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Upload your files with FileZilla

Last updated on Sep 16, 2026

FileZilla copies files from your computer to your server, the way you would drag files between two folders. It is free, and it works the same on Windows, Mac and Linux.

Before you start

You need your server's public IP address (the console shows it on the server's page; if it has none, see Give your server a public address) and the way you log in to it: either your SSH key file or the password you set when you created the server.

Download FileZilla Client from filezilla-project.org. Take the free "Client" version, not the Server version.

Connect

  1. Open FileZilla and choose File, then Site Manager, then New site. Name it after your server.
  2. Fill in the fields on the right:
    • Protocol: SFTP - SSH File Transfer Protocol. Do not leave it on FTP, which our servers do not accept.
    • Host: your server's public IP, for example 102.215.225.40. No http:// in front.
    • Port: 2200. This is not the usual 22. Our platform moves SSH to 2200 and blocks 22, so the standard port will simply hang.
    • Logon Type: Key file if you created the server with an SSH key, or Normal if you set a password.
    • User: the login name for your operating system. Ubuntu servers use ubuntu, Rocky Linux uses rocky, Debian uses debian. The Operating Systems page in the console names it for each image.
    • Key file: browse to the .pem file you downloaded when you created the key. On Windows FileZilla offers to convert it to its own format; say yes and keep the converted copy.
  3. Press Connect. The first time, FileZilla shows the server's fingerprint and asks whether to trust it. Tick "Always trust this host" and continue.

Your computer's files are now on the left, the server's on the right.

Where to put your website

The web server reads one folder, and only that folder. On Ubuntu and Debian it is:

/var/www/html

In the right-hand panel, type that path into the Remote site box and press Enter. Drag your files from the left panel into it. Your home page file must be named index.html (all lower case), or the browser will show a list of files instead of your site.

Upload the contents of your site folder, not the folder itself. If you upload a folder called website, your site will live at yourdomain.com/website instead of yourdomain.com.

"Permission denied" when you drag files in

This is normal on a new server: /var/www/html belongs to the system, and you are logging in as an ordinary user. Give yourself ownership once, and it stops for good. Connect to the server (see How to connect to your Cloud Server) and run:

sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /var/www/html

Then reconnect in FileZilla and drag the files again.

If FileZilla will not connect at all

  • It hangs, then times out: the port is wrong. It must be 2200.
  • "Too many authentication failures" or it keeps asking for a password: the user name is wrong for your image, or you picked the wrong key file.
  • "Connection refused": the server is off or still starting. Check the server's status in the console.
  • Everything looks right and it still fails: work through My server cannot be reached.

Next

Files on the server do nothing on their own. Next, set up your server so a browser can open your site.