Are you the person who needs to know how to use FTP for uploading files to a WordPress website? If yes, then READ ON!
Using FTP (File Transfer Protocol), file transfer from the computer to the website is a breeze. It’s super fast and easy to do. Depending on the file size, you can transfer files within a blink of an eye using FTP.
In the entire post, we’ll let you know how you can use FTP for uploading files to WordPress RIGHT AWAY.
Before heading into the process, you need to know what FTP is first?
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Perhaps you heard about FTP when you created a WordPress website and wondered whether you should use it.
File transfer protocol is what FTP stands for. It’s a perfect and effective way of transferring files from a computer to web hosting. It acts as a file management system for the internet.
Connecting to the FTP server of your website requires the use of an FTP client program. As soon as you’ve been connected, you will be able to access your website’s files and upload files.
If you don’t need FTP to transfer files to your site, you might wonder why you use it. WordPress, for example, lets you upload media files from the admin interface. Plugins and themes can also be uploaded using WordPress.
The benefit of FTP is that you can use it even when your WordPress blog is down. When troubleshooting WordPress problems, you can manually upload a plugin or theme file using FTP.
On your computer, you will need an FTP client that you can download and install. FTP clients allow you to upload and download files from your website using the FTP protocol.
A wide variety of FTP clients are available. WinSCP for Windows, Cyberduck for Mac, and FileZilla cross-platform are three popular free programs. Throughout this tutorial, we will use FileZilla, but the basic concepts apply no matter which software you use.
A username and password are required for FTP security. Therefore, you must enter your FTP login credentials when you open your FTP software.
Once you sign up for your WordPress hosting account, you receive your FTP login credentials via email. A cPanel dashboard can also give you access to your FTP account information.
Alternatively, you can contact your hosting provider for your login credentials.
To access the Site Manager, open FileZilla, select File > Site Manager and then enter the login information.
You will be able to enter your website’s information on the pop-up window that opens. To start a new website, click the New Site button and give the website a title.
The login credentials you found earlier need to be entered now. Your hosting provider should support SFTP if yours does not; otherwise, you can select FTP.
Enter your hosting provider information here. You may need to add ‘ftp.’ at the beginning of this name, which is usually your domain name. Then, click the ‘Normal’ option for the Logon Type and enter your username and password for your FTP account.
To continue, click on the Connect button once you’ve filled in this information. A new FTP connection is created to your website in FileZilla so you can save your settings for future visits.
FileZilla may present you with a certificate popup if you are connecting to your website from this computer for the first time.
By checking the ‘Always trust certificate for future sessions,’ you can prevent this from appearing in the future. After clicking OK, you can continue.
You will now be prompted to enter your credentials in FileZilla in order to log in to your website. A list of documents and folders will appear after connecting.
On the left, you will find a list of Local files on your computer. On the right, you will find a list of Remote files on your website. The layout makes it easy to upload and download files.
Using FTP, we can upload files to our website. Let’s begin with a simple task. An example file will be uploaded to our website’s main folder.
Locate the test file’s folder first. Find it in the left-hand column where your local files are located. Ensure that the folder to which you wish to upload can be found in the Remote site column on the right.
Next, right-click on the file and choose Upload from the menu.
Uploading files to your WordPress site using FileZilla is a breeze. You may make a duplicate of a file while keeping the original on your computer.
We do not encourage utilizing the drag and drop to upload files since it is less reliable. For example, if you unintentionally drag the file inside a folder, it may be uploaded to the incorrect location on your website.
This is significant because WordPress anticipates finding specified files and directories in specific locations. Uploading a file to the incorrect folder may result in a problem.
For example, when you upload media files through FTP, they should be placed in a folder under /wp-content/uploads/. Themes should be posted to the/wp-content/themes/, and plugins should be uploaded to /wp-content/plugins/.
We’ll manually add a plugin to your WordPress website to demonstrate how this works. You must first download the plugin and then unzip it. You’ll discover a folder containing the plugin.
Check that the folder is visible in the left column of your FTP client. Then, under the Remote column, browse to the wp-content/plugins/ folder. Then, from your PC, upload the plugin folder to your website.
It will take longer for the plugin to load than it did for our test file. When the plugin has completed uploading, go to the plugins page in your WordPress admin area to activate it.
It is identical to uploading a premium theme. To begin, download and unzip the theme folder into your computer. And then upload it to your site’s /wp-content/themes/ folder.
FTP is utilized for more than merely uploading files from your PC to your WordPress website. It may also be used to download files and modify them.
Simply right-click the file in the Remote site column and choose Download from the menu. The file will be moved to the folder you’re now browsing in the left Local column.
You may also backup your WordPress files via FTP. Simply choose all of the files and folders and save them to your PC.
However, bear in mind that this is not an exhaustive backup of your WordPress site. Not the files you downloaded, but all of your stuff is kept in a database.
If you wish to backup your content as well, you may do so by manually backing up your WordPress database.
That’s all there is to it. Using the above steps, you can use FTP for uploading files to WordPress easily.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns regarding uploading files to WordPress using FTP, please post them in the comments section, and we’ll do our best to assist.
You may want to see our guide on how you can clear cache files in WordPress. You may also like to see our guide on how you can add special characters in WordPress.
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