Learning how to use FTP (File Transfer Protocol) can make it easier for you to manage your WordPress website. FTP allows you to quickly upload files from your computer to your website without having to rely on the WordPress dashboard.
FTP may seem a bit technical to beginners, but it is actually a simple and reliable tool. We have helped many beginners quickly master FTP and it has become an indispensable part of their workflow.
In this article, we’ll walk you through the steps to upload files to your WordPress site using FTP. Whether you need to upload a theme, plugin, or backup, this method will save you time and effort.
Here is a brief overview of the topics we will discuss in this article:
- What is FTP?
- Choose FTP software
- Connecting to your WordPress site using FTP
- Uploading Files to Your WordPress Site Using FTP
- Downloading Files from Your WordPress Site Using FTP
- Additional Resources
What is FTP?
FTP is short for File Transfer Protocol. It is the standard way to transfer files from your computer to your web hosting account. You can think of it as a file management tool on the Internet.
If you've created a WordPress website, you may have heard of FTP and wondered if you should use it.
You use an FTP client software package to connect to your website's FTP server.
Once the connection is established, you can access files on your website and upload files from your computer.
You might be wondering why you need FTP if you can transfer files to your site without it.
You can upload media files from the WordPress admin area. You can also upload plugins and themes using WordPress.
FTP is very useful because you can use it even if there is a problem with your WordPress site. For example, you can manually upload plugin or theme files when troubleshooting WordPress .
Choose FTP software
First, you need to download and install an FTP client on your computer. An FTP client is an application that helps you connect to websites and transfer files using the FTP protocol.
There are many FTP clients available. If you're looking for an FTP client for your computer, check out our list of the best FTP clients for Mac and Windows.
Some popular free programs are WinSCP for Windows , Cyberduck for Mac , and the cross-platform FileZilla .
We have a team of experienced web developers and each team member has different preferences. However, most of us use Filezilla because it is free and cross-platform.
This tutorial will use FileZilla, but you can use other FTP clients as well. Regardless of which software you choose, the basic concepts are the same.
Connecting to your WordPress site using FTP
To keep your files safe, FTP requires a username and password. Therefore, when you open your FTP software, you will need to enter your FTP login credentials.
When you signed up for a WordPress hosting account, your FTP login credentials were emailed to you.
You can also find your FTP account information in your hosting account's cPanel dashboard.
If you cannot find your login credentials, you can contact your hosting provider to obtain that information.
Once you have the login details, open FileZilla and select File » Site Manager option from the top menu .
This will open a pop-up window where you can add your website information.
You should click on the ‘New Site’ button and provide a title for your website.
Now it’s time to enter the login details you found earlier. In the Protocol section, you should select SFTP if your hosting provider supports it. Otherwise, keep FTP.
You will be asked to enter a hostname. This is usually your domain name, but sometimes you will need to add "ftp." to the beginning.
Next, select Normal as the login type and enter your FTP username and password.
Once you have entered these details, click on the Connect button to continue. FileZilla will save your website settings for future logins and open a new FTP connection.
If this is the first time you are connecting to your website from this computer, FileZilla may show you a certificate pop-up.
You can block this pop-up by checking the box next to "Always trust the certificate for future sessions." Then, click the "OK" button to continue.
FileZilla will now attempt to log into your website using the credentials you entered. Once connected, you will see two columns of files and folders.
The left column lists local files on your computer, and the right column lists remote files on your website. This layout makes it easy to transfer files to and from your website.
Uploading Files to Your WordPress Site Using FTP
Now, you are ready to upload files to your website. Let's start with something simple. We will upload a test file to our website's main folder.
Open Notepad or a text editor on your computer and save a blank file. You can name it test-upload.txt.
Next, switch to your FTP client. Under the "Local Site" column, navigate to the folder containing the test files on your computer.
Make sure you can see the folder you want to upload to in the Remote Site column on the right.
After that, you should right-click on the file and select "Upload" from the menu.
FileZilla will upload the file from your computer to your WordPress site. It will create a copy of the file and keep the original file on your computer.
We don't recommend using drag-and-drop to upload files because it can be unreliable. For example, if you accidentally drag a file into a folder, it may be uploaded to the wrong location on the site.
This is important because WordPress needs to find specific files and folders in specific locations. Uploading files to the wrong folder can cause problems.
For example, when you upload media files using FTP, they should be placed inside folders /wp-content/uploads/. Themes should be uploaded to /wp-content/themes/folders, plugins should be uploaded to /wp-content/plugins/folders.
You can manually upload the plugin to your WordPress site to see how it works.
First, you need to download the plugin and unzip it. You will see a folder containing the plugin.
Tip: You can download free WordPress plugins by visiting the Plugin Directory on the WordPress.org website.
Make sure you can see the folder in the left column of your FTP client. Then, navigate to wp-content/plugins/the folder in the Remote column.
Afterwards, you can upload the plugin folder from your computer to your website.
This plugin takes longer to load than our test file.
Once the upload is complete, you need to activate the plugin by visiting the plugins page within the WordPress admin area.
The steps for uploading a premium theme are similar. First, you need to download and unzip the theme folder on your computer. Then, you can upload it to
/wp-content/themes/folder of your website.
Downloading Files from Your WordPress Site Using FTP
FTP is not only used to upload files from your computer to your WordPress site. It can also be used to download files so you can edit them.
Simply right-click the file you want to download in the Remote Site column and select Download from the menu. The file will be transferred to the folder you are viewing in the Local column on the left.
You can also backup your WordPress files using FTP. Simply select all the files and folders and download them to your computer.
But remember, this is not a complete backup of your WordPress site. All content is stored in your database, not in the files you downloaded.
If you also want to back up your content, you can do that by creating a manual backup of your WordPress database.
💡Tip : The best way to back up WordPress is to use a WordPress backup plugin . We recommend using Duplicator because it supports scheduled backups, which you can safely save in the cloud and restore your site with one click when needed.
We hope this tutorial helped you learn how to upload files to your WordPress site using FTP.
Additional Resources
Here are some resources to help you better manage FTP access and files on your website:
- How to Backup Your WordPress Site (The Ultimate Guide)
- Beginner's Guide: How to Restore WordPress from a Backup
- Best WordPress Automatic Backup Plugins
You may also want to check out our step by step WordPress security guide for beginners .
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