Internet, Networking, & Security Web Development How to Upload Your Website Using FTP by Jennifer Kyrnin Freelance Contributor Jennifer Kyrnin is a professional web developer who assists others in learning web design, HTML, CSS, and XML. our editorial process LinkedIn Jennifer Kyrnin Updated on July 20, 2019 Tweet Share Email People Images/Getty Images Web Development CSS & HTML Web Design SQL Web pages can't be seen if they are only on your hard drive. Learn how to get them from there to your web server using FTP (File Transfer Protocol). FTP is a format for moving digital files from one location to another over the internet. Most computers have an FTP program you can use, including a text-based FTP client. But it's easiest to use a visual FTP client to drag and drop files from your hard drive to the hosting server location. Difficulty: AverageTime Required: 5 minutes How to Upload Files Using an FTP Client In order to put up a website, you need a web hosting provider. Make sure that your provider offers FTP access to your website. Contact your hosting provider if you aren't sure.Once you have a hosting provider, you need some specific information: (You can get this information from your hosting provider if you aren't sure what it is.)Your usernamePasswordThe hostname or URL where you should upload filesYour URL or web address (especially if it's different from the hostnameMake sure your computer is connected to the internet and that your WiFi is working.Open an FTP client. As mentioned above, most computers come with a built-in FTP client, but these can be hard to use. It's better to use a visual style editor so you can drag and drop your files from your hard drive to your hosting provider.Following the instructions for your client, put in your hostname or the URL where you should upload your files.If you try to connect to your hosting provider, you should be prompted for a username and password. Enter them in the space provided.Switch to the correct directory on your hosting provider.Select the file or files you want to load onto your website, and drag them to the hosting provider pane in your FTP client.Visit the website to verify that your files uploaded correctly. Tips Don't forget to transfer images and other multimedia files that are associated with your website, and put them in the correct directories.It can often be easiest to just select the entire folder and upload all the files and directories at once. Especially if you have fewer than 100 files. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit