CuteFTP FTP

CuteFTP is an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program for Mac OS X and Windows that you can use to upload website files to your server.

 Materials

Before you begin, please set up your FTP user on your cPanel server. See this article for instructions:

Please make a note of your FTP username and password, because we will be using them in the instructions below.

 Connect to Server

  1. Open CuteFTP.
  2. Click on the Site Manager tool in the upper left.
    cuteftp_sitemanager
  3. Click the New Site button.
    cuteftp_sitemanager_newsite
  4. Fill in the information for your FTP server:
    cuteftp_sitemanager_new_details
    • Label: This is for your own use so you can label the account.
    • Host name: ftp.EXAMPLE.COM (replace EXAMPLE.COM with your domain)
    • User name: username@example.com (your FTP username that you created in cPanel, including the part after the@)
    • Password: your FTP password that you set in cPanel
    • Port: 21, or for SFTP, 22
    • Security: Standard FTP or SFTP (Secure FTP)
    • Login type: Normal
    • Remote folder: public_html is where you need to upload your website files
    • Local folder: set a default local folder on your computer, if desired
    • You can leave the other settings at default.
    • Check Show hidden files and folders.
    • Check Keep connection alive sending NOOP every 60 sec. This will keep you from disconnecting during a long upload.
  5. Click OK.
  6. Click Connect.
    cuteftp_sitemanager_connect
  7. You should see some dialog going by in the top panel of CuteFTP. Eventually it should say Transfer complete.

Congratulations! You are now connected to your cPanel server with FTP.

 Upload a File

First connect to your server.

CuteFTP shows you three panes by default. We're interested in the big ones on the left and on the right that show a bunch of files and folders.

cuteftp_panels

The one on the left shows you a list of files and folders on your local computer. The one on the right shows you a list of files and folders on your server. You can navigate through the folders just like you would on your computer. To enter a folder, double-click it. To go back up a level, double-click on the top arrow.

  1. You should already be in the public_html folder on the server side. Verify this by looking at the dropdown menu on the right. This folder is your website document root folder. It's where you should upload your website files.
  2. On the local (left) side of CuteFTP, navigate to your website files.
  3. To upload a single file, double-click it in the list on the left.
  4. You'll notice a progress bar at the bottom of the window, on the right. Your file may take longer or shorter to upload, depending on its size and your internet connection speed. When it's done uploading, you should see the file appear on the server side.
    cuteftp_progress

You've just uploaded a file for your website. You should now be able to view that web page when you visit your website online.

 Tips

  • You can download a file from your server by double-clicking on it in the right panel.
  • You can rename or move files on your server just like you would on your local computer.
  • Right-click on files to get advanced options.
  • Your home page needs to be called index.html or index.php.
  • You can drag and drop files into the server side panel from anywhere on your computer. This makes uploading even easier!
  • You can drag and drop entire folders to or from CuteFTP to upload or download multiple files at once.
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