FTP stands for "File Transfer Protocol", (which honestly isn't that important to know). What is important is that you know it's something that is quite useful and even necessary to upload/download files from your computer to your account on your web host.

Getting Started

The most popular FTP software available is from the open source software project FileZilla, that is distributed free of charge at https://filezilla-project.org. From here, you will choose the "Download FileZilla Client" button to download and install it on your computer. Simply install it as you would any program. Once it's installed, open Filezilla and create a profile by add your web hosting account credentials (Note: You can use the Quick Connect fields, however if you plan on using it again, it's best to simply create a profile that can be saved).

1. Go to FILE > SITE MANAGER.
2. Select the "NEW SITE" button.
3. Type a name to identify your site (this is only for your reference).
4. Type your Host. This information would be provided by your web hosting company.  Often however, it's something like ftp.wpdoityourself.com
5. Change "Logon Type" to "Normal"
6. Add your FTP User Name *Usually this is your cPanel User Name
7. Add your FTP Password *Usually this is your cPanel Password
8. Occasionally you may need to know a Port number to add, but this is far less common. The default for FTP is: 21, The default for SFTP is: 22. These would only need to be changed in the event that the host uses ports other than these.
9. Additionally, there are instances where you may need to change the default Protocol from FTP to SFTP (ask your web hosting company if this is the case)
10. Finally, in most cases, the default setting for Encryption is adequate "Use explicit FTP over TLS if available", however if you're unable to connect, check with your hosting provider.

You'll see two halves to the FileZilla program. The left-half displays files located on your computer and the right-half displays display the files that are located on your web host account. Updating a file on your computer allows you to upload it to your hosting account to over-write the file on the server with any changes you've made.

• To transfer files and folders from your local computer to your hosting account:
  1. Drag them from the left panel to the right panel.
  2. Or select files and folders you want them to be uploaded to your hosting account and click on the right mouse button and choose "Upload" to upload the selected files and/or folders.
• To transfer files and folders from your hosting account to your local computer:
  1. Drag them from the left panel to the right panel.
  2. Or select files and folders you want them to be downloaded to your computer and click on the right mouse button and choose "Download" to download the selected files and/or folders to your own computer.