How to add an FTP account in cPanel and Plesk

An additional FTP account gives a developer or team member access to your web hosting files without sharing your main login. This guide shows how to add an FTP account in cPanel and Plesk, limit it to one folder and, in cPanel, cap its storage.

Why add an FTP account?

Your main cPanel account is also an FTP login, and it reaches everything in your hosting account’s home directory. Additional accounts solve three access problems.

First, you can give a developer one project folder without exposing the rest. Someone working on your WordPress theme needs wp-content/themes, not your other sites or your mail.

Second, a quota stops one account filling your storage. You might cap a contractor uploading marketing assets at a small quota and keep the rest for your site.

Third, separate credentials are easier to retire. When a project ends, you delete that account instead of changing your main password and updating it in every service that uses it.

How do I give someone FTP access in cPanel?

You open the FTP Accounts tool, fill in the form and set the access limits. cPanel shows an Account Created message when the account is ready. The FTP Accounts tool is in the Files section.

The FTP Accounts option in cPanel’s Files section.

1. Log in to cPanel. Go to https://yourdomain:2083 and use your hosting account’s cPanel details. If your domain does not point at our server yet, use the server hostname instead (see the FTP client section below).
2. Open FTP Accounts. In the Files section, click FTP Accounts. The Add FTP Account form sits at the top, with your existing accounts listed below it.
3. Enter the login and domain. Type a name in Log In and choose the domain from the Domain menu. cPanel joins them into the full username, such as name@example.com.
4. Set a password. Enter it in Password and again in Password (Again), or click Password Generator to create a strong one. Save it in a password manager.
5. Check the directory. The Directory field starts at your home directory and fills in the domain’s document root followed by the account name, such as example.com/name. Replace it with the folder the account should open in, for example example.com/wp-content/themes. The account can reach that folder and its subfolders only.
6. Set the quota. Enter a number of megabytes in Quota to cap the storage the account can use, or leave the quota uncapped.
7. Create the account. Click Create FTP Account.

The FTP account creation form in cPanel.

The new account appears in the FTP Accounts table, with its path and how much of its quota it has used. Each account has links to change its password, change its quota or delete it, and one to configure an FTP client.

Below it, a separate Special FTP Accounts table lists your main cPanel account and a log account. You cannot change or delete those from this page.

The FTP accounts list in cPanel.

How do I give someone FTP access in Plesk?

You open the domain’s FTP tool, add the account and save it. Plesk confirms with a message at the top of the page. The first two screenshots show where to click.

The FTP tool on a domain’s Dashboard in Plesk.

The Add an FTP Account button in Plesk.

1. Log in to Plesk. Go to https://yourdomain:8443 and use your hosting account’s Plesk details, or the server hostname if your domain does not point at our server yet.
2. Select your domain. Open the domain you want the account for. This opens its Dashboard tab.
3. Open FTP. In the Files & Databases group on the Dashboard tab, click FTP, next to Connection Info, Files and Databases. The page is titled FTP Accounts of your domain and lists its existing FTP accounts.
4. Start a new account. Click Add an FTP Account above the list. The form is headed Add an Additional FTP Account.
5. Fill in the account details. Enter a name in FTP account name. In Home directory, enter the folder the account should open in, or leave it at /, the root of your subscription’s webspace, for the whole site. Enter a password in Password and again in Confirm password, or click Generate for a strong one. Show displays it so you can copy it.
6. Save the account. Click OK. Cancel discards the form.

The FTP account configuration form in Plesk.

A message reading Information: Additional FTP account was successfully created. appears at the top of the page, and the account joins the list.

The success confirmation in Plesk after creating an FTP account.

How do I connect to web hosting over FTP?

To connect to your web hosting over FTP, use the full username, such as name@example.com, and the password you set. cPanel suggests ftp.example.com as the host, but that name works only if your domain has a DNS record for it. If it does not resolve, use your server’s hostname instead. You can find it as Server Name in your client area: choose Services, then Manage on the service. Our guide to connecting to cPanel hosting with FileZilla shows the settings in a client.

Can an FTP sub-account use SFTP?

No. In cPanel, an additional FTP account connects over FTP only. Only your main cPanel user can use SFTP, so an encrypted connection means using that login, not a sub-account. It appears under Special FTP Accounts on the same page.

Keeping your accounts tidy

Review the list from time to time and delete accounts nobody uses. To manage files in your browser instead, see our guide to using the cPanel File Manager.