How to Upload Your First Website

Ready to publish your website? There are two main ways to upload files to your dotCanada hosting account: using the cPanel File Manager or an FTP client. Both work great - choose whichever you are most comfortable with.

Option 1: Upload via cPanel File Manager

The File Manager is built right into cPanel, so no extra software is needed.

1. Log into cPanel through your client area at clients.dotcanada.com
2. Click File Manager in the Files section
3. Navigate to the public_html folder - this is your website's root directory
4. Click Upload in the top toolbar and select your files
5. Once uploaded, your files will be live at your domain

Option 2: Upload via FTP

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is ideal for uploading large numbers of files or working with a site-building tool.

1. Download and install an FTP client such as FileZilla (free)
2. Use your cPanel username and password as your FTP credentials
3. Connect to your hosting server using the address in your welcome email
4. Upload your files to the public_html folder

Important Notes

Your main website's homepage should be saved as index.html or index.php inside the public_html folder. If you are installing WordPress instead, see our guide on installing WordPress. For any questions, contact our support team.