Managing FTP Accounts in DirectAdmin
Summary
This guide explains how to create, manage, and remove FTP accounts in DirectAdmin. FTP accounts allow users or applications to upload, edit, and manage files on your hosting account.
Overview
The FTP Management section lets you create additional FTP logins, assign them to specific folders, reset passwords, and remove accounts. This is useful for developers, designers, or automated systems that need file access without giving full control of your hosting account.
Requirements
- DirectAdmin user-level access
- At least one active domain
- An FTP client (FileZilla, WinSCP, Cyberduck, etc.) for connecting
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Access FTP Management
- Log in to DirectAdmin
- Go to Account Manager → FTP Management
2. Create a New FTP Account
- Click “Create FTP Account”
- Enter a username
- Choose the domain (if multiple exist)
- Set a strong password
- Select the access level:
• Domain — access to the domain’s main folder
• FTP — access to a specific folder
• User — access to the user’s home directory
• Custom — manually choose a folder
- Click “Create”
3. Connect to FTP Using an FTP Client
Use the following settings in your FTP client:
- Host: yourdomain.com or server IP
- Username: the full FTP username (example: user@yourdomain.com)
- Password: the password you created
- Port: 21
- Encryption: Explicit FTP over TLS (recommended)
4. Change an FTP Password
- Go to FTP Management
- Find the account in the list
- Click “Change Password”
- Enter a new password
- Save changes
5. Delete an FTP Account
- Go to FTP Management
- Locate the account you want to remove
- Click “Delete”
- Confirm deletion
Warning: Deleting an FTP account does NOT delete the files it had access to.
Troubleshooting
Cannot Connect to FTP
- Ensure you are using the full FTP username (user@domain.com)
- Try switching between Passive and Active mode in your FTP client
- Confirm port 21 is not blocked by your firewall
- Use the server’s IP instead of the domain if DNS is not propagated
Incorrect Login Details
- Reset the FTP password in DirectAdmin
- Ensure no spaces or hidden characters are copied into the password field
Uploads Failing or Timing Out
- Switch to Passive Mode in your FTP client
- Check file permissions in File Manager
- Ensure disk space limits are not exceeded
FTP Shows Wrong Folder
- Edit the FTP account and verify the assigned directory
- Delete and recreate the account with the correct folder path
Related Articles
- File Manager
- Domains
- Subdomain Management
- System Information