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March 08, 2010

cPanel Tutorial – How to Create an FTP Account in cPanel

Due to it's user-friendly interface, virtually any task can be executed with ease within cPanel. However, there are many people that are completely unfamiliar with various internet terms and site navigation in general. To these individuals, even the term “user-friendly” raises a question mark. If you feel you are in this category, then you'll be glad to know that this tutorial is going to explain everything the process of setting up an FTP account in detail. Rather than the usual step-by-step instructions, which are a bit too concise and evasive, we'll be using a paragraph format that will go through the entire process.

Now that you have paid for your web hosting account, you'll be able to use cPanel to access all of your site's administrative functions. One such function is FTP setup.

What is FTP?

FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, and it is essentially the method used to upload content to your site. Instead of uploading files individually, you'll be able to upload hundreds of files to your website with ease using an FTP client.

How Does an FTP connection Work?

The FTP client establishes a connection between your website's server and your hard drive, making it easy to update your site. In order to establish the connection with your site's server, you need to create an FTP account in your web hosting account. Once the FTP account is created, you'll be given a set of login credentials that you can use with your FTP client.

What is an FTP Client?

An FTP client is a local program that you download to your computer just like any other application. Once the FTP program has been downloaded to your computer, you can use the credentials given by your web host to connect to your web server and upload and download files form your website. If you are worried about the cost of an FTP client, don't be. In fact, they are often free! Most people use a popular FTP client like FileZilla.

I have my FTP client and I know what it is. Now how do I set it up with my hosting account?

Go to your control panel (in this case cPanel). Now look for a section that says “Files.” This section will let you manage every aspect of your website's files, including all FTP functionality. Click on the link that says “FTP Accounts.”  At the top of the interface you'll see the option to create a new FTP account. In many cases your host will have already created on for you. You can view your existing FTP accounts by scrolling down and viewing the table of your existing FTP accounts. To create a new account simply fill out the forms with the required information (such as Username and Password) and then hit create FTP account. You're done! Now just use the login information provided and login to your FTP account in your FTP client (in this case FileZilla).

Tags: FTP setup,  FTP connection,  FTP client,  ftp account,  Filezilla,  new FTP account,  cPanel Tutorials,  file transfer protocol