SFTP with FileZilla or WinSCP: upload big files to your server

What SFTP is and when to use it

SFTP is an encrypted way of moving files between your computer and a server. It isn't FTP: it's a different protocol, and the program has to know it's SFTP or it won't connect.

Use it to move a lot at once: a world, a modpack, a mods folder. The panel doesn't upload whole folders (you have to compress them and use “Decompress”); with SFTP you drag the folder as it is.

Your SFTP connection details

On each server, “Advanced settings” → “SFTP”. They're there, each with its “Copy” button: the Server (also called host), the Port, the Username (your username, a dot and the server's ID) and the Password.

The SFTP password isn't your account password. Create it right there with “Create password” or in “My account” → “SFTP password”. It's the same for all your servers and is shown only once: copy it. If you lose it, create another; the old one stops working. If you'd rather use an SSH key, add it in “My account” → “SSH keys”.

Connecting with FileZilla

1. Download FileZilla Client

   Free, from filezilla-project.org. The “Client”, not the “Server”.

2. Fill in the top bar

   In “Host”, sftp:// and the panel's address, with the sftp:// in front: without it, FileZilla tries FTP and doesn't connect. Then the username, the SFTP password and the port.

3. Press “Quickconnect”

   The first time it asks whether you trust the server: accept.

4. Drag the files

   On the left, your computer; on the right, the server.

Connecting with WinSCP

1. Download WinSCP

   Free, for Windows, from winscp.net.

2. Choose the SFTP protocol

   In the login window that appears when you open it. Not FTP.

3. Paste your details

   Server, port, username and password, the ones from the panel. Connect and, the first time, accept the server's key.

4. Drag the files

   Your computer on one side and the server on the other, as in FileZilla.

Before uploading a world, stop the server

If it's running, the game saves over what you upload and can mix it up or overwrite it. Stop it, upload, and start it. If you're replacing a world, make a backup in “Backups” first.

The exact folder depends on the game: see how to move a Minecraft world, a Project Zomboid save, a Valheim world or a Hytale one.

If FileZilla or WinSCP won't connect

If it hangs or the connection is refused, check the port: it's the SFTP one shown in the panel, not the game's. And in FileZilla, make sure it has sftp:// in front. Some school, office or student-housing networks block unusual ports: if everything is typed correctly and it still won't connect, try over your phone's data.

If it says authentication failed, the password isn't your account's: create an SFTP one and paste it without spaces. Also check that the username has the dot and the server's ID. If you've created a new password, the old one no longer works on any server.

Frequently asked questions