File Transfer Protocol, usually shortened to FTP, is one of the different protocols used to share files between computers. In some cases, users will need to use FTP to upload and install WordPress on their server. In other cases, the server host may already have WordPress available.
To use FTP, users must first download an FTP client. This software allows users to log in to their server and then transfer files from their computer to the server and vice versa. Many of these FTP clients are free to download and use. They are also designed to be fairly simple to learn.
WordPress hosts often provide users with FTP access so that it’s easier and faster to upload files to the server or download files to archive. WordPress users may need to FTP additional files to use plugins or other extras, too. For example, those who need to modify the functions.php file for their WordPress theme will need to use FTP to download the file.
FTP can also be used as an emergency way of accessing a WordPress site. If the site has been compromised or is repeatedly crashing due to corrupted or missing files, administrators may be able to FTP into the site and replace missing or corrupted files.
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