How to Upload Website Files to Plesk

If you have a website built on your local computer (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, etc.), you need to upload those files to Plesk so they are accessible on the internet. This guide covers all the methods available for uploading website files to your Plesk hosting account.

Method 1: Upload via Plesk File Manager

The Plesk File Manager lets you upload files directly from your browser without needing FTP software.

1. Log in to Plesk.
2. Go to Websites & Domains → click your domain.
3. Click Files.
4. Navigate to the httpdocs directory (this is your website root folder).
5. Click Upload.
6. Select the files or folders from your computer and upload them.
7. Wait for the upload to complete.

Tip: If you have many files, compress them into a single .zip file first, upload it, then extract it in Plesk. This is much faster than uploading files one by one.

Method 2: Upload and Extract a ZIP Archive

1. Go to Websites & Domains → your domain → Files.
2. Click Upload and select your .zip archive.
3. Once uploaded, click the archive file.
4. Click Extract Files.
5. If files with the same names exist, check Replace existing files to overwrite them.
6. Click OK.

Method 3: Upload via FTP (FileZilla)

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is faster for large websites or when you need to upload files frequently.

1. Download and install FileZilla from filezilla-project.org.
2. Open FileZilla and enter the connection details:
   • Host: Your server IP address or ftp.yourdomain.com
   • Username: Your FTP username (found in Websites & Domains → FTP Access).
   • Password: Your FTP password.
   • Port: 21
3. Click Quickconnect.
4. In the Remote panel (right side), navigate to httpdocs.
5. In the Local panel (left side), navigate to your local website files.
6. Drag and drop files from Local to Remote to upload.

Importing Files from a URL

1. Go to Websites & Domains → your domain → Files.
2. Click Upload → Import file via URL.
3. Enter the URL of the file you want to download (e.g., https://example.com/file.zip).
4. Click Import. Plesk will download the file directly to the server.

Important Notes

• Your website files must be placed in the httpdocs directory to be publicly accessible.
• The main page of your website must be named index.html or index.php.
• The maximum file upload size via File Manager is typically 2 GB. For larger files, use FTP.
• If uploading a .zip file, always extract it after uploading — the zip file itself is not a website.
• FTP is the recommended method for large websites or frequent uploads.

Troubleshooting

Upload fails halfway through:

• Your internet connection may have dropped. Check your connection and try again.
• The file may be too large for the File Manager upload limit. Use FTP instead.

Website shows "Index of /" instead of your site after uploading:

• Ensure your main page file is named index.html or index.php and is in the httpdocs directory.
• Check that you did not upload files into a subdirectory by mistake.

FTP connection refused:

• Ensure FTP access is enabled for your domain. Contact your hosting provider if you cannot connect.
• Verify you are using the correct FTP username and password from Websites & Domains → FTP Access.

"Not enough disk space" error:

• Your hosting account has reached its disk space limit. Delete old files, empty mailboxes, or ask your hosting provider to increase your storage.