Folders & Permissions

An FTP client presents the files available to its authenticated user. Folder permissions determine what that user can read or change; root and home folder settings determine the paths presented in the session. A successful login does not itself grant file access.

Root and Home Folders

The user's FTP/SFTP Client Root Folder appears as /, restricting navigation to that folder and its descendants. The FTP/SFTP Client Default Home Folder chooses where the session starts, without creating a separate access boundary. If a Client Root Folder is set, the default home must be inside it. These settings help clients or scripts start at the path they expect without granting access to the site's actual root.

The shared FTP/SFTP Folder Settings reference covers their defaults and configuration. For layouts other than User Root, the FTP root and home settings do not change the view in the web interface, native apps, or API. With User Root, the same root path defines the user's view across protocols; the default home remains FTP- and SFTP-specific.

Deleting the configured FTP root does not clear it from the user account. The next FTP login recreates an empty folder at that path, without recovering its deleted contents or directly assigned permissions. Choose an existing root or grant the access the recreated folder needs.

Missing Upload Folders

By default, Files.com does not create a missing parent folder when an FTP client uploads to a new path. Create the destination first, or ask a Site Administrator to enable Automatically make folders on uploads if they don't exist in the site's FTP service settings. The same setting applies to SFTP uploads.

Some FTP clients expect automatic parent creation and do not report a missing-folder failure clearly. Enabling the setting can support automated systems that generate dynamic paths without creating each folder first. It also changes how mistakes appear: a misspelled destination can create an unintended folder instead of producing an error, leaving files outside the path another system expects.

Keep automatic creation off when failed uploads are an important signal that a destination is wrong, or when a controlled structure determines retention and processing. Folder structure locks can protect particular branches while other parts of the site permit automatic creation. Choose the scope around the workflow's need for flexible paths or strict structure.