How to Configure CuteFTP

There are many different ways you can establish a connection using CuteFTP. The video below will show various ways you can make a connection.

A trial version of CuteFTP is available and can be downloaded from http://www.cuteftp.com/.

Step 1: Gather your FTP credentials

To establish a connection using CuteFTP, you will need to collect the following information:

FTP Host/Address: Use your Shared IP address or server hostname.*
FTP Username: Use your cPanel / complete FTP username.**
FTP Password: Use your cPanel / FTP password.
Port: Use 21, or you can leave it blank.***

*Your FTP host can be your HostGator account's shared IP address, server, or domain name. Before using your domain name as your FTP host, make sure that your domain is connected to your HostGator account.

**When you purchase your hosting account, a default FTP account is created for you. You will need your cPanel username and password to connect to your default FTP account. You can also create your own FTP account in your cPanel if you wish. For Optimized WordPress plans, you can create an FTP account via your Customer Portal.

***The port will automatically default to 21 if left blank. Please note that only VPS/Dedicated hosting has root access. To connect via FTP using root, it must be a secure connection. You need to set the protocol to SFTP within your FTP client if you want to use port 22 (secure connection).

Please visit the following article to know where to locate your FTP logins.

FTP Getting Started

Step 2: Configure a connection

The quickest and easiest way to establish a connection between a local machine (the computer you are connecting from) and a remote server (the computer/server you are connecting to) using CuteFTP is through the connection bar at the top of the screen. If you would like to save a connection for later, use the Site Manager tab.

To establish a connection using your CuteFTP application:

Enter the correct IP address/server/domain name into the Host field.
Enter the correct FTP username into the Username field.
- If connecting via an additional FTP account, make sure to use the full FTP username (ex: [email protected]).
Enter the correct password for the user previously entered.
Enter port 21 for FTP and port 22 for Secure FTP (SFTP).
To finalize the FTP connection, click the connection icon to the right of the port field.

To establish an SFTP connection, you need to use the cPanel username or the root user for VPS/Dedicated hosting.

You should now be successfully connecting to your HostGator server using CuteFTP. You will now want to learn how to manage your files using CuteFTP.

Need additional assistance? HostGator's Support is here to help. Please contact us via phone or chat so we can assist!

CuteFTP Article Series

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