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How to Connect to a WordPress Site With FileZilla

A step-by-step FileZilla guide for WordPress: gather the right host credentials, choose SFTP or FTPS, find your installation, and troubleshoot login and directory-listing failures.
Length9 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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To connect a WordPress site with FileZilla, obtain the server hostname, transfer protocol, port, username, and password or SSH key from your hosting provider. In FileZilla, open File → Site Manager → New Site, enter those values, choose SFTP – SSH File Transfer Protocol when available, and select Connect. After authentication, use the remote directory tree to find the folder containing wp-admin, wp-content, and wp-includes.

Use SFTP or FTPS whenever your host offers one. Plain FTP sends your password and files without encryption, so it should be a last resort. The port, account name, and installation directory vary by host; the default values are only starting points.

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What you need before opening FileZilla

FileZilla is only the transfer client. It does not create a WordPress login or discover your server credentials. Your hosting provider must supply, or let you create, a separate FTP, FTPS, or SFTP account.

Collect the five connection details

  • Host: The exact server hostname supplied by the host. It may be a hosting-domain name, a server name, or another address. Copy it exactly and do not add a slash unless the host specifically tells you to.
  • Protocol: SFTP, FTPS (FTP over TLS), or plain FTP.
  • Port: The host’s port number. SFTP commonly uses 22; FTP and explicit FTPS commonly use 21, but a custom port always overrides those defaults.
  • Username: The complete FTP or SFTP account name, including any prefix the host uses.
  • Authentication: A case-sensitive password, or an SSH private key for an SFTP account.

Do not substitute your WordPress dashboard username for the file-transfer username unless your host explicitly made them the same. They are usually different systems. If you cannot find the details, ask support for the FTP, FTPS, or SFTP hostname, port, account name, and authentication method for the specific site.

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Create or confirm the transfer account

In your hosting control panel, open the area for FTP accounts, SSH access, or file management. Confirm that the account is enabled and that its home directory has access to the WordPress installation. Some hosts give separate accounts for separate sites or directories. An account can authenticate successfully yet be unable to reach the directory you need if it was created with the wrong home folder.

Choose SFTP, FTPS, or FTP

The protocol determines both security and the settings FileZilla uses to negotiate the connection.

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Method Encryption Typical port Authentication When to use it
SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) Encrypted through SSH 22 Password or SSH private key Preferred when the host supports it
FTPS (FTP over TLS) Encrypted through TLS 21 for explicit FTPS, unless the host specifies another port Username and password Use when SFTP is unavailable but the host offers FTP over TLS
FTP None; credentials and files are sent in clear text 21 Username and password Only when the host provides no encrypted option

WordPress.org advises using SFTP or FTPS instead of plain FTP whenever possible. FTP’s clear-text design means someone able to monitor the connection could read both the password and transferred files. A host’s custom port is more important than the conventional number shown above, so use the value in your account instructions.

Set up the connection in FileZilla

  1. Open Site Manager. Start FileZilla and choose File → Site Manager. Select New Site to create a saved entry. Saving an entry does not by itself connect to the server.
  2. Name the entry. Give it a recognizable name such as the site or environment name. If you maintain staging and production copies, label them separately to reduce the risk of opening the wrong directory.
  3. Enter the host. Paste the hostname supplied by the host into the Host field. Do not prepend a protocol such as https://, and do not append a path unless the host documents one.
  4. Select the protocol. For SFTP, choose SFTP – SSH File Transfer Protocol. For explicit FTPS, choose FTP and set the encryption option to require FTP over TLS when available, using the wording shown by your FileZilla version. Choose plain FTP only if that is the sole method your host provides.
  5. Set the port. Enter the host-issued port. Leave the field at 22 only for an SFTP account that uses the standard SSH port, or at 21 for an FTP/explicit-FTPS account that uses the standard port. A wrong port can prevent any meaningful login attempt.
  6. Choose the logon type. Select Normal for a username and password. For SFTP accounts that use a key, select the key-file option available in your FileZilla version and point it to the private key supplied or generated for that account. Do not convert or replace a key unless the host tells you which format it accepts.
  7. Enter the username. Use the full host-issued username, preserving capitalization and punctuation. A shortened dashboard name is not a valid substitute unless the host says it is.
  8. Enter credentials carefully. Passwords are case-sensitive. If you are using a key, make sure FileZilla can read the private-key file and that the corresponding public key is authorized on the server. Avoid saving a password on a public or shared computer.
  9. Connect. Select Connect. FileZilla may ask you to confirm a server host key or certificate the first time. Confirm it only after checking that the fingerprint or certificate information matches what your host provided.
  10. Read the message log. A successful session normally shows authentication and directory-listing messages. Do not start editing files merely because a connection window opened; verify that the remote pane actually lists the expected server directories.

Verify that you reached the WordPress installation

FileZilla displays your computer on the left and the server on the right. The right-hand pane is the remote directory tree. The first directory shown may be the account’s home directory rather than the website’s document root.

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Recognize the correct folder

Open directories on the remote side until you find the WordPress installation. A standard installation commonly contains all three of these directories together:

  • wp-admin
  • wp-content
  • wp-includes

The same installation root normally contains files such as wp-config.php and the site’s index file. Host layouts differ, so the root may be named after the domain, placed under a web, public, or document-root directory, or nested beneath another account directory. If you see only one of the WordPress directories, continue up or down the tree rather than assuming files are missing.

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Show hidden files

Files beginning with a dot are hidden on many servers. To reveal them, use View → Show hidden files. In current FileZilla versions the command may instead appear under Server → Force show hidden files. This is how you expose files such as .htaccess, which can be required when diagnosing rewrite or access problems. Hidden-file display changes what FileZilla shows; it does not create files or alter their permissions.

Transfer files without damaging the site

A successful login gives you the ability to change production files. Treat every upload, replacement, and deletion as a deployment operation.

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Back up first

WordPress recommends a current backup of both the site files and the database before you upload, replace, or delete anything. A file-only copy cannot restore database content, and a database dump cannot restore themes, plugins, media, or core files. Confirm that the backup can actually be retrieved before making a risky change.

Confirm the environment and path

Before dragging a file, check the remote path and the site name. Staging and production accounts can look almost identical in Site Manager. Use the remote directory tree and the account label to confirm that you are in the intended environment. Uploading a plugin or theme to a parent directory, a different site, or the account’s home folder will not update the installation you meant to change.

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Handle wp-config.php as sensitive

wp-config.php is normally in the WordPress installation root and contains database connection information. Do not download, publish, or share it casually. If you must edit it, keep a protected local copy, make the smallest possible change, and upload it only to the verified installation root. Never place it in a publicly accessible backup folder.

Use permissions deliberately

FileZilla can change permissions, but a permission error is often an ownership or account-configuration problem rather than a request to make everything writable. Ask the host to check ownership and access requirements before changing modes. Broad, unplanned permission changes can expose configuration files or make the web server reject updates.

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Troubleshoot a failed FileZilla connection

The message log usually identifies which stage failed: resolving the host, opening the port, authenticating, or listing a directory. Fix that stage rather than changing several settings at once.

There is no connection attempt

Check the Host field for a misspelled character, an accidental space, or an added https://. Verify that the selected protocol matches the account and that the port is the host-issued value. One incorrect character can stop FileZilla before it reaches the server. If the host supplied separate names for FTP and SFTP, use the one for the selected service.

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The login says the user is incorrect or does not exist

Compare the Site Manager entry with the account shown in the hosting panel. Check capitalization, punctuation, and any account prefix. Confirm that the account is active and belongs to the correct site. Do not repeatedly guess passwords; ask the host to reset the account or confirm whether the service expects a password or an SSH key.

SFTP authentication fails

Ask whether the account accepts password authentication, an SSH private key, or both. Confirm the custom SSH port if one is required. If a key is required, verify that you selected the correct private-key file and that its matching public key is installed for the account. An ordinary FTP password will not authenticate an SFTP account configured for keys only.

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Authentication succeeds but the directory listing fails

For FTP or FTPS, open the site’s Transfer Settings in Site Manager and try Passive transfer mode. Passive mode often works when a firewall, router, or hosting network blocks the inbound data connection used by another mode. Reconnect after changing the setting and read the new log; do not infer success from the login line alone.

If listing still fails, confirm that the account has a valid home directory and that the host permits the selected protocol. A server can accept credentials while denying access to a directory or data channel.

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The remote pane is empty or shows the wrong files

Use the directory tree to move to the site’s document root and look for wp-admin, wp-content, and wp-includes together. Turn on hidden-file display if configuration files are absent. If the account is jailed to a subdirectory, the host may need to change its home path or grant access to the correct installation.

WordPress asks for FTP credentials during an update

This generally means WordPress cannot write to the relevant files or directories with the web server’s current ownership and permissions. It does not automatically mean that you should enter your FileZilla password into WordPress or make directories writable for everyone. Ask the host to inspect ownership and permissions for the installation, and use the least-permissive correction that allows the update.

Security practices for recurring connections

  • Prefer SFTP, or explicit FTPS if SFTP is unavailable; avoid plain FTP whenever an encrypted option exists.
  • Use a dedicated transfer account with only the directory access required for the site.
  • Do not save passwords in Site Manager on shared or public computers. Protect any saved key file with the operating system’s account controls.
  • Review the server host key or TLS certificate carefully on first connection and when FileZilla warns that it has changed.
  • Close FileZilla when finished and remove unused accounts through the hosting panel.
  • Keep a separate backup of files and the database before destructive work.
  • Never leave downloaded configuration files in a publicly served folder.

A quick connection checklist

  1. Obtain the host, protocol, port, username, and password or SSH key from the hosting provider.
  2. Create or confirm the FTP, FTPS, or SFTP account and its directory access.
  3. Open File → Site Manager → New Site.
  4. Enter the host exactly as supplied, select the matching protocol, and enter the supplied port.
  5. Choose Normal for password authentication or the appropriate key-file option for SFTP.
  6. Connect and verify successful authentication in the message log.
  7. Find the remote folder containing wp-admin, wp-content, and wp-includes.
  8. Enable Show hidden files when you need files such as .htaccess.
  9. Back up the files and database, confirm the environment, and only then transfer files.

What a successful result looks like

You have a reusable Site Manager entry with the host’s exact settings, an encrypted SFTP or FTPS connection where available, and a remote directory that clearly contains the intended WordPress installation. The message log confirms authentication, hidden files can be displayed when needed, and you know where the backup and recovery steps are before changing production content.

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