SFTP Access and Uploads

One of the great things about Flywheel is that there is no need to share SFTP usernames and passwords with your clients or other people that collaborate on sites with you.

Everyone on Flywheel logs into the SFTP server using their own personal username and password, and from there they have access to all of the sites that they own or collaborate on.

Configure your FTP client

To access your site’s files via SFTP, configure your FTP client using the following settings:

Supported FTP clients

Flywheel supports all major FTP clients, including but not limited to:

• Transmit (Mac)
• Cyberduck (Mac)
• Filezilla (Mac / Windows)
• WinSCP (Windows)
• Forklift (Mac)
• And more!

For a nice comparison of SFTP clients, check out Wikipedia’s article: Comparison of FTP client software.

Connect to SFTP with Filezilla

FileZilla is an open-source FTP client available for Mac, Windows, and Linux. You can download it for free here.

1. Open FileZilla.
2. Enter sftp.flywheelsites.com in the Host field.
3. Your Username is the same as your Flywheel username (not your email address).
4. Your Password is typically the same as your Flywheel password. To set a new password visit Profile > Account, then click Set an SFTP password.
5. Enter 22 for the Port.
6. Click the Quickconnect button or press Enter to connect to the server.
7. Click Ok if you get a warning about an unknown host key.

Connect to SFTP with Transmit

Transmit is a popular FTP client for Mac. You can learn more about Transmit here.

1. Open Transmit.
2. Click on the Quick Connect tab.
3. Set the Protocol to SFTP.
4. Enter sftp.flywheelsites.com in the Address field.
5. Port should display 22 by default, if not, you can set the value manually.
6. Your User Name is the same as your Flywheel username (not your email address).
7. Your Password is typically the same as your Flywheel password. To set a new password visit Profile > Account, then click Set an SFTP password.
8. You can leave Remote Path blank.
9. Click on Connect or press Enter to connect to the server.
10. Click Ok if you get a warning about an unknown host key.

Connect to SFTP with Cyberduck

Cyberduck is an FTP client available for Mac and Windows. You can download it for free here.

1. Open Cyberduck.
2. Click on the Open Connection button.
3. Choose SFTP from the dropdown.
4. Enter sftp.flywheelsites.com in the Server field.
5. Port should be set to 22 by default, if not, you can enter the value manually.
6. Your Username is the same as your Flywheel username (not your email address).
7. Your Password is typically the same as your Flywheel password. To set a new password visit Profile > Account, then click Set an SFTP password.
8. You can leave SSH Private Key set to None.
9. Click on Connect or press Enter to connect to the server.
10. Click Ok if you get a warning about an unknown host key.

Connect to SFTP with Dreamweaver

Dreamweaver is a popular web design software from Adobe. It has an FTP client built right in – here’s how to connect a Dreamweaver site to your Flywheel site.

1. Open Dreamweaver.
2. In the main menu, select Site > Manage Sites.
3. Create a new site, or select an existing site and click the edit (pencil) icon.
4. In the Site Setup area, select Servers and add a new server or edit an existing server.
5. For Server Name, choose anything you like, usually the name of your site.
6. Connect using SFTP.
7. Enter sftp.flywheelsites.com for the SFTP address.
8. Port should autofill with 22.
9. Choose Username and Password for Authentication.
10. Your Username is the same as your Flywheel username (not your email address).
11. Your Password is typically the same as your Flywheel password. To set a new password visit Profile > Account, then click Set an SFTP password.
12. Clicking the Test button will test your connection to the Flywheel SFTP server.
13. For Root Directory, enter your Flywheel username, then a forward slash, followed by the site slug. You can also copy the path from your browser when on the site’s Flywheel dashboard, as shown:
    
    

    Note

    Organizations and Staging Sites:

    1. If the site is owned by an organization, the path is a little different. You’ll use “org-“, followed by the organization name, a forward slash, then the site slug. For example:
       /org-kurt-enpaste-agency/southpaw-scissors
    2. If you are using a staging site the path will end with staging_site, for example:
       /kurt-enpaste-agency/southpaw-scissors/staging_site

14. For Web URL, choose the domain that matches the primary domain on Flywheel, which may be a temporary domain. Keep in mind if you have SSL turned on, you should use the https:// protocol.
15. Click Save.

Password issues

You can view your username on your profile page in Flywheel.

To set a new SFTP password, click the Change SFTP Password button (shown in the image below). Or you can go directly to the Change your SFTP Password page to make the change.

Add SFTP files to the media library

Sometimes it’s helpful to upload media to your site via SFTP rather than via the WordPress® Media Library.¹ This is particularly helpful if you have:

• A large number of files to add
• A file with a large file size

If you want to store the files on your server, you can just upload them via SFTP and you’re all set! Just keep track of where you uploaded the file and this path will allow you to link directly to the file.

However, WordPress cannot “see” those files in the WordPress Media Library automatically. To allow those files to be available inside your Media Library, there are a few extra steps required.

Upload your files via SFTP

1. Using the SFTP client of your choice, upload the file from your computer to your Flywheel server.
2. Make sure the files are uploaded to the /wp-content/uploads folder.

Install the Bulk Media Register plugin

Since the Media Library is driven by media IDs created when files are added via the WP-Admin area, uploading files into the wp-content/uploads via SFTP won’t automatically add them to the Media Library.

Unlike WordPress, SFTP only interacts with the filesystem and not the database. However, we can add the files to the Media Library by using a plugin. We suggest Bulk Media Register.

1. Log into your WP-Admin area.
2. On the sidebar, navigate to Plugins > Add New.
3. In the search box, enter “bulk media register”.
   
4. Install and activate the plugin.

Select files to add to the Media Library

1. On the sidebar, navigate to Bulk Media Register > Select Register.
   
2. Select the files you wish to add to your Media Library, and click Register.
3. Depending on the amount and size of your files, it may take a few minutes for them to be imported.

View your files in the Media Library

Head back to your Media Library. The files that you uploaded via SFTP will now be there!

Need help?

If you’re still having issues, you can always contact Flywheel support and we’d be happy to help you reset your password or configure your SFTP client for access.