Help Centre › Plesk Panel › Managing FTP Accounts in Plesk
This files & ftp guide walks UK Plesk users through Managing FTP Accounts on Plesk Obsidian. Steps apply to any managed Plesk hosting plan — including smartxhosting.uk/web-apps where Plesk is bundled with EU data-centre hosting, free SSL, daily backups, WP Toolkit and UK business-hours support.
Why Create Additional FTP Accounts? · FTP Account Limits per Hosting Plan · How to Create an FTP Account · Restricting Access with the Home Directory · Modifying an Existing FTP Account · Removing an FTP Account · Security Best Practices for FTP · FAQ
File access options in Plesk:
- File Manager — browser-based file browser, upload, edit, archive, permissions. No separate client needed.
- FTP — traditional file transfer protocol. Plesk can disable in favour of SFTP for security.
- SFTP — SSH File Transfer Protocol on port 22. Encrypted and recommended for production.
- SSH / shell — direct command-line access (on plans that support it). smartxhosting.uk managed Plesk plans include SSH access.
For most UK SMEs, File Manager covers daily needs; SFTP for bulk uploads.
When you outgrow your current Plesk plan:
- Log in to smartxhosting.uk client area → Services → your hosting service.
- Click Upgrade / Downgrade and pick the higher-tier plan.
- Confirm the pro-rata price in GBP — UK VAT invoice follows.
- The upgrade applies within minutes; no migration needed (same server, more allocated resources).
For genuinely larger sites beyond shared hosting, web application hosting offers dedicated resources.
- Log in to Plesk and open the relevant section for this task.
- Select the target domain or subscription if multiple exist.
- Click the add / create / configure button as appropriate.
- Fill in the required fields. Plesk validates input and flags errors before submission.
- Save the change. Most configuration changes apply immediately; some (e.g. PHP version) take a minute to propagate.
- Verify the result — on smartxhosting.uk, confirmation e-mails are sent automatically for significant changes.
This section covers the practical aspects of managing ftp accounts in Plesk Obsidian for UK users.
The feature is accessed from the main Plesk panel — typically via a left-sidebar entry or a per-domain settings tab. Behaviour is consistent across Plesk Linux (smartxhosting.uk default) and Plesk Windows with minor path differences.
For managed Plesk hosting with UK support and VAT invoices, see smartxhosting.uk/web-apps. Under UK GDPR, include any personal data processed through this feature in your data-processing inventory.
File access options in Plesk:
- File Manager — browser-based file browser, upload, edit, archive, permissions. No separate client needed.
- FTP — traditional file transfer protocol. Plesk can disable in favour of SFTP for security.
- SFTP — SSH File Transfer Protocol on port 22. Encrypted and recommended for production.
- SSH / shell — direct command-line access (on plans that support it). smartxhosting.uk managed Plesk plans include SSH access.
For most UK SMEs, File Manager covers daily needs; SFTP for bulk uploads.
File access options in Plesk:
- File Manager — browser-based file browser, upload, edit, archive, permissions. No separate client needed.
- FTP — traditional file transfer protocol. Plesk can disable in favour of SFTP for security.
- SFTP — SSH File Transfer Protocol on port 22. Encrypted and recommended for production.
- SSH / shell — direct command-line access (on plans that support it). smartxhosting.uk managed Plesk plans include SSH access.
For most UK SMEs, File Manager covers daily needs; SFTP for bulk uploads.
- Keep Plesk updated — critical patches land monthly. On smartxhosting.uk this is managed automatically.
- Use the built-in Let’s Encrypt SSL on every domain — free, auto-renewing, and required for trust on UK consumer sites.
- Enable daily backups and test a restore once a quarter to confirm they work.
- Turn on Fail2ban and limit panel login to known IP ranges if you are the only admin.
- Choose the lowest-risk PHP version that still supports your application — PHP 8.3 is the current stable default.
- Document any non-standard settings (custom Apache directives, manually-tuned PHP-FPM) for continuity if your team changes.
- Under UK GDPR, include hosting logs and backups in your data-processing inventory.
Plesk hosting for UK businessesGet managed Plesk Obsidian hosting from
smartxhosting.uk/web-apps — EU data centres, UK VAT invoices, UK business-hours support, auto-SSL, daily backups and WP Toolkit included.
Q: Do I need a specific Plesk licence for this feature?
A: Most features described here are included on all managed smartxhosting.uk Plesk hosting plans. Advanced features (WP Toolkit Deluxe, Developer Pack) may require plan upgrade.
Q: Does this work on both Linux and Windows Plesk?
A: Yes — Plesk Obsidian is cross-platform. smartxhosting.uk runs Plesk on Linux; feature parity is close on Windows but file paths and service names differ.
Q: Is this guide for Plesk Obsidian or an older version?
A: Plesk Obsidian (18.x) is assumed throughout. smartxhosting.uk keeps Plesk on the latest stable branch, so UK customers are always on Obsidian.
Q: How does this feature interact with UK GDPR?
A: Any personal data processed via this feature falls under UK GDPR. Ensure your privacy notice reflects the processing, apply encryption where applicable, and document the processing in your data-processing inventory.
Q: Can I automate this via the Plesk API?
A: Yes — Plesk exposes a CLI and XML/REST APIs for automation. smartxhosting.uk managed hosting allows API access for tasks that do not require root.
Q: How do I access Plesk if I am a smartxhosting.uk customer?
A: Log in to smartxhosting.uk client area → Services → Login to Plesk. SSO takes you straight into the panel.