How to transfer or upload files of wordpress blog or website using ftp server like FileZilla
Why use FTP?
Because it is an easy alternative to upload your file, and even big file, for example videos. Using FTP is my second favorite, if uploading files to webserver is not working due to the uploading files limit.
How to use ftp?
There are many free ftp softwares you can use to transfer or upload your website files to your web server such as hostgator, blue host, godaddy, or justhost.
In this tutorial, i am using FileZilla, and demonstration uploading wordpress theme in zip format to my webserver.
If you want to install wordpress with FTP, please check this video tutorial.
So here are step by step instructions how to find your FTP hostname, FTP username, and password is your cPanel password:
1. Prepare the theme files, example you have just downloaded wordpress theme files, and it is usually coming in .zip format. Put this .zip file in your desktop.
Open FileZilla, by double clicking the icon.
2. Log in to your cPanel, and look for “FTP Accounts” Click it.
3. Scroll down and navigate to “Account Management” and “Configure FTP Client”.
4. Once you clicked that button, you will see the ftp settings datas.
5. Open FileZilla, and fill in these FTP settings:
“Host” = FTP Server
“Username” = FTP Username.
“Password” = cPanel Password.
“Port” = Usually you leave it empty, but if it is requested, type in “FTP Server Port”
6. Once you are connected to your server, you can start uploading or transfer your files. This example, uploading wordpress theme with FTP using FileZilla. Because theme folder can be found in wp-content/theme, so we look for that “theme” folder, once we are in that folder, we can drag our theme zip file and drop it there too.
We are done and you can extract this wordpress zip theme file, and login to your dashboard, the theme is ready to use.
I personally just upload theme direct in the dashboard and very seldom uploading or transfering files via FTP. But there are times i have to transfer files using FTP, FileZilla is my favourite FTP program.
Video:
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
On Macintosh, I recommend the Cyberduck FTP program, because it keeps a list of all your previous actions. So, if you want to do something that you’ve previously done (like : upload a file or synchronize two folders), you just double-click in the list to repeat the action.
@Pham-Pham, Thanks for the tip, i never used Cyberduck, but it looks like useful ;)
Your video is fantastic. It helped me a lot. I realized what to do using FileZilla to upload my themes or files. Thanks again.
Hello Ronald,
Thanks for your nice words.
I re watched the video again, you can actually unzip/extract the files first before you drag them to the moving location, much easier, so you do not need to log in to your cPanel.
I might update the post sometime when i have time.
Thanks.