How to Create and Manage FTP Accounts in cPanel

Introduction

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) allows you to upload, download, and manage your website’s files using tools like FileZilla, Cyberduck, or other FTP clients. With cPanel, you can create multiple FTP accounts — each with custom access to specific folders — making file management more secure and organized.

This guide walks you through creating, managing, and connecting to FTP accounts from cPanel.

1. What is an FTP Account?

An FTP account lets you securely connect to your web server and perform file operations. Each account can be:

• Tied to a specific directory

• Given custom login credentials

• Set with storage quotas (optional)

You might want to:

• Give team members or developers file access

• Limit access to specific folders (e.g., /public_html/client1)

• Separate access for backup tools or apps

️ 2. How to Create an FTP Account

1. Log in to your cPanel

2. Scroll to the Files section

3. Click on FTP Accounts

4. Fill in the following fields:

   • Log in: The username (e.g., user1)

   • Domain: Select the domain (e.g., @kirods.com)

   • Password: Enter a strong password or use the generator

   • Directory: Set the folder the user should access (default auto-fills)

   • Quota: Limit storage size (or set to Unlimited)

5. Click Create FTP Account

✅ Done! You now have a working FTP account.

3. Understanding the Directory Field

By default, cPanel sets the directory like:

You can change this to:

• public_html → full access to site files

• public_html/blog → restrict access to only the blog folder

• backups/ → give a tool access to backup files

Use this to control who can access which parts of your hosting.

4. How to Connect Using FTP Client (e.g., FileZilla)

Use this info to connect:

• Host: yourdomain.com

• Username: the full FTP username (e.g., user1@kirods.com)

• Password: the one you created

• Port: 21 (default for FTP)

• Protocol: FTP — or SFTP if your host supports it

FileZilla users: Go to File > Site Manager to save this info for easy future use.

️ 5. Manage or Delete FTP Accounts

To manage existing accounts:

1. Go to FTP Accounts in cPanel

2. Scroll to FTP Accounts list

3. From here you can:

   • Change password

   • Change quota

   • Delete the account

   • Configure FTP Client (download config file for FileZilla, CoreFTP, etc.)

❌ 6. Delete an FTP Account (Optional)

1. Click Delete next to the account

2. Choose whether to delete files inside that user's directory (optional)

3. Confirm deletion

⚠️ Be careful: Deleting files along with the account is irreversible.

Tips & Best Practices

• Use unique usernames for each person or tool

• Set strong passwords to protect access

• Limit access by assigning only the necessary directories

• Monitor usage through the FTP Connections tool in cPanel

• Use SFTP (FTP over SSH) if your host supports it for better security

✅ Conclusion

Creating and managing FTP accounts in cPanel helps you safely organize how users and tools access your website files. With a few clicks, you can give restricted or full access, making your web environment more flexible and secure.