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Recommended FTP Clients

Use an FTP/SFTP client to transfer and manage files on your Ultra service. This guide explains how to configure FileZilla and WinSCP with FTPS, SFTP password authentication, or SFTP key authentication.

Ultra supports the following secure file-transfer protocols:

FTPS
Protocol: FTP - File Transfer Protocol
Encryption: Require explicit FTP over TLS
Port: 21

SFTP
Protocol: SFTP - SSH File Transfer Protocol
Port: 22

SFTP is recommended for most users, particularly when paired with SSH-key authentication. FTPS is also supported. Transfer performance can vary according to your client, local connection, network route, server load, and transfer pattern.

Plain FTP is not supported: Use explicit FTPS on port 21 or SFTP on port 22.

Prepare Your Connection Details

Log in to the User Control Panel.
Select your Ultra service.
Open the Connect tab.
Copy the displayed hostname or service IP address.
Copy your Ultra service username.
Click Change password beside SSH access if you have not set an SSH/FTP password.
Set and securely store the password.

Use your service credentials: Enter your Ultra service username and SSH/FTP password. Do not enter your Client Area email address or Client Area password.

For SSH-key authentication, complete the Public Key Authentication guide before configuring your client. Your Ultra service stores the public key, while the client uses the corresponding private key stored on your device.

Configure FileZilla

FileZilla is a free FTP/SFTP client for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It supports explicit FTPS and SFTP.

FileZilla includes:

Support for interrupted-transfer resumption.
Transfer queue management.
Configurable speed limits.
A tabbed interface.
Support for FTPS and SFTP.

Limit parallel transfers: Excessive simultaneous transfers can increase disk I/O and reduce performance, particularly on shared HDD services.

Install FileZilla

Open the official FileZilla download page.
Select the download for your operating system.
Open the downloaded file.
Follow the installation prompts.

Add a Site

Open FileZilla.
Select File → Site Manager.

Click New site.
Enter a descriptive name for the connection.

Select one of the following configurations.

Configure FTPS

Enter the following values:

Protocol: FTP - File Transfer Protocol
Host: <hostname-or-service-IP-from-UCP>
Port: 21
Encryption: Require explicit FTP over TLS

Logon type: Normal
User: <your-Ultra-service-username>
Password: <your-SSH/FTP-password>

Replace the hostname, username, and password placeholders with the values from your UCP Connect tab.
Click Connect to test the connection or OK to save it.

Configure SFTP With a Password

Enter the following values:

Protocol: SFTP - SSH File Transfer Protocol
Host: <hostname-or-service-IP-from-UCP>
Port: 22

Logon type: Normal
User: <your-Ultra-service-username>
Password: <your-SSH/FTP-password>

Replace the hostname, username, and password placeholders with the values from your UCP Connect tab.
Click Connect to test the connection or OK to save it.

Configure SFTP With a Private Key

Complete the Public Key Authentication guide before using this configuration.

Enter the following values:

Protocol: SFTP - SSH File Transfer Protocol
Host: <hostname-or-service-IP-from-UCP>
Port: 22

Logon type: Key file
User: <your-Ultra-service-username>
Key file: <path-to-your-private-key>

Select the private-key file stored on your device.
Enter the private-key passphrase when prompted.
Click Connect to test the connection or OK to save it.

Keep your private key secure: Never upload, share, email, or paste your private key into your Ultra service. Only add the matching public key to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys.

Protect Saved Passwords

If FileZilla asks how to store passwords:

Select Save passwords protected by a master password.
Enter a strong, unique master password.
Store the master password in a password manager.
Click OK.

See Protect Your Applications With a Strong Password for password guidance.

Connect to the Site

Click the arrow beside the Site Manager icon.
Select the site you created.

Enter your master password if prompted.
Review any certificate or SSH host-key prompt before continuing.
Confirm that the displayed hostname matches the hostname in your UCP Connect tab.
Continue only if this is the expected Ultra host.

Review security prompts: Do not accept a certificate or SSH host key without checking the hostname. Stop and contact Ultra support if a previously saved certificate or host key changes unexpectedly.

After connecting, FileZilla displays files from your device on the left and files from your Ultra service on the right.

Show Hidden Files

Some files and directories begin with a dot, such as .config. These items may be hidden by default.

Open FileZilla.
Select Server.
Enable Force showing hidden files.
Hidden files and directories should now appear in the remote file list.

Configure WinSCP

WinSCP is a free, open-source FTP/SFTP client for Windows. It supports FTP, FTPS, SFTP, SCP, WebDAV, and S3.

WinSCP includes:

A graphical file manager.
SFTP and FTPS support.
Directory synchronization.
An integrated text editor.
Scripting and automation support.
PuTTY integration.

Install WinSCP

Open the official WinSCP download page.
Download the Windows installer.
Open the installer.
Follow the installation prompts.

Add an FTPS Site

Open WinSCP.
Select New Site.
Enter the following values:

File protocol: FTP
Encryption: TLS/SSL Explicit encryption
Host name: <hostname-or-service-IP-from-UCP>
Port number: 21

User name: <your-Ultra-service-username>
Password: <your-SSH/FTP-password>

Replace the hostname, username, and password placeholders with the values from your UCP Connect tab.
Click Save.
Enter a descriptive name for the site.
Click OK.

Add an SFTP Site With a Password

Select New Site.
Enter the following values:

File protocol: SFTP
Host name: <hostname-or-service-IP-from-UCP>
Port number: 22

User name: <your-Ultra-service-username>
Password: <your-SSH/FTP-password>

Replace the hostname, username, and password placeholders with the values from your UCP Connect tab.
Click Save.
Enter a descriptive name for the site.
Click OK.

Add an SFTP Site With a Private Key

Complete the Public Key Authentication guide before using this configuration.

Select New Site.
Enter the following values:

File protocol: SFTP
Host name: <hostname-or-service-IP-from-UCP>
Port number: 22

User name: <your-Ultra-service-username>
Password: <leave blank>

Click Advanced.
Go to SSH → Authentication.
Locate Private key file.
Click the browse button.
Select the private-key file stored on your device.
Click OK.
Click Save.
Enter a descriptive name for the site.
Click OK.

Select the private key: WinSCP must use the private-key file stored on your device. Do not select or upload the public-key file.

Connect to the Site

Double-click the saved site.
Enter your password or private-key passphrase if prompted.
Review the SSH host-key prompt.
Confirm that the hostname matches the hostname in your UCP Connect tab.
Click Yes only if this is the expected Ultra host.

Stop if the host key changes unexpectedly: Do not continue if WinSCP warns that a previously saved host key has changed and you were not expecting a service migration or server change. Confirm your connection details or contact Ultra support.

After connecting, WinSCP displays your local files and the files on your Ultra service.

Show Hidden Files

Files and directories beginning with a dot may be hidden by default.

Use either of the following methods:

Press Ctrl+Alt+H to toggle hidden files.

Alternatively:

Select Options.
Select Preferences.

Select the Panels category.
Enable Show hidden files.
Click OK.

Hidden files should now appear in gray.

Use Advanced Transfer Clients

The graphical clients above are recommended for most users. Consider rclone or LFTP for scheduled transfers, scripts, and other advanced workflows.

Use rclone

rclone supports scheduled transfers, synchronization, and command-line automation.
When connecting to Ultra with the rclone FTP backend, use explicit FTPS:

Host: <hostname-or-service-IP-from-UCP>
Port: 21
Use FTPS over TLS (Implicit): false
Use FTP over TLS (Explicit): true

See Rclone FTPS for complete configuration instructions.

Use LFTP

LFTP supports command-line transfers, scripting, parallel downloads, and segmented downloads.
See the LFTP guide for installation and usage instructions.

Troubleshooting

If the client cannot connect:

Confirm that the hostname or service IP matches the UCP Connect tab.
Confirm that you are using your Ultra service username rather than your Client Area email address.
Use port 21 only with explicit FTPS.
Use port 22 for SFTP.
Confirm that plain, unencrypted FTP is disabled in the client.
Reset your SSH/FTP password from the UCP if password authentication fails.
Wait 10–15 minutes before retrying if repeated failed login attempts triggered a temporary IP restriction.
Confirm that the selected private key matches a public key in ~/.ssh/authorized_keys.
Do not accept an unexpected certificate or SSH host-key change.
Reduce simultaneous transfers if transfer performance decreases.
See FTP Troubleshooting Information for additional solutions.

If you require further assistance, you can open a support ticket here.