What is this pureftpd upload file?

If you have ever browsed your hosting account via FTP or cPanel File Manager and noticed a file named .pureftpd-upload sitting in one of your directories, you are not alone. This is one of the most common questions we get at Ultra Web Hosting, and the answer is simple: it is a temporary file left behind by an interrupted upload.

01. What Is a .pureftpd-upload File?

Pure-FTPd is the FTP server software that runs on Ultra Web Hosting's servers. When you upload a file via FTP, Pure-FTPd first writes the incoming data to a temporary file in the same directory as your target. This temp file has a name like .pureftpd-upload.XXXXXXX where the Xs are a random string.

Once the upload completes successfully, Pure-FTPd renames the temp file to your actual filename. This two-step process protects you from ending up with a half-written file if something goes wrong mid-upload.

02. Why It Appears

You will see these files when an upload did not finish cleanly. Common causes include:

• Connection timeout - Your FTP client lost the connection before the file finished transferring. This is especially common on large files or slow connections.
• Manual cancellation - You stopped an upload mid-transfer in your FTP client.
• Network interruption - Your internet connection dropped briefly during the upload.
• Client crash - FileZilla, WinSCP, or whatever FTP client you are using closed unexpectedly.
• Disk quota reached - Your account ran out of disk space during the upload, and the server could not finish writing the file.

03. Is It Safe to Delete?

Yes. These files are always safe to delete. They contain partial data from an incomplete upload, so they are not useful for anything. Deleting them will not affect your website, your databases, or any other files on your account.

How to Delete via cPanel File Manager

1. Log into cPanel - Go to my.ultrawebhosting.com and access your control panel.
2. Open File Manager - Click File Manager in the Files section. Make sure "Show Hidden Files" is enabled in Settings (top right).
3. Navigate to the directory - Browse to the folder where you see the .pureftpd-upload file.
4. Select and delete - Click the file, then click Delete. Confirm when prompted.

How to Delete via FTP

In FileZilla or any FTP client, make sure hidden files are visible (Server > Force showing hidden files in FileZilla), then right-click the file and delete it.

How to Delete via SSH

If you have SSH access, you can remove all leftover upload files at once:

find ~/public_html -name ".pureftpd-upload*" -delete

04. How to Prevent Leftover Upload Files

You cannot completely prevent these files from ever appearing since they are part of how FTP works, but you can reduce how often they get left behind:

• Use a stable connection - Wired connections are more reliable than Wi-Fi for large uploads.
• Increase timeout settings - Set your FTP client's connection timeout to at least 60 seconds.
• Limit concurrent connections - Too many simultaneous transfers can overload the connection. Set your FTP client to use 2-3 connections maximum. See our guide on changing concurrent connections in FileZilla.
• Use binary transfer mode - Make sure your FTP client is set to binary mode (not ASCII) for most file types. This avoids transfer errors on images, archives, and other non-text files.
• Check disk space first - Verify you have enough space for the upload. Check your disk space usage in cPanel before starting large transfers.

05. Related FTP Topics

If you are working with FTP on your hosting account, these guides may also be useful:

• How to Use FileZilla and Other Popular FTP Client Software
• FTP Root Directory and Account Structure
• Uploaded My Site But Cannot See It
• When I Upload an .htaccess File It Disappears

Quick Recap

1. .pureftpd-upload files are temporary - Created by the FTP server during file uploads
2. They appear when an upload is interrupted - Timeout, cancelled, lost connection, or full disk
3. Always safe to delete - They contain partial data and serve no purpose
4. Clean up via File Manager, FTP, or SSH - Use find command in SSH to remove all at once
5. Reduce occurrences - Increase timeout settings and limit concurrent connections

Helping thousands of users understand their hosting files · Last updated March 2026 · Browse all FTP articles