Creating an FTP Account on SiteGround (and When to Use SFTP)

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SiteGround’s File Manager covers most day-to-day file jobs in the browser. A desktop client connected over FTP or SFTP is the better tool when you’re moving lots of files, resuming a large upload, or giving someone file access without sharing your SiteGround login.

On SiteGround, those are two different setups with different trade-offs, and it’s worth knowing which is which before you create anything. Details are from SiteGround’s knowledge base, checked in September 2026.

FTP Account or SFTP: Which Do You Need?

The key point: on SiteGround, SFTP doesn’t use your FTP account. SFTP connects with an SSH key, which reaches every file on the site. An FTP account can be locked to a single folder, but plain FTP isn’t encrypted. So:

• For your own work, use SFTP with an SSH key. It’s encrypted, and you need access to everything anyway.
• For someone who only needs one folder, an FTP account limited to that folder is the safer choice, as long as you delete it when the job is done.

Creating an FTP Account

1. In Site Tools, go to Site › FTP Accounts.
2. Enter an Account Name. SiteGround adds your domain to it, so the full username looks like [email protected].
3. Enter a strong, unique Password, or generate one.
4. Click Create.

Limit It to One Folder

By default, the account can reach the whole site. To restrict it, open the account’s menu (the three dots) and choose Change Home, then pick the folder they should work in:

Who	Sensible home folder
A photographer uploading images	public_html/wp-content/uploads
A designer delivering a child theme	public_html/wp-content/themes/your-child-theme
A developer fixing one plugin	public_html/wp-content/plugins/that-plugin

The same menu lets you Change Password, set a storage Quota, rename, or Delete the account.

Connecting With an FTP Client

Open the account’s menu and choose FTP credentials. It shows the hostname, username, and port to use. Enter them in a client like FileZilla or Cyberduck, along with the password you set.

If your client offers an encrypted option such as “Require explicit FTP over TLS,” try it first; if it connects, you’re protected from password snooping on public networks. If it doesn’t, avoid using plain FTP on public Wi-Fi.

Connecting With SFTP Instead

1. In Site Tools, go to Devs › SSH Keys Manager and create a key, or import a public key you already have.
2. From the key’s Actions menu, open its credentials to see the hostname and username.
3. In FileZilla or Cyberduck, choose SFTP, use port 18765, and point the client at your private key file.

Create a separate key for each person who needs this access, so removing one person doesn’t lock out anyone else. Our SSH guide covers the same credentials for terminal use.

Two Things That Commonly Go Wrong

• Uploading into the wrong folder. WordPress lives in public_html. Files uploaded one level above it won’t appear on the site. If your FTP account’s home is already a subfolder, paths in your client start from there.
• Overwriting a live file without a copy. Before replacing a theme or plugin file, download the current version first, or take a backup. Our guide to backing up and restoring on SiteGround covers restoring a single file if you need to.

When the Work Is Done

Delete the account from Site › FTP Accounts the day the job ends, or delete that person’s SSH key. An FTP account nobody uses is just a password waiting to leak. For other ways to share access, such as collaborators and WordPress users, see sharing SiteGround access safely.

FAQ

What’s Next

For anyone comfortable with a command line, SSH is a faster way to manage the same files, and it unlocks WP-CLI for WordPress tasks.