How to Use FileZilla and Other Popular FTP Client Software

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is the standard way to upload files to your hosting account. While cPanel's File Manager works for quick edits, FTP clients are faster for bulk uploads, large files, and regular site maintenance. This guide covers setting up FileZilla (the most popular free client), plus WinSCP, Cyberduck, and Transmit, with the correct Ultra Web Hosting connection settings.

01. Connection Settings

All Ultra Web Hosting shared hosting accounts support both SFTP and FTP over TLS. Here are the complete settings:

SFTP (Recommended)

Protocol: SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol)
Host: yourserver.ultrawebhosting.com
Port: 22
Username: your cPanel username
Password: your cPanel password

FTP with Explicit TLS

Protocol: FTP - Explicit TLS/SSL (also called FTPES)
Host: yourserver.ultrawebhosting.com
Port: 21
Username: your cPanel username
Password: your cPanel password

02. FileZilla (Windows, Mac, Linux)

FileZilla is the most widely used free FTP client. It supports FTP, FTPS, and SFTP, and works on all major operating systems. Download it from filezilla-project.org.

Quick Connect

The fastest way to connect. Use the bar at the top of the FileZilla window:

1. Host - enter sftp://yourserver.ultrawebhosting.com (the sftp:// prefix tells FileZilla to use SFTP)
2. Username - your cPanel username
3. Password - your cPanel password
4. Port - leave blank (it defaults to 22 for SFTP) or enter 22
5. Click "Quickconnect"

The first time you connect via SFTP, FileZilla will show a host key verification dialog. Click "OK" or "Always trust this host" to accept.

Site Manager (Save Your Connection)

To save your connection so you don't have to re-enter it every time:

1. File > Site Manager (or Ctrl+S)
2. Click "New Site" and name it (e.g., "Ultra Web Hosting")
3. Protocol - select "SFTP - SSH File Transfer Protocol"
4. Host - yourserver.ultrawebhosting.com
5. Port - 22
6. Logon Type - "Normal"
7. User - your cPanel username
8. Password - your cPanel password
9. Click "Connect" (or OK to save and connect later)

FileZilla Interface Basics

Once connected, FileZilla shows four panels:

• Top left - your local computer files
• Top right - your hosting server files
• Bottom - file transfer queue
• Top bar - status messages and errors

To upload, navigate to the correct remote directory (public_html), then drag files from the left panel to the right panel. To download, drag from right to left.

03. WinSCP (Windows)

WinSCP is a free Windows-only client that specializes in SFTP and SCP transfers. Download from winscp.net. It's lighter weight than FileZilla and has a built-in text editor for quick file edits.

1. Open WinSCP - the Login dialog appears automatically
2. File protocol - select "SFTP"
3. Host name - yourserver.ultrawebhosting.com
4. Port number - 22
5. User name - your cPanel username
6. Password - your cPanel password
7. Click "Save" to save for later, or "Login" to connect now

04. Cyberduck (Windows, Mac)

Cyberduck is a free, user-friendly client with a clean single-pane interface. Download from cyberduck.io. It also supports cloud storage services (S3, Google Drive, etc.).

1. Click "Open Connection" at the top of the window
2. Select "SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol)" from the dropdown
3. Server - yourserver.ultrawebhosting.com
4. Port - 22
5. Username - your cPanel username
6. Password - your cPanel password
7. Click "Connect"

Cyberduck shows a single-pane view of the remote server. Drag files from your desktop (or Finder/Explorer) into the Cyberduck window to upload. Double-click files to download or edit them.

05. Transmit (Mac)

Transmit by Panic is a premium Mac FTP client with excellent performance and a polished interface. It's paid software ($45) but widely considered the best Mac FTP client. Available from panic.com/transmit.

1. Click the + button to add a new connection
2. Protocol - SFTP
3. Address - yourserver.ultrawebhosting.com
4. Port - 22
5. User Name - your cPanel username
6. Password - your cPanel password
7. Click "Save" then "Connect"

Transmit's dual-pane view works like FileZilla. It also has a "Sync" feature that compares local and remote directories and only transfers changed files, which is useful for maintaining a local development copy of your site.

06. SFTP vs FTPS: Which to Use

We recommend SFTP because it uses a single connection on a single port, which means it works reliably through firewalls and NAT. FTPS (FTP over TLS) requires opening additional ports for passive data connections, which causes issues on corporate networks and with some routers.

07. Common FTP Tasks

Upload Your Website

Connect to your server and navigate to /public_html/ (or /public_html/subdomain/ for a subdomain). Select all your website files on the local side and drag them to the remote side. Your index.html or index.php should be directly inside public_html, not in a subfolder.

Set File Permissions

Right-click a file or folder on the server and select "File Permissions" (FileZilla), "Properties" (WinSCP), or "Info" (Cyberduck). Standard permissions:

• Folders - 755 (owner can read/write/execute, everyone else can read/execute)
• Files - 644 (owner can read/write, everyone else can read only)
• wp-config.php - 600 or 640 (restrictive, owner only or owner + group)

Edit Files Directly on Server

Most FTP clients let you edit text files without downloading them first. In FileZilla, right-click > "View/Edit." In WinSCP, right-click > "Edit." The file opens in a local editor, and saving automatically re-uploads it. This is handy for quick .htaccess or wp-config.php changes.

Upload Large Files (Over 100MB)

For large file transfers, FTP clients are much more reliable than cPanel's File Manager. If a transfer fails partway through, most clients can resume from where they left off. In FileZilla, go to Transfer > Process Queue to retry failed transfers. If uploading a site backup (.tar.gz or .zip), upload the archive and then extract it on the server using cPanel's File Manager to save time.

08. Troubleshooting

"Connection timed out after 20 seconds of inactivity"

The FTP server disconnects idle connections. In FileZilla, go to Edit > Settings > Connection and set "Timeout in seconds" to 60 or higher. Also enable "Send FTP keep-alive commands" under FTP > FTP Keep-alive.

"ECONNREFUSED - Connection refused by server"

Your IP may be blocked by the server firewall (CSF). Visit my.ultrawebhosting.com to unblock your IP. If you recently had multiple failed FTP login attempts, that's the cause.

"530 Login incorrect" or "Authentication failed"

Wrong username or password. For your main account, use your cPanel username (not your email address). For additional FTP accounts created in cPanel, use the full FTP username (usually ftpuser@yourdomain.com). Reset the password in cPanel > FTP Accounts if needed.

"421 Too many connections from your IP"

Most FTP servers limit concurrent connections to 8-10 per IP. FileZilla's default is to open multiple simultaneous connections for faster transfers, which can hit this limit. Go to Edit > Settings > Transfers > set "Maximum simultaneous transfers" to 2 or 3.

Passive Mode Errors (FTPS Only)

If using FTP with TLS and getting "Failed to retrieve directory listing" or data connection errors, your firewall may be blocking the passive data ports. Fix: switch to SFTP (port 22) instead. If you must use FTPS, go to Edit > Settings > Connection > FTP > set "Transfer mode" to "Passive" (should already be default).

Uploads Show as 0 Bytes

This typically means the disk quota on your hosting account is full. Check your disk usage in cPanel. It can also happen if the transfer was interrupted. Delete the 0-byte file on the server and re-upload.

Permission Denied When Uploading

The directory you're uploading to may be owned by a different user (common after restoring backups or running scripts as root). Contact support to fix file ownership. You can also check by looking at the file permissions in your FTP client; if the owner doesn't match your cPanel username, that's the issue.

09. ASCII vs Binary Transfer Mode

FTP supports two transfer modes: ASCII and Binary. Choosing the wrong mode can corrupt your files, so it helps to understand the difference.

ASCII Mode

ASCII mode converts line endings during transfer. Windows uses CR+LF (carriage return + line feed), while Linux servers use just LF. ASCII mode translates between these so text files work correctly on both systems.

Use ASCII for:

• .html, .htm, .css, .js - web page files
• .php, .pl, .py, .cgi - server-side scripts
• .txt, .csv, .xml, .json - plain text and data files
• .htaccess - Apache configuration

Binary Mode

Binary mode transfers the file byte-for-byte with no conversion. This is essential for any file that is not plain text, because even a single changed byte can corrupt the file.

Use Binary for:

• .jpg, .png, .gif, .webp, .svg - images
• .zip, .tar.gz, .rar - compressed archives
• .pdf, .doc, .docx, .xls - documents
• .mp3, .mp4, .avi, .mov - audio and video
• .exe, .dll, .so - compiled programs

What Happens If You Use the Wrong Mode

How to Set Transfer Mode in FileZilla

1. Open FileZilla and go to Edit > Settings (or FileZilla > Settings on Mac)
2. Click Transfers > File Types in the left panel
3. Default transfer type should be set to Auto (this is the default)
4. ASCII/Binary auto-detect uses the file extension list below to decide. You can add custom extensions if needed

Quick Recap: FTP Setup in 5 Steps

If you only do 5 things from this guide, do these:

1. Use SFTP on port 22 - it's encrypted and works through firewalls reliably
2. Use your server hostname - webXXX.ultrawebhosting.com as the host
3. Save your connection - use Site Manager (FileZilla) or bookmarks to avoid retyping
4. Upload to public_html - that's where your website files go
5. Never use plain unencrypted FTP - always SFTP or FTP with Explicit TLS

Last updated March 2026 · Browse all FTP articles