Uploading Files to Windows Hosting: FTP, File Manager and What Is Different

You can put files on your Windows Hosting plan in two ways: the File Manager in StackCP for quick edits, and FTP for uploading whole sites. This guide covers both, plus the details that are different from Linux hosting.

Your FTP details

1. Log in to your FimuroHost client area at https://app.fimurohost.com.
2. Open Services and select your Windows Hosting plan (Starter, Premium or Business).
3. Click Login to Control Panel. StackCP opens for that website, already signed in.
4. On your site's management page, open FTP Details. Note the host, username and password.

SFTP (file transfer over SSH) belongs to our Linux hosting, where SSH is available. On Windows Hosting, use FTP with TLS encryption.

Unlock FTP first

For security, FTP is locked by default. In StackCP, find the FTP panel on your site's page and unlock it:

• By time – open for a chosen period, then it locks itself again;
• By IP address – open only for your current connection.

If your connection times out, the lock is the first thing to check. Mobile data and many home connections change IP address often, so you may need to unlock again.

Connect with FileZilla

1. Open FileZilla and go to File → Site Manager → New site.
2. Protocol: FTP. Host: from FTP Details. Encryption: Use explicit FTP over TLS if available.
3. Logon Type: Normal, then enter the username and password.
4. Click Connect. Accept the certificate prompt if FileZilla shows one for ftp.stackcp.com.

For a step-by-step with screenshots of the same process, see How to Connect to Your Website with FTP (FileZilla). WinSCP and Cyberduck work the same way.

Where to put your files

Upload into your site's web root, normally public_html. Upload the contents of your site folder so the home page (default.aspx, index.html…) and web.config sit directly in the web root. For ASP.NET, upload the published output (see How to Deploy an ASP.NET Framework Website), never the source project.

Using the File Manager

The StackCP File Manager is handy for:

• editing web.config or a page directly in the browser;
• uploading a handful of files without setting up FTP;
• creating folders (for example uploads or App_Data) and renaming or deleting files.

For a full site, a single .zip upload is much faster than thousands of small files. If the File Manager offers an Extract option for your package, upload the zip and extract it in place; otherwise upload the unzipped folder with FTP.

What is different on Windows

• File names are not case-sensitive. Logo.PNG and logo.png are the same file. You can't keep two files whose names differ only by case in the same folder.
• No chmod. Windows uses access control lists, so the permission options in FTP clients do nothing. See File and Folder Permissions for Uploads.
• .htaccess files are ignored. Use web.config instead.
• Some names are blocked by IIS. Visitors can't download files in bin, App_Data and App_Code, or files ending in .config, .cs or .mdb. That is deliberate, so don't put public downloads there.
• Replacing DLLs restarts the app. Upload to bin at a quiet time, or use an app_offline.htm page while you update.
• Binary vs ASCII. Leave FileZilla's transfer type on Auto or Binary. Forcing ASCII can corrupt DLLs and images.

Common problems

• Connection timed out. FTP is locked or your IP has changed; unlock again. Also try passive mode or another network.
• 530 Login authentication failed. Re-copy the username and password from FTP Details, without spaces.
• Uploaded but the site hasn't changed. You uploaded to the wrong folder, or your browser is showing a cached copy. Check the path and reload with Ctrl+F5.
• File fails half-way. Check your plan has free disk space, then retry the failed transfers from FileZilla's Failed transfers tab.

More fixes: FTP Not Connecting? How to Fix Common FTP Problems.

Need help?

If something doesn't work as described, open a support ticket from your client area or message us on WhatsApp at 01818160926. Tell us your domain name and the exact error message, and we will take it from there.