Uploading your website files

Three ways to upload a site — File Manager, FTP and SFTP — plus the common mistakes that break it.

5 min Updated 18 Jul 2026

Once your hosting is delivered, the first job is moving your site files across. There are three common methods; which you pick depends on file size and preference.

Where do files go?

Your site files belong inside the public_html folder. This is your web root — the file public_html/index.php is served at example.com/index.php.

A very common mistake: uploading the whole project folder into public_html. That makes your site load at example.com/myproject/ instead of the root. Upload the folder's contents, not the folder itself.

Method 1: control panel File Manager

The simplest approach, good for small sites:

  1. Sign in to your control panel and open File Manager.
  2. Enter the public_html folder.
  3. Compress your site files into a single ZIP and upload it.
  4. Right-click the ZIP and choose Extract.
  5. Delete the ZIP once extraction finishes.

Uploading one ZIP and extracting it server-side is far faster than uploading hundreds of individual files.

Method 2: FTP

Better for large volumes or frequent updates. Using a client such as FileZilla:

  • Host — your domain name or server IP
  • Username / Password — your control panel credentials, or a dedicated FTP account
  • Port — 21 for FTP

Method 3: SFTP (recommended)

SFTP does the same job as FTP but over an encrypted connection. If your service includes SSH, use SFTP instead of plain FTP:

  • Protocol — SFTP
  • Port — 22

With plain FTP, your username and password travel the network unencrypted. On public networks that is a genuine risk.

What to check after uploading

  • File permissions — folders are normally 755 and files 644. Never use 777; it is a serious security risk.
  • Hidden files — files such as .htaccess are hidden by default in some clients. Enable "show hidden files" so they are not left behind.
  • Database settings — if your site uses a database, update the connection details to match the new host.

Site not loading?

If you see a blank page or an error after uploading, first confirm that index.php or index.html sits directly inside public_html. Then open the error log from your control panel — the specific cause is usually there.

hostingFTPcontrol panel
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