Guide

Getting started with a remote directory

The first success is a directory listing you recognize, not a finished upload.

DemonstrationSample fields only. Nothing is submitted.

Replace every example with the sheet from the server administrator. The hostname is often not the public website name.

The situation

You have an account and have not yet seen the remote directory. Stop there. Do not publish a site or schedule a script in the same sitting.

What to collect

Protocol SFTP, FTP, explicit or implicit FTPS, SCP, WebDAV, or S3.
Hostname Often different from the public website.
Account Username and the authentication method that is enabled.
Directory The folder you were assigned, if it is not the home directory.
Identity check SSH host-key fingerprint, or the TLS certificate name.

Install the application from its developer. This site does not host the installer. The software overview points at the official website.

Open the first session

Login dialog Select New Site if you are not editing a saved one.
Protocol For FTPS, choose FTP and then the TLS method. There is no separate FTPS entry.
Host and user Change the port only when you were given a different number. Leave the password empty if you use a key.
Login On the first SSH connection, continue only if the fingerprint matches. For FTPS or HTTPS, read the certificate the same way.
Path Compare the listing with the directory you were given before you drag a file.

Commander shows local and remote folders side by side. Explorer shows the remote folder. Either is enough if you can tell the sides apart.

Example session

The sketch above uses placeholders. A host might instead give you ftp.example.net, explicit FTPS, port 21, and public_html. Use their sheet.

What success looks like

The remote panel lists names and you can open a folder. No transfer is required. If you land in the home directory but were told to use a web root, navigate there first.

Common mistakes

Using the website name as the file hostname.
Choosing FTP because a note said “secure.”
Saving a password on a shared Windows account.
Uploading into whatever directory appeared.

Security

The first connection is when a substituted server can collect a password. Check the host key or certificate before you authenticate. Prefer SFTP, FTPS, or HTTPS over plain FTP. Do not type the password into this website.

If it does not connect

A long wait is usually the address, the port, or a firewall. A fast refusal means that port is closed. A password error means the network path worked. Those cases are in the error finder.

Winsaip is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the developers of WinSCP.