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 SFTP tab.
- Press Turn on file access. On some sites you choose a username and press Create User instead.
- Copy the username and password straight away. 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 host shown on the SFTP tab |
| 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 gives you a new one straight away, and the old one stops working.
- Turn access off when the work is done if the tab offers Turn off access and 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 SFTP tab says file access is not available for the site, open a ticket and we will tell you what the site's hosting allows.