File Manager and SFTP: Two Ways Into Your Files

Last updated September 6, 2026

Two ways into your files, and both are complete. The file manager runs in the panel and handles everything from a one-line edit to rebuilding a folder structure, with nothing to install. SFTP connects the client or editor you already use, if you would rather work in your own tools.

Use either. Use both. They see the same files.

File manager: In the panel, nothing to install
SFTP: Any SFTP client, port 22
Encryption: Always on, both ways in
Where: Panel → File Manager, or SFTP

The File Manager

Open your hosting account and choose File Manager, then Open File Manager. It opens in a new tab, already signed in.

What it does

Everything you would expect of a desktop file client, in the browser:

Browse and search	Move through your whole account, and search for a file by name from wherever you are.
Edit in place	Open a file, change it, save it. No download, no re-upload.
Upload and download	Single files or whole folders.
Zip and unzip	Compress a folder to move it, or unpack a theme or plugin archive straight into place.
Copy, move and rename	Reorganise without a round trip through your computer.
New files and folders	Create them where you need them.
Permissions	Set the read and write bits on a file or folder when something needs it.
Delete	Files and folders, with the usual care.

Unzipping is worth calling out, because it is the thing that saves the most time: a 40 MB theme archive uploads once as a single file and unpacks on the server in seconds, where the same theme sent file by file over a connection from your house takes minutes and can fail halfway.

Always open it from the panel. The link signs you in and is single-use, so a saved copy of it will not work later. That is what lets it open without a password to type or store.

Where things are

`public_html`	Everything your main website serves. WordPress lives directly in here.
`domains/`	One folder per additional website, named after its domain.

So a theme on your second site is at domains/yourshop.com/public_html/wp-content/themes/, and on your main site at public_html/wp-content/themes/.

SFTP

If you already work in an SFTP client or an editor that saves to the server, connect it. Choose SFTP in the panel; everything your client asks for is on that one screen.

Set a password first

Press Set SFTP Password. No SFTP password exists until you choose one, so a first attempt to connect before this will be refused.
Put the details into your client

Protocol SFTP, the host and username shown on the screen, port 22, and the password you just set.
Leave the remote folder empty, or set it to /

You start inside your own account, so a full path like /home/sites/something is not where you are. Some clients treat a starting folder they cannot find as a fatal error, which is the “connects and then immediately disconnects” case.

If it will not connect

Press Check my connection. It asks the server itself whether everything this account needs is in place, and tells you which part is not, which is faster than working backwards from an SFTP client’s error message.

Everything here is encrypted

Both ways in are encrypted end to end: the file manager over HTTPS, SFTP over SSH. There is no plain FTP on these servers, because plain FTP sends your password across the internet in the clear and anyone between you and us can read it.

If your client is set to FTP or FTP over TLS it will not connect. Set it to SFTP, which every client below supports, on port 22.

SFTP clients we like

macOS

Cyberduck, free, and the one we point people at first. Clear, native, and hard to point at the wrong protocol.
Transmit, paid, if you move files all day. Fast on large transfers with a proper two-pane view.
FileZilla, free and cross-platform. Choose “SFTP – SSH File Transfer Protocol” in the Site Manager.

Windows

WinSCP, free, and the one we point people at first. Defaults to SFTP, has a built-in editor, and its error messages are the most useful of any client we have supported.
FileZilla, free. Download it from the official site and pick “SFTP” in the Site Manager.

If you write code

VS Code with an SFTP extension saves straight to the server as you work, which beats download-edit-upload for anything you are iterating on. Point it at the same settings.

Which one should I use?

Whichever is in front of you. Both reach every file. As a rule of thumb:

Job	Easiest in
Edit a line of `wp-config.php`	File manager
Install a theme or plugin from a zip	File manager, which unpacks it on the server
Find a file when you have forgotten where it is	File manager search
Fix permissions on a folder	File manager
Work from your own editor	SFTP
Sync a folder you are actively developing	SFTP

Take a backup before you edit anything you are unsure of. A missing semicolon in wp-config.php or a theme file makes every page blank. A manual backup takes a minute and is the difference between an undo and an evening.

Questions

What is my SFTP password?

Whatever you set on the SFTP screen. None exists until you set one, and it is stored in a form we cannot read back, so set a new one if it is lost.

Can I give a developer their own login?

Open a ticket telling us what they need to reach and we will sort it out with you.

Can I edit files without installing anything?

Yes. The file manager edits and saves in the browser, on any machine you happen to be at.

Why can I not see the rest of the server?

Because your account is sealed off from everything outside it. That is the same boundary that keeps every other account on the server out of yours.

Can I upload a whole theme as a zip?

Yes, and it is the fastest way. Upload the archive, then unzip it in place.

Does the file manager work on a tablet or phone?

It does. A large screen is kinder for long stretches of code, as it is everywhere.