How do I find my cPanel login details for the FTP manager?

Mac
1

I’m trying to upload files via FTP but I’m not sure which cPanel username, password, or port I should be using for the FTP manager. I’ve checked my hosting emails and the cPanel dashboard but I’m still confused about where the correct FTP credentials are shown or how to reset them. Can someone explain how to locate or set the proper cPanel FTP login details so I can connect from my FTP client?

2

Your web host usually treats cPanel and FTP like two doors to the same house. Different entrances, same keys.

When you first buy hosting, most providers spin up a default FTP account automatically. Nine times out of ten, that account uses the same username and password you use to log in to cPanel. Unless you’ve gone in and created extra FTP users, your cPanel login will usually just work in an FTP client.

Once you’re inside cPanel, there is a whole section just for FTP accounts. From there you can:

  • Create new FTP logins for yourself or a developer
  • Change or reset FTP passwords
  • Limit each account to a specific folder, so they cannot see your whole server
  • Remove old accounts you forgot you made years ago

So if you ever wondered where those FTP accounts come from, it is basically cPanel acting as the control room.

Connecting with an FTP client is like skipping the “pretty” hosting dashboard and walking straight into the server’s file system. When you plug your cPanel/FTP credentials into an FTP app, you get direct access to things like:

  • Your site’s media files and assets
  • Theme and plugin files (for WordPress and similar setups)
  • Core files you might need to edit or replace during troubleshooting

This is the route people take when:

  • A plugin update broke the site and you need to disable it manually
  • You want to bulk upload images, backups, or custom code
  • You are reorganizing folders or tweaking structure without waiting for a file manager in the browser to slowly refresh every click

Once you get used to it, doing this through FTP is faster and less annoying than going through the web-based file manager every time.

On macOS, I got tired of dragging stuff into the browser-based file manager and hoping it would not time out, so I switched to a dedicated app. If you want something that plays nicely with cPanel-based FTP logins, Commander One is worth a look:

What I like about that kind of setup is the dual-pane layout:

  • Left side: your local Mac files
  • Right side: the files sitting on your server

You can just drag from one side to the other, or edit and replace files without feeling like you are defusing a bomb. It is very visual, which helps if you are not a full-time dev but still need to poke around your site’s backend from time to time.

3 Likes
3

A couple of extra angles you can try that @mikeappsreviewer didn’t really dig into:

  1. Figure out what username format your host uses

Not every host uses the plain cPanel username for FTP, even if it looks like they do.

Common patterns:

  • yourcpanelusername
  • yourcpanelusername@yourdomain.com
  • something@yourdomain.com (especially if created under “FTP Accounts”)

Check in cPanel → FTP Accounts and look closely at the “Log in” column. That’s the exact username the FTP client wants, including any @domain.com part. People often miss that and only type the bit before the @, then wonder why it keeps failing.

  1. Check the real FTP hostname instead of guessing

Do not assume:

  • ftp.yourdomain.com is always live
  • or that your domain DNS is already pointing to this host

Look in:

  • cPanel home page (top/right or sidebar) for “Server Information,” “Shared IP,” or similar
  • Or your “Welcome” / “Account Information” email from the host

You’ll often see something like:

  • server123.hostingcompany.com
    That hostname usually works for FTP even if your domain is not pointed there yet. In your FTP client, try:

  • Host: server123.hostingcompany.com

  • Username: exact value from FTP Accounts (or your cPanel username)

  • Password: your cPanel password or the FTP password you set

  • Port: 21 for normal FTP or 21 with “Explicit FTP over TLS” if they force encryption

  1. Confirm what protocol your host actually supports

Hosts love to “simplify” things and then change defaults:

  • Some disable plain FTP and force FTPS (FTP over TLS)
  • Some steer everyone to SFTP (SSH File Transfer)

If SFTP is required:

  • Port will usually be 22
  • Username can be your cPanel username
  • Password is your cPanel password
    You will not use “FTP Accounts” in cPanel for SFTP unless the host explicitly says those accounts double as SSH.

Check your host’s support docs for one specific phrase:

“How do I connect via FTP / FTPS / SFTP?”

They’ll usually list exact port, protocol, and hostname in a table.

  1. Quick sanity test inside cPanel

To be sure the problem is not the password itself:

  • Go to cPanel → FTP Accounts
  • Create a new FTP user with a simple username like testftp and a strong password
  • Set the directory to /home/yourcpaneluser/public_html or root if allowed
  • Copy/paste both username and password into your FTP client
  • Try hostname:
    • ftp.yourdomain.com
    • and if that fails, the server hostname from your host email / server info

If that brand new account fails too, the issue is usually:

  • Wrong hostname
  • Wrong port / protocol type in the client
  • Or your host has a firewall / FTP restriction (some require “Passive mode” enabled in the FTP client)
  1. Make sure your IP is not getting blocked

This one bites a lot of people:

  • Multiple wrong logins in a row
  • Host’s security system blocks your IP silently

Signs:

  • You can’t even load cPanel or your site reliably from your network
  • FTP just times out instead of saying “Login incorrect”

Fixes:

  • Test from mobile hotspot or another network
  • If it suddenly works there, your main IP is probably blocked
  • Contact hosting support and ask, “Is my IP x.x.x.x blocked by the firewall?”
  1. Where to actually see the port info

Since you said you checked cPanel and emails and are still confused, look at:

  • cPanel → sometimes in the sidebar: “FTP Configuration,” “FTP Instructions,” or a canned config download for FileZilla / Cyberduck
  • If you see a button like “Configure FTP Client,” click it
    • It often shows:
      • FTP server: ftp.yourdomain.com
      • Port: 21
      • Security: “Explicit FTP over TLS” / “Plain FTP”

Even if you do not use the auto generated config, copy the settings manually into your FTP client.

  1. Tooling tip

Since you’re using cPanel, a dual-pane client like Commander One on macOS actually fits pretty nicely here, especially if you’re bouncing between local and server files a lot. It talks plain FTP, FTPS, and SFTP, so you can quickly test different connection types:

  • Host: server123.hostingcompany.com
  • Try protocol: FTP, FTPS, SFTP
  • Only change the port when you switch between FTP (21) and SFTP (22)

That kind of visual layout can help you catch little mistakes (like a typo in the username) faster than some cluttered file manager inside the browser.

  1. When all else fails

Since you already dug in emails and the cPanel dashboard:

  • Take a screenshot of:
    • The FTP Accounts page (hide passwords)
    • Any “Configure FTP Client” box
  • Open a support ticket with your host and say:
    • “Which exact username, hostname, port, and protocol should I use for FTP / SFTP? The details in my welcome email don’t seem to work.”

Honestly, in 90% of the messy cases the missing piece is:

  • You’re using ftp.yourdomain.com when the domain isn’t actually pointing to that server yet
  • Or you’re using the username without the @yourdomain.com part that their panel requires

Once those 2 are aligned, FTP usually stops being such a pain.

4

You’re not the only one confused here, cPanel loves to hide the obvious stuff in 5 different places.

@​mikeappsreviewer and @​voyageurdubois already covered the usual “use your cPanel login” and “check FTP Accounts,” so I’ll skip rehashing that and hit a few angles they didn’t really drill into.

1. Your cPanel login is not always your FTP login

Hosts love to be “special.” Some will:

  • Give you one username for cPanel
  • A slightly different one for FTP
  • And then display a totally different format in the FTP Accounts page

So instead of trying to guess, do this:

  1. In cPanel, use the search bar at the top and type: Configure FTP
  2. If a “Configure FTP Client” link appears (often under FTP Accounts), click it.
  3. That box usually shows:
    • Exact FTP username they expect
    • Server/host they want you to use
    • Port and security settings

That info overrides whatever you think the login should be.

2. Don’t trust the welcome email blindly

You said you checked your hosting emails. The problem: those are often generated when the server is first created. Things that may have changed since:

  • Server hostname changed
  • FTP switched from plain FTP to FTPS or SFTP
  • Default port stayed 21, but they now require encryption

So instead of relying on the email:

  • Googling: <your host name> FTP settings or SFTP settings
  • Make sure the doc you’re reading is recent, not a 2017 blog post

Often you’ll see something like:

  • FTP: Port 21, FTP over TLS required
  • SFTP: Port 22, using cPanel/SSH credentials

If you pick the wrong protocol in your FTP client, you’ll sit there forever thinking it’s a password issue.

3. Try a “known good” test combo

To narrow down what’s wrong, I’d do this exact test:

  1. In cPanel → FTP Accounts → create a new user:
    • Username: test (or whatever)
    • Copy the “Log in” value exactly (including @domain.com if it’s there)
  2. Give it full access to public_html for now (just for testing).
  3. Open your FTP client and try three hosts in this order:
    • ftp.yourdomain.com
    • yourdomain.com
    • The server hostname from cPanel’s “Server Information” (often something like cp123.host.com)

Use:

  • Protocol: FTP with “Explicit FTP over TLS” if available
  • Port: 21

If all three fail, your issue is probably not username/password but:

  • Wrong protocol (they may require SFTP/22)
  • Firewall blocking your IP
  • FTP disabled on the server

At that point, it’s faster to open a ticket than keep guessing.

4. Double check from another network

Everyone forgets this step. If your IP got auto-blocked:

  • FTP will time out or disconnect
  • cPanel might half-load or feel flaky
  • Ping to the server might fail

Quick test:

  • Try from a mobile hotspot / another Wi‑Fi
  • If FTP suddenly works, ask your host:

    “Can you check if my IP x.x.x.x is blocked on the firewall? I’m getting FTP timeouts.”

This has “I locked myself out” vibes written all over it for a lot of people.

5. Use a better client so you can actually see what’s happening

The built-in cPanel File Manager kind of sucks for diagnosing connection issues because it hides the protocol and ports from you.

On macOS, something like Commander One is actually handy here:

  • Supports FTP, FTPS, and SFTP
  • Lets you quickly flip between protocol 21 and 22 without re-creating everything
  • Dual-pane view so you see local on one side, server on the other

The key advantage right now for you is: when a connection fails, it’ll usually show a more detailed error, which tells you if it’s an auth problem or a protocol/port problem.

6. If you’re still stuck, ask support this specific thing

Hosts love vague tickets like “FTP doesn’t work” about as much as we do. To shortcut the back-and-forth, send them something like:

“Can you confirm the exact FTP or SFTP settings for my account?

  • Hostname
  • Protocol (FTP, FTPS, or SFTP)
  • Port
  • Correct username format
    Also, is my IP x.x.x.x blocked by your firewall?”

That usually gets you a copy-paste answer with the right details and saves you another night of trying every random port number from 1 to 65535.

TL;DR:
You’re not missing some magical “FTP manager password.” It’s almost always:

  • Confusion between protocol (FTP vs FTPS vs SFTP)
  • Username format not matching what cPanel shows
  • Or your IP quietly blocked after a few wrong tries

Once those three line up, your login will magically “start working” and you’ll wonder why it was so complicated in the first place.

5

Short version: stop hunting for some hidden “FTP manager password.” It’s almost always one of these three:

  1. Your host is using SFTP (port 22) instead of FTP (port 21).
  2. The username format is not what you expect.
  3. You’re connecting to the wrong host name.

Others already covered “use cPanel login” and “check FTP Accounts,” so here are a few different angles.

1. Check if you actually have SSH / SFTP

Some hosts quietly push everyone to SFTP:

  • In cPanel, search for SSH Access or Terminal.
  • If SSH is enabled, there’s a good chance your SFTP login is the same as cPanel:
    • Host: your domain or the server host shown in “Server Information”
    • Protocol: SFTP
    • Port: 22
    • Username/password: often your cPanel ones

If SFTP works and FTP keeps failing, they may have FTP disabled or heavily restricted. In that case, give up on FTP and just stick to SFTP.

2. Ignore the domain, try the server hostname

People focus on ftp.yourdomain.com, which can be broken or outdated.

In cPanel:

  1. Open Server Information.
  2. Look for something like cpanel123.host.net.
  3. Use that as the host in your FTP / SFTP client.

If that connects but ftp.yourdomain.com does not, the issue is DNS, not your password.

3. Test from inside cPanel itself

Tiny trick that avoids guesswork:

  • Go to FTP Accounts.
  • Next to an existing account, click Configure FTP Client if available.
  • Download the config file for FileZilla / similar, import it into your FTP client, then inspect what it set:
    • Exact username
    • Host
    • Port
    • Encryption

Even if you don’t use that exact client, this file shows how your host expects it to be configured.

4. When cPanel and FTP passwords diverge

I slightly disagree with the “9 times out of 10 it’s the same password” idea. Plenty of hosts let you change the cPanel password without syncing it to the main FTP/SSH user.

So if:

  • You changed your cPanel password recently,
  • FTP suddenly stopped working,

then:

  1. Reset the password of the main FTP account in cPanel → FTP Accounts.
  2. Use that fresh password in your FTP or SFTP client.

Treat them as separate until you know for sure they sync.

5. Use a client that actually tells you what’s wrong

The built‑in browser file managers are terrible at explaining failures.

On macOS, Commander One is decent for this, especially if you are not a full‑time dev:

Pros of Commander One:

  • Dual‑pane layout so local files and server files are side by side.
  • Supports FTP, FTPS and SFTP, so you can quickly flip protocols and ports to see which one your host accepts.
  • Shows clearer connection logs, which helps you see if the issue is password, protocol or port.
  • Works more like a traditional file manager, less clicking around than cPanel’s file manager.

Cons of Commander One:

  • macOS only, so not useful if you are on Windows or Linux.
  • Some advanced features sit behind a paid tier.
  • Interface can feel “busy” if you are brand new to FTP tools.

If you compare that to what @voyageurdubois, @codecrafter and @mikeappsreviewer mentioned, the key difference is that here you get an easier way to experiment with different protocols and see readable errors instead of just “Login failed.”

6. When to stop guessing and open a ticket

If you have tried:

  • Main cPanel username with SFTP on port 22
  • An explicitly created FTP account with FTP/FTPS on port 21
  • Both the domain and the server hostname

and they all fail, do this in a support ticket:

“Can you confirm my exact FTP / SFTP settings:
• Host name
• Protocol (FTP, FTPS or SFTP)
• Port
• Correct username format
Also, is my IP X.X.X.X blocked on your firewall?”

Once you have that, your FTP manager will work regardless of which client you pick.