Have you considered acquiring the knowledge necessary to upload files to your WordPress website using FTP?
It is quick and easy to upload files from your computer to your website using FTP, or File Transfer Protocol.
This post will demonstrate how to upload files to WordPress via FTP.
Describe FTP.
You could have heard about FTP if you built a WordPress website and pondered whether you ought to use it.
File Transfer Protocol is referred to as FTP. It is a common method for moving files from your PC to your hosting account for your website. It can be compared to online file management.
To connect to the FTP server hosting your website, you utilize a piece of software known as an FTP client. You can access the files on your website and upload files from your computer once the connection has been established.
Considering that you can transmit files to your site without FTP, you might be questioning why you need it. For instance, your WordPress admin section allows you to upload media assets. WordPress also allows you to upload plugins and themes.
FTP is advantageous because you can utilize it even if your WordPress website isn’t functioning properly. For instance, while debugging WordPress issues, you can utilize FTP to manually upload a plugin or theme file.
FTP Software Selection
An FTP client needs to be downloaded and installed on your computer first. You can connect to your website and transfer files using the FTP protocol with the aid of an application known as an FTP client.
There are numerous FTP clients available. Check out our list of the top FTP clients for Mac and Windows if you need assistance finding one that will operate on your machine.
WinSCP for Windows, Cyberduck for Mac, and the cross-platform FileZilla are a few well-known free apps. Although we’ll be using FileZilla in this tutorial, the fundamental ideas apply to any software.
FTP Connection to Your WordPress Website
Using FTP requires a login and password in order to protect your files. You must therefore enter your FTP login information when you launch your FTP client.
When you registered for your WordPress hosting account, an email containing your FTP login information was given to you. Your hosting account’s cPanel panel also contains information about your FTP account.
You can retrieve the information by contacting your hosting company if you can’t find your login details.
When you have your login credentials, launch FileZilla and choose File » Site Manager from the menu.
This will bring up a pop-up window where you can enter the details for your website. The ‘New Site’ box should be clicked, and then you should enter a title for your website.
Give Your Website a Title At this point, you need to provide the login information you discovered before. If your hosting provider offers it, you should choose SFTP in the protocol box; otherwise, leave it as FTP.
Your host will ask you to enter. Usually, this is your domain name, but occasionally you also need to add “ftp.” You should then input your FTP username and password after choosing “Normal” for the Logon Type.
After providing those details, use the Connect button to move forward. FileZilla will create a new FTP connection to your website and remember your website settings for subsequent logins.
FileZilla may display a certificate window if this is your first time connecting to your website from this computer.
By selecting the option to “Always trust certificate for future sessions,” you may prevent this from occurring again. Then, in order to proceed, you should click the OK button.
Now, FileZilla will use the login information you provided to try to access your website. Once connected, two columns of files and folders will appear.
The Local files on your computer are listed in the left column. The Remote files on your website are listed in the right column. This design makes it simple to upload and download files to and from your website.
FTP File Uploading to Your WordPress Site
We can now start uploading files to your website. Let’s get going with something simple. We’ll add a test file to the website’s main folder.
You must first find the location where the test file is located. This can be done in the left column where your local files are located. Make sure the folder you wish to upload to is visible in the Remote site column on the right before moving on.
The next step is to right-click the file and choose “Upload” from the menu.
The file from your computer will be uploaded to your WordPress website using FileZilla. The original file isn’t deleted; just a copy is made and stored on your computer.
Drag and drop file uploading is less dependable, thus we don’t advise it. For instance, you might upload the file to the incorrect location on your website if you unintentionally drag it onto a folder.
This is significant because WordPress anticipates finding particular files and directories in particular places. A problem could arise if a file is uploaded to the incorrect folder.
For instance, media files uploaded via FTP should go in a folder inside of /wp-content/uploads/. Plugins should go in the /wp-content/plugins/ folder, and themes should be in the /wp-content/themes/ folder.
We’ll manually add a plugin to your WordPress website to demonstrate how this works. The plugin must first be downloaded, then it must be unzipped. The plugin is located in a folder that you’ll discover.
Make sure that folder is visible in the FTP client’s left column. Then, under the Remote column, navigate to the wp-content/plugins/ folder. The plugin folder can then be uploaded from your computer to your website.
Compared to our test file, the plugin will take longer to load. You must activate the plugin by going to the plugins page in your WordPress admin area after it has finished uploading.
It’s equivalent to uploading a premium theme. The theme folder needs to be downloaded and unzipped into your computer first. After that, you can upload it to your website’s /wp-content/themes/ folder.
File Downloads from Your WordPress Website With FTP
FTP may be used for more than just adding files to your WordPress website from your computer. Additionally, you can utilize it to download files so you can edit them.
Simply choose Download from the menu by right-clicking the file you wish to download in the Remote site column. The folder that you are currently browsing in the left Local column will get the file.
Your WordPress files can be backed up using FTP as well. All files and folders can be downloaded to your computer by just selecting them all.
However, bear in mind that this is not a full backup of your WordPress website. Not the downloaded files, but all of your stuff is kept in a database.
We sincerely hope that this guide was helpful in teaching you how to upload files to your WordPress website via FTP.
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