Troubleshoot FTP issues

Before troubleshooting FTP access failures, verify that Dreamweaver and your operating system are updated. Access Dreamweaver updates by choosing Help > Updates and following the onscreen instructions.

Dreamweaver can use an FTP server to upload and download website information. You can set up an FTP server on the Servers category of the Site Setup dialog box. For additional information about setting up an FTP site, see the Help topic Set Options For FTP Connections. Click Test to verify connection information after setting up an FTP server. If you can't connect to your FTP server after entering the information, proceed to Verify FTP access.

Firewalls, routers, and other networking components can prevent you from accessing FTP servers. Use the information below to verify that you can access an FTP server before verifying your connection information. 

• Log in to a known FTP server
• Temporarily disable software firewalls
• Verify that a router is not preventing the connection
• Configure firewall or proxy settings

Adobe has provided an FTP server to verify that Dreamweaver can access an external FTP server. The login information provided below is for testing purposes only. Do not use the connection information below for your final site as Adobe has restricted the login for testing purposes. 

Important:  Adobe provides this test FTP server to verify your connection information. The account has extreme limitations applied and cannot be used to upload or host your website.

• The message “Dreamweaver connected to your Web server successfully” indicates that you successfully connected to the FTP server. To continue troubleshooting, proceed to Verify login credentials.
• If you were unable to log in to Adobe’s FTP server, proceed to Temporarily disable software firewalls.

Software firewalls restrict access to your computer and can prevent software from accessing the Internet. Numerous software firewalls prompt you when a program attempts to access the Internet.

• If disabling the software firewall resolves the issue, configure the software to allow Dreamweaver access to FTP. For steps on adding a program to the allowed list, see the firewall software documentation.
• If you can't locate the documentation to temporarily disable the software firewall, disable startup items and services. Most software firewalls are disabled using this process. For instructions on how to disable startup items and services, select your operating system from the list below.
• • Windows XP
  • Windows Vista/7
  • Mac OS X 

Routers can have built-in hardware firewall or proxy servers. To determine if a router is preventing Dreamweaver from accessing the FTP server, temporarily remove the router from the network. Connecting the computer directly to a DSL or cable modem eliminates the router. 

Many companies use a hardware firewall and proxy server that can prevent Dreamweaver from accessing an FTP server. A hardware solution applies to all computers within the corporate network. Most home networks do not use hardware firewall or proxy technology.  

Determine if your company uses a hardware firewall or proxy:

Login information is essential to connecting to an FTP site. Use the information below to verify your login information and make any necessary changes.

• Verify your FTP information 
• Log in with another FTP client
• Verify whether your SFTP server is supported
• Modify connection options
• Troubleshoot FTP log

Connecting to an FTP server requires an FTP address, port, login, and password. A root directory is required for some server configurations. This information is typically supplied by your web hosting service provider; verify all of this information with them. Below are tips to assist you in resolving problems with this information.

Use a standard web address or IP address for the FTP address. A web address is similar to eftp.adobe.com. An IP address appears as a set of four numbers separated with periods similar to 192.150.11.87. Web hosting service providers typically provide a domain name for your website such as www.adobe.com and a similar address for your ftp server such as ftp.adobe.com. 

Additional information that can assist you in connecting:

• Do not enter the ftp:// in front of the web address.
• If you were provided with a web address, enter the IP address rather than the web address. Contact your web hosting service provider or use the ping command to discover the IP address.

Web hosting service providers can provide a different port to access the FTP server. The port is a number that creates a channel between your machine and the FTP server. The default port (21 for FTP and 22 for SFTP) is most likely being used if no port number is specified. The web address can appear in the following format eftp.adobe.com:445, where eftp.adobe.com is the web address and the port is 445.  

The login name is the user name used to log in to your FTP server. This information is supplied by your web hosting service provider and cannot be the same login information as you use to access website information.  

The user name must meet the following requirements:

• No spaces
• Can only contain alphanumeric characters

The password is associated with your login name and can be any combination of characters without spaces. The password is case sensitive.

The root directory is the primary location within which your website is stored. Specifying the root directory redirects Dreamweaver to view this subfolder as the root of your website files. Your web hosting service providers supplies the root directory information, if necessary. Remove root directory information before proceeding if this step does not resolve the issue.

This list shows root directory entries that web hosting service providers typically use:

• /
• /[domain_name] (for example,  /www.mywebsite.org) 
• /html 
• /docs 
• /www 
• /public_html 

Logging in with another FTP client allows you to determine if the FTP server information is correct. Use any installed FTP client or an online solution. An example FTP client you can use is FileZilla. For installation and configuration information for FileZilla, see the product's documentation.

• If you are able to log in to the FTP server, proceed to the section, “Select/deselect Passive Mode.”
• If you can't log in to the FTP server, then the connection information is most likely incorrect. Contact your web hosting service provider to verify the information and the status of the service. 

Dreamweaver is unable to connect with certain SFTP servers. For additional information on what SFTP servers work with Dreamweaver, see Limitations with website hosting servers using Adobe Contribute and Dreamweaver  (kb406569).

Dreamweaver includes some additional configuration options that are sometimes required to connect to your FTP server. If the option is required, your web hosting service provider provides this information. Try the following configuration options to see if they resolve your connection issues.

Passive mode can help resolve FTP issues that firewalls cause, preventing the FTP server from opening a connection to your computer. When you use Passive mode, the connection is made from your computer to the server instead. 

IPv6 is a network protocol that extends the number of addresses available for networking. If it is required, this protocol requires that information is transferred differently across a network.  

Dreamweaver keeps a log of the commands it sends to the FTP server and its responses. Responses from the server can assist in diagnosing FTP issues. To view the FTP log, choose Window > Results > FTP Log. 

For more information on interpreting FTP log files, see Checking the FTP log (tn_14536). 

File Transport Protocol (FTP) is the most commonly used method for transferring files over the Internet. FTP has numerous security vulnerabilities despite its popularity. Secure FTP (SFTP) enables you to fully encrypt all file transfers and prevent unauthorized access to your data, files, user names, and passwords. While secure FTP is a different protocol than FTP, they share similar commands and settings. 

If you are not sure whether your server is running SFTP, check with your web hosting service provider.