How to Download Website Files Using FTP
Need to access your website's files offline or want more control over your content? Learn how to download website files using FTP easily. This step-by-step guide will walk you through the process of using FileZilla to transfer data between your local computer and your website.
In this article, we will discuss:
FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
It's important to know the fundamentals of File Transfer Protocol (FTP) before downloading any content from websites. File transfers between hosts are accomplished via the common protocol known as FTP. It is an important tool for managing and maintaining websites since it can be used to upload and download files from your local computer to the server of your website and vice versa.
FileZilla is one of the most recommendable FTP clients, with an easy-to-use interface and well-developed features. It lets you manage several different transfers of files easily, navigate around the local and server-side directories of files, pause a file transfer, and resume it whenever possible.
To make things easier, you can use automated backup systems like Codeguard. Codeguard automatically backs up your website by creating regular copies, so you don't have to do it yourself. You can schedule automated backups for daily or weekly intervals, and the system will handle them.
Download Website Files
Several benefits include Website security and downloading website files. Regular downloads create copies of all your essential data and files, a safety net against a server crash, hacking attack, data loss, accidental deletions, or any other disaster. Downloads prevent data loss and give access to information offline. Further, downloading will give better organization and make access easier for others in the future.
Note: It's important to have your website actively hosted with us. This is one of the main prerequisites to the following task. An FTP (File Transfer Protocol) must also be set up.
Follow the steps below to begin downloading website files:
- Log in to your account via https://www.web.com/my-account/login.
- On the left side of the page, select Hosting.
- In the FTP & Content Publishing section, select FTP Account Manager.
- Once you are redirected to the FTP Account Manager dashboard, copy the FTP Server, as you will need this to access the server through FileZilla.
- Open FileZilla.
- In FileZilla, you will need to enter the following details in the field provided.
- Host – Type the FTP server that you copied in step four.
- Username – Type in the username associated with the FTP account you set up.
- Password – Type the password for the FTP account that you set up.
- Port – In this field, type "21" without the quote marks.
- Click Quickconnect once all the fields have been filled out.
- Click OK once a pop-up message shows up.
- Your website files should be visible on the right side of the page after successfully entering your FTP account, as shown in the screenshot below.
Important: The files on the left side of the page, referred to as the Local site, are located on your local computer, while the files on the right side, referred to as the Remote site, are located on your website. - Select the location where you wish to keep the website files on your local system. Click Desktop, for instance, if you wish to move all website files to your desktop.
- Hover your cursor over the directory containing the website files to initiate the download process. Click Download after that.
- As soon as the download starts, you can check its progress using the box below.
- At the bottom part of the page, you can find the following tabs.
- Queued files – Website files that are pending to be transferred to your local computer.
- Failed transfers – Website files that failed to transfer to your local computer.
- Successful transfers – Website files that have been successfully transferred to your local computer.
- After the download is finished, you may view all of the transferred website files by going to the destination folder on your local computer.
Review
Now you are ready to download website files by FTP following these easy steps. This way, you can access your content offline to create and apply changes, and thus, you may as well perform a website backup. Make sure to save your downloaded file in a safe directory on your local hard drive. With FTP and FileZilla, handling your website's content will become easier and less intimidating. If you have FTP issues, check our guide on FTP FAQs and Troubleshooting.