Getting Into Your Site's Files Over SFTP
Turn on file access for a site, connect with FileZilla or any SFTP program, and what the login can and cannot do.
SFTP lets you upload and download a site's files with a program like FileZilla, Cyberduck, Transmit or your code editor. Use it to add a custom theme, look at a plugin's files, or pull a copy of the uploads folder.
Turning it on
- Log in to the Reggio dashboard and open Websites, then the site.
- Go to the Files and logs tab.
- Under File access, press Turn on file access. We create the username for you.
- Copy the username and password straight away, then press I've saved these. The password is shown once. We keep no copy of it, so if it goes missing you reset it rather than look it up.
Connecting
Enter these in your SFTP program:
| Setting | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Protocol | SFTP (not FTP, and not FTPS) |
| Host | The Server shown under File access |
| Port | 22 |
| Username and password | The ones you saved when you turned access on |
When you connect you see the site's own folder, with WordPress inside it. You cannot reach any other site, or anything else on the server.
Good to know
- It is for files. Plan on SFTP for moving files, not for a command line. If you need WP-CLI, Composer or a database import run, open a ticket and we will run it.
- Repeated wrong passwords can get your connection blocked for a while. If you are suddenly refused, wait, then check the username and password carefully.
- Resetting the password with Reset password gives you a new one straight away, and the old one stops working.
- Turn access off when the work is done with Turn off access, if nobody else needs it. The password stops working and any open connection is closed straight away.
- Change files on staging first when you can. A mistake in a live site's theme file is visible to every visitor the moment you save it.
- Mind the uploads folder on a busy site. It is usually by far the biggest thing there. Download only the months you need rather than all of it.
If the site's page has no Files and logs tab, or File access says it is not available, open a ticket and we will tell you what the site's hosting allows.