How to Access the File Manager in Managed WordPress Hosting with Godaddy
Many websites these days are using WordPress as their primary content management system, and for good reason. WordPress is a popular and free content management system (CMS) that’s highly flexible enough to handle any type of blog or website. What’s more, web hosting companies have recognized the value of WordPress and have made it easier for anyone to get started with a brand new blog or website. That’s because web hosting companies like Godaddy offer managed WordPress hosting, which allows you to upload and manage your WordPress sites with the click of a button.
Now, if you’re an avid WordPress user or site owner, you no doubt know how frustrating it can be when trying to manage your files via FTP (more on this in a bit). Fortunately, WordPress comes with a built-in file manager that makes it easy enough to navigate your site’s files without needing FTP or web-based file managers like Dreamweaver. All you need is the click of a button to edit your site’s content or add more content to it. This built-in file manager within WordPress is called “File Editor” and it’s accessed by clicking the “Files” icon in the dashboard.
The Purpose of the File Manager
The main purpose of the file manager within WordPress is to make it easier for you to access and navigate your site’s files. Since WordPress is a content management system that can live anywhere on the web, having a built-in file manager makes it much easier for you to update and manage your site’s content because it’s all in one place. You don’t need to go hunting down files on different servers via FTP anymore. Simply click on the “Files” icon in your WordPress dashboard to access the file manager, and you’ll be taken to a list of all your active files.
The Difference Between FTP and the File Manager
WordPress itself is simply a collection of files, so let’s dive into the details of what makes the file manager different from FTP. FTP stands for “File Transfer Protocol,” which is a method of moving files from one location to another. For example, if you have a desktop computer with the FTP software installed on it, and you want to upload a folder containing all of your blog’s content to your server, you would use the FTP software to do this. When using FTP, you’re moving files manually between your computer and server. Contrast this with the file manager within WordPress, which is a tool that makes it easy for you to access and manage your site’s content.
How to Use the File Manager
Once you’re in the file manager within WordPress, you’ll see a list of all your active files on the right side of the window. This is different from the dashboard itself, which shows you everything from your site’s most recent blog post to your email contacts. To the left of the file manager window, you’ll see a navigation menu with three options:
- Browse
- My Sites
- Help
Let’s take a closer look at each option.
Browse
When you click on the “Browse” menu item, you’ll be taken to a list of your site’s folders and their contents. From here, you can click on any of the folders to go directly to that location. You can also use this option to add or remove folders from your site’s root directory (the place where your WordPress install is located). If you’ve ever used a traditional FTP program, then this option should be familiar to you since it’s essentially the same as choosing a folder to upload to. Just remember that with the file manager, you don’t need to upload entire folders to access the files within them. You can simply click on the file and be taken to that location directly.
My Sites
The My Sites option allows you to manage sites that you’ve created using WordPress. You can add new sites by clicking on the “+” button at the top of the window, and then configuring the details of the new site as desired. Once you’ve added a new site, you can click on the site’s name in the navigation bar to go directly to it from this point onwards.
Help
The Help option within the file manager will be familiar to anyone who’s ever used a WordPress FAQ (frequently asked questions) page. This is where you can find the answer to almost any question you might have about using WordPress. Also, from this point onwards, when you click on the Help option in the navigation bar, you’ll be taken to a page with a search bar where you can search for whatever information you might be looking for.
Accessing Files via FTP
Now that you’re familiar with the file manager within WordPress, let’s take a quick look at how you would go about accessing your site’s files via FTP. First, if you haven’t already done so, log in to your WordPress dashboard and then click on the “Files” icon in the top right corner. From here, you’ll see all of your active files along with their locations. To the left of the dashboard, you’ll see a row of three horizontal navigation buttons:
- Browse
- My Sites
- Help
Let’s take a closer look at each navigation option.
Browse
This option will take you to a place where you can see a list of all the folders and files on your server. Normally, you would use this option to either upload a folder containing all of your site’s content to the server or to download a folder that’s already on the server. Let’s say, for example, you want to upload the contents of your Desktop Folder to your server. You would click on the “Browse” option in the navigation bar, and then click on the “Desktop” folder icon. This will open up a new window that contains all of the files on your Desktop computer.
There are a couple of things to note about this option:
- You can’t see any folders that are above the root directory (where WordPress is installed).
- The root directory is case-sensitive, so make sure that the case is correct when naming folders or directories (such as lowercase vs uppercase letters).
- You must use FTP to access files via the Browse option. If you try to use the file manager to access files via FTP, you’ll get an error message.
My Sites
This option is pretty self-explanatory. It takes you to a place where you can see all the sites that you’ve created using WordPress. To the left of this option, you’ll see a row of three horizontal navigation buttons:
- Browse
- Tools
- Help
Let’s take a closer look at each one.
Browse
This option is exactly like the “Browse” option in the dashboard itself, which we just discussed. You’ll see a list of all the folders and files on your server. Normally, you would use this option to either upload a folder containing all of your site’s content to the server or to download a folder that’s already on the server. Let’s say, for example, you want to upload the contents of your Desktop Folder to your server. You would click on the “Browse” option in the navigation bar, and then click on the “Desktop” folder icon.
There are a couple of things to note about this option:
- You can’t see any folders that are above the root directory (where WordPress is installed).
- The root directory is case-sensitive, so make sure that the case is correct when naming folders or directories (such as lowercase vs uppercase letters).
- You must use FTP to access files via the Browse option. If you try to use the file manager to access files via FTP, you’ll get an error message.
Tools
This option will take you to a place where you can access all your site’s back-end tools. Normally, you would use this option to access the WordPress dashboard or the TwentyFourteen theme to make changes to your site. Let’s say, for example, you want to change the look of your site using the TwentyFourteen theme. You would click on the “Tools” option in the navigation bar, and then click on “Themes” in the drop-down menu.
There are a couple of things to note about this option: