Creating FTP accounts and connecting over FTP

An FTP account lets you upload and manage files on your hosting account using an FTP or SFTP client such as FileZilla, WinSCP, or Cyberduck. In cPanel you create the account under FTP Accounts, set a directory and quota, then connect your client to ftp.yourdomain.com (or your server hostname) using the credentials you defined. This guide walks through both steps.

Create an FTP account in cPanel

The main cPanel login is already an FTP account for the whole home directory, but for uploads it is safer to create a scoped account for each site or user so access stays limited to one folder.

1. Log in to cPanel and go to the Files section.
2. Click FTP Accounts.
3. In the Log In field enter the username. cPanel appends your domain automatically, so the full login becomes user@yourdomain.com.
4. Set a strong password, or use the Password Generator, and note it somewhere safe.
5. Set the Directory. This is the folder the account is locked into. For a site in the main document root use public_html, or narrow it further, for example public_html/uploads.
6. Set a Quota, either a fixed size in MB or Unlimited.
7. Click Create FTP Account.

The new account appears in the list below, where you can change its password or quota, delete it, or open Configure FTP Client to view the exact connection details.

Find your connection details

On the FTP Accounts page, click Configure FTP Client next to your account to see the values your client needs. Typical settings are:

• Server or Host: ftp.yourdomain.com (once DNS is pointed) or the server hostname shown in cPanel.
• Username: the full account name, for example user@yourdomain.com.
• Password: the one you set when creating the account.
• Port: 21 for plain or explicit FTP over TLS, or 22 for SFTP.

Connect with an FTP client

Prefer an encrypted connection so your credentials are not sent in clear text. On LiteSpeed and CloudLinux servers you can use explicit FTP over TLS (FTPS) on port 21, or SFTP on port 22 where SSH access is enabled.

1. Open your FTP client and start a new connection or Site Manager entry.
2. Enter the Host, Username, and Password from the previous step.
3. For FTPS choose an encryption mode of Require explicit FTP over TLS on port 21. For SFTP choose SFTP - SSH File Transfer Protocol on port 22.
4. Connect. Accept and save the server certificate if prompted the first time.
5. You will land in the directory you assigned. Drag files from the local pane on the left into the remote pane on the right to upload.

Troubleshooting and good practice

If the connection fails or times out, check these first:

• Confirm the username includes the full @yourdomain.com suffix, not just the short name.
• Try switching between active and passive mode. Passive mode is the safe default behind most home and office firewalls.
• Make sure your local firewall or antivirus is not blocking ports 21 or 22.
• If ftp.yourdomain.com does not resolve yet, connect to the server hostname shown in cPanel while DNS propagates.

Create one FTP account per site or collaborator and scope each to the smallest folder it needs. That way a leaked password exposes a single directory rather than your whole account, which matters when you run several sites on separate IPs. For a deeper look at the file manager and other panel tasks, see our cPanel and technical guides, and for account or access help reach our team through contact us. The official cPanel documentation covers every field in more detail.