it needs. Do not hand out the main cPanel user.
- Prefer explicit FTP over TLS so the password and files are not sent in the clear.
- Keep a copy of large uploads until you have confirmed they are on the server.
- Watch disk space after a big transfer. See Check Disk Usage.