Downloading your website files directly via FTP is one of the most reliable and straightforward backup methods, it works regardless of your control panel (cPanel, DirectAdmin, or none) and gives you a complete copy of your files exactly as they sit on the server. This guide uses FileZilla, which is free and available for Windows and Mac.
What you'll need
- FileZilla, download free from filezilla-project.org
- Your FTP hostname, username, and password, find these in cPanel under Files → FTP Accounts, or in DirectAdmin under FTP Management. Your welcome email also contains these details.
Connecting to your hosting account via FTP
- Open FileZilla.
- In the Host field at the top, enter your domain name or FTP hostname (e.g.
ftp.yourdomain.com). - Enter your FTP Username and Password.
- Leave Port blank (FileZilla will use port 21 by default) or enter 22 for SFTP (please check your hosting details as custom SSH might apply to your service).
- Click Quickconnect.
Once connected, the right-hand pane shows your server files. You'll see your website files inside the public_html folder.
Downloading all your files
- In the right-hand (server) pane, navigate to your home directory if not already there.
- Right-click on the
public_htmlfolder (this contains all your website files) and select Download. - In the left-hand (local) pane, FileZilla will save the files to whichever folder is currently open on your computer. Choose somewhere easy to find, such as your Desktop or a dedicated Backups folder.
- FileZilla will start downloading all files. You can watch progress in the bottom panel.
Large sites: If your site has lots of images or media files, this can take a while. FileZilla will show you the transfer speed and estimated time remaining in the status bar at the bottom.
What about databases?
FTP only downloads files, your database is stored separately and cannot be downloaded via FTP. To back up your database, use one of these methods alongside your FTP backup:
