[Screenshots] How to Upload Website and Files to SiteGround Tutorial

SiteGround Upload Website Files
SiteGround Upload Website Files

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There are a lot of situations where you need to upload files to your web hosting account. If you want to migrate your old website to a new web host then you need to manually upload the files first. Again, you might need to upload themes, plugins, modules etc. to your existing website.

So, it is better to know how to upload files to your web host. If you are a SiteGround web host user who is searching for this specific tutorial. Then we have good news for you. In this article, we will tell you how to upload single files and also entire websites to a SiteGround web host.

As always, we will also add screenshots to each step. So, roll your sleeves. And, let’s get to the main part.

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Upload Website Files on SiteGround

Uploading files via SiteGround cPanel File Manager:

First and foremost, we will let you know how to use the cPanel ‘File Manager’ function to upload files. So, let’s see.

  • Log in to cPanel dashboard of your SiteGround web host account
cPanel log in
cPanel log in
  • Now, scroll down until you find the ‘Files’ section. Under this section, you will find the ‘File Manager’ button. Click on the ‘File Manager’ button
‘File Manager’ button
‘File Manager’ button
  • In doing so, a new popup window will appear. You have to choose the particular domain name from the drop-down menu to which you want to upload the files. Normally, if you have only one domain then it will be selected by default. Also, you have to choose the ‘Web Root (public_html/www)’ folder; this is the default directory where you should upload the files to a website. Again, it will be selected by default normally. If it does not then change it as we showed in the screenshot below. After that click on the ‘Go’ button from the bottom to proceed
‘Go’ button
‘Go’ button
  • Next, a new tab will be opened. On the left-hand side, you will find all of the folders. And on the left side of the screen, you will find the files under any particular folders. Usually, you will see that the ‘public_html’ folder will be opened automatically. And you need to upload any files to this very folder
‘public_html’ folder
‘public_html’ folder
  • Alternatively, if you want to upload files in sub-directory then click on the ‘+’ button next to the ‘public_html’ folder which will bring out the sub-directories. Then open the specific sub-folder to which you want to upload the files
Sub-directories
Sub-directories
  • However, we are going to upload the files to the ‘public_html’ folder as this is usually the default folder to host website files. So, click on the ‘public_html’ first to select it (the background will be highlighted which will confirm that the ‘public_html’ is selected). Then click on the ‘Upload’ button from the top menu
‘Upload’ button
‘Upload’ button
  • Another new tab will be opened. Click on the ‘Choose File’ button from that new tab
‘Choose File’ button
‘Choose File’ button
  • After that, a new popup window will appear. Browse to the specific folder and select the file(s) you want to upload. Then click on the ‘Open’ button from that window and the upload will be started immediately
‘Open’ button
‘Open’ button
  • If you look at the bottom right corner of the screen, you will see the progress of the upload
Progress bar
Progress bar
  • After the upload is completed, click on the ‘Go back to “/home…’ button to return to the previous page
‘Go back to “/home…’ button
‘Go back to “/home…’ button
  • On the previous page, you will find the new file was uploaded successfully
Upload successful
Upload successful

Congratulations. You have learned the method of uploading files using the built-in file manager of cPanel. This is a great way to upload files which have a smaller size. You can try to upload bigger files using this method too. However, in some cases, some complications may arise. So, if you have a lot of files which are very big in size. This method may not come to your help. In that case, we don’t recommend this method.

For example, if you need to upload an entire website then you should use FTP clients instead of using this previous method to do that. You can follow the rest of the article to learn the method of using an FTP client.

How to use FTP clients to upload files:

In this part of the article, we will talk about how to upload website files using FTP clients. If you are not familiar with FTP client software. Then you should read our detailed guide on FTP (File Transfer Protocol).

If you want to upload multiple bigger files at once then you should use this method. There are a lot of advantages using an FTP software. You can pause/resume the upload using this method. Also, if you have a slow internet speed, then this can be very helpful for you.

There are a lot of FTP client softwares. Some of them are paid and also some are free of cost. Usually, the paid software come with more features than the free ones. But, if you are trying to just upload and download files to/from a website then the free ones work just well.

There are also some browser extensions available which can work as FTP clients. However, we do not recommend using a browser to upload files using FTP extension. Because this process is very slow and your browser might crash at some point. So, let’s see how to upload files using FTP clients.

For the purpose of this article, we will show you how to use ‘FileZilla’; an FTP software which is free and compatible with all of the major operating systems. It is also a cross-platform software. You can always use any other software if you want to. The whole system will be somewhat similar to this method even if you use other software. But, as FileZilla is the most popular one we will use that software to demonstrate in this article.

We will split this method into 3 parts. So that you can follow the entire method in step by step. Let’s go.

Part 1. Creating an FTP account on the SiteGround cPanel:

Before you do anything else you need to create an FTP account.

  • Log in to the cPanel of your SiteGround hosting account
cPanel log in
cPanel log in
  • Then scroll down to the ‘Files’ section and click on the ‘FTP Accounts’ button to proceed
‘FTP Accounts’ button
‘FTP Accounts’ button
  • On the next page, you will find the ‘Add FTP Account’ section where you have to enter some information to create an FTP account. We will now tell you what to enter to each of the boxes
‘Add FTP Account’ section
‘Add FTP Account’ section
  • Login: You can write anything here. We have used ‘demo’ as it will be a demo account
  • Password: You have to enter a strong password here. Your password must have at least 5 characters. And the password strength must be at least 70. You will see a password strength indicator below the password
Password requirements
Password requirements
  • If you can’t create a valid password. Then click on the ‘Password Generator’ button which will bring out an automatically generated password. Now, you have to copy the password and save it to someplace safe. You will need this password a lot of times later. Then click on the ‘I have copied…secure location’ button. Next, click on ‘Use Password’ button. That will automatically place the password in the respective box
‘Password Generator’ button
‘Password Generator’ button
'Use Password' button
‘Use Password’ button
  • Directory: The directory should be ‘public_html’
  • Quota: This should be ‘Unlimited’
The directory and Quota
The Directory and Quota
  • After you are satisfied with all of the information you have provided, click on the ‘Create FTP account’ button
‘Create FTP account’ button
‘Create FTP account’ button
  • Instantly, the account will be created. You will see a notification saying ‘Account Created’ on the screen
‘Account Created’
‘Account Created’
  • And you will find the account is listed under the ‘FTP Accounts’ section
‘FTP Accounts’ section
‘FTP Accounts’ section
  • Good to know: If you want to know the detailed configuration information about any particular FTP account. Then click on the ‘Configure FTP Client’ button which will bring out the important information about that account
‘Configure FTP Client’ button
‘Configure FTP Client’ button
  • Those useful information will be under the ‘Manual Settings’ section
Manual Settings
Manual Settings

As you have created a new FTP account. Now, we will describe how to connect the web server to your computer using this FTP account down below.

How to use ‘FileZilla’ to upload files:

  • First, Download ‘FileZilla’ on your PC (according to your operating system) from the official website
  • Then install it in your PC and run the software
FileZilla install
FileZilla install
  • The user-interface of the software will be like the image below. On the left-hand side, you will see the files of your computer. And on the right side of the screen, you will find the files of your web server
FileZilla user-interface
FileZilla user-interface

Now, you need to connect your PC using this software to your web server. You can connect in 2 different ways. We will show you both of the ways to do that. You can follow any one of them. Let’s begin with the first one.

Part 2. Establishing the connection between your PC and web server:

#1. Connect using ‘Quickconnect’:

  • The ‘Quickconnect’ bar will be at the top of the screen under the menus
Quickconnect bar
Quickconnect bar
  • You have to enter the ‘Host, Username, Password and Port in their respective places before you can use the ‘Quickconnect’ feature
  • If you don’t know this information, you will find them under the ‘FTP Accounts’ section on your cPanel account. So log in to the cPanel and click on the ‘FTP Accounts’ button and then click on the ‘Configure FTP Client’ button. You will find all of the required information under the ‘Manual Settings’ section
Manual Settings
Manual Settings
  • So, now you can fill in the blank boxes with appropriate information. First, the ‘Host’ will be similar to the ‘FTP Server’
‘Host’ will be the ‘FTP Server’
‘Host’ will be the ‘FTP Server’
  • Then the ‘Username’ will be similar to the ‘FTP Username’
‘Username’
‘Username’
  • The ‘Password’ would be the one you set when you were creating the account. We have told you to save that password. So, retrieve the password from the safe place and paste it there
The ‘Password’
The ‘Password’
  • Lastly, the ‘Port’ will be 21 by default
‘Port’ will be 21
‘Port’ will be 21
  • After that, you have to click on the ‘Quickconnect’ button
‘Quickconnect’ button
‘Quickconnect’ button
  • In doing so, a new popup window will appear. If you want to save the password for future then clicking the ‘OK’ button to proceed. You can also use a master password but we don’t recommend using that feature. As if you forget/lose the master password, it can’t be retrieved
‘OK’ button
‘OK’ button
  • Another pop-up window will appear. Add a check-mark next to the ‘Always tryst certificate in future sessions’ option. And, click on the ‘OK’ button to continue
‘Always tryst certificate in future sessions’ option
‘Always tryst certificate in future sessions’ option
  • Shortly, the connection between your PC and the web-server will be established. You will see the ‘status’ as successful. And along with that, you will notice some new folders have appeared on the right-hand side of the screen under the ‘Remote Site’ section, which means the connection is established
‘Remote Site’ section
Connection Successful

This method is effective if you are in a hurry. But, there is another method of connecting to your web server using ‘FileZilla’. In the next section, we will talk about that. You can follow either of these methods to connect to your web server.

But, if you use this second method, the software will remember all of the data you will provide prior to connecting. So, you won’t have to enter the data (username, password etc.) every time you want to connect.

#2. Connect using Site Manager:

  • From the ‘FileZilla’ software, Click on the ‘File’ button from the top menu. Then from the new sub-menu click on the ‘Site Manager’ button
Site Manager button
Site Manager button
  • A new window will appear. Click on the ‘New Site’ button from the left pane
‘New Site’ button
‘New Site’ button
  • Then type a name in the box on top of the screen. We have used ‘My new site’ as the name
‘My new site’
‘My new site’
  • Then on the right side of the screen, you have to set up some settings/options. First, click on the ‘Logon Type’ option and select ‘Normal’ from the drop-down menu
‘Logon Type’
‘Logon Type’
  • The ‘Protocol’ should be the default one which is ‘FTP…’
  • The ‘Encryption’ should be the default one which is ‘Use explicit FTP over TLS if available’
  • The ‘Port’ should be 21
  • The ‘Host’ should be similar to the ‘FTP Server’. So copy that and paste in the blank box
  • The ‘User’ would be the ‘FTP Username’
  • As usual, the ‘Password’ would be the one you used when setting up the FTP account in the first place
  • Finally, click on the ‘Connect’ button to proceed. The connection will be made within a few seconds. And you will be able to upload files after that
‘Connect’ button
‘Connect’ button

As you have learned how to connect to the web server using the ‘FileZilla’ software. Now, you will learn how to upload files using ‘FileZilla’.

Part 3. How to upload website files:

  • We assume that you have already established a connection between your PC and the web server
  • Now, as you know that the files of your computer are listed on the left side of the screen, right-click on the files you want to upload. And then click on the ‘Upload’ button to start the upload process.You can also just drag the file from the left-hand side of the screen and then drop it to the right-hand side of the screen to upload via drag and drop function. Additionally, you can upload multiple files if you want to. Just, select the files which you want to upload by holding the CTRL/COMMAND key on your keyboard. Then similarly, right-click on the file(s) and click on the ‘Upload’ button. Or, just drag and drop the files from the left pane to the right pane
Upload files
Upload files
  • You will see the upload is in progress on the bottom of the screen
Progress bar
Progress bar
  • After the upload is completed, you will notice the files are already available under the ‘Remote Site’ section; which means the upload procedure is successfully completed
‘Remote Site’ section
‘Remote Site’ section

That’s it. Now, you know how to use FTP clients to upload files to the SiteGround web host.

Drawing the conclusion:

Uploading a file(s) to any website is pretty easy nowadays. We hope this article will make the situation easier for you in the future. If you follow this article then you won’t have any problem uploading any type of files. If this article helps you, don’t forget to share it with others.

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