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If FileZilla connects but you cannot see /var/www, the folder is usually not being hidden by FileZilla. The session is showing the filesystem namespace assigned to your account, which may begin at a home directory or provider-defined web root. Verify the Site Manager connection, read the Message Log, identify the account’s document root, and confirm that the account has permission to traverse /var and read /var/www. If the directory is outside a chroot or virtual root, only the hosting provider or server administrator can expose it.
Hidden-file settings affect names such as .htaccess; they do not hide an ordinary directory named /var/www.
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FileZilla displays what the logged-in account is allowed to see, not automatically the server’s entire filesystem. A successful login can therefore look normal while still excluding /var/www.
The remote panel may start at a virtual root
On a self-administered Linux server, the real filesystem root is /, with the web directory commonly below /var/www. Shared hosting and managed servers often place FTP or SFTP users in a chroot, jailed environment, or provider-defined virtual root. In that arrangement, the remote panel may open at /home/user, /public_html, /www, or another path that the provider maps to the account. The account can see every directory in its namespace but have no way to browse upward to the machine’s actual /.
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Some providers map the website’s document root directly to the account root. A folder that is physically /var/www/html on the host could appear simply as /, /html, or /public_html in FileZilla. Typing /var/www in the remote path box will not escape that mapping.
A missing listing is different from a missing directory
If FileZilla reports that it cannot retrieve a directory listing, the problem may be authentication, a blocked data connection, or permissions rather than the path itself. A directory can also exist while remaining invisible because the account lacks execute (traverse) permission on one of its parent directories.
1. Read the Message Log before changing anything
FileZilla’s Message Log records the server response and is the quickest way to separate a wrong connection from a path or permission problem. WordPress.org’s Using FileZilla guidance recommends checking this log when there is no connection, credentials fail, or the client cannot retrieve a directory listing.
- Open FileZilla and connect to the site.
- Read the log immediately after authentication and after you double-click the remote directory. Look for messages such as
530 Login incorrect,550 Failed to open directory,550 Permission denied,425 Can't open data connection, or an SFTP status indicating that the path does not exist. - Save the exact error text for your administrator or hosting provider. A server-side status code is more useful than a screenshot of an empty tree.
Do not repeatedly retry a failed login if the server may be rate-limiting or locking the account. Correct the connection details first.
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2. Verify the Site Manager connection
A usable remote tree depends on the host, protocol, port, account, and authentication method all matching the values supplied by the server. In File > Site Manager, compare each field with the provider’s control panel or administrator’s instructions.
| Setting | What to verify | Typical value or issue |
|---|---|---|
| Host | Use the exact hostname or IP address supplied for this account. | A web URL, DNS alias, or a different server can authenticate you somewhere else. |
| Protocol | Select the protocol the server actually enables. | SFTP uses SSH; FTP and FTPS use FTP services. They are not interchangeable. |
| Port | Enter the provider’s port rather than relying on a remembered default. | SFTP commonly uses 22; plain FTP commonly uses 21. Custom ports are frequent. |
| Logon type | Choose password, key file, or another method as instructed. | An SSH key account may reject a password even when the username is correct. |
| User | Confirm the exact account, including any provider-specific prefix. | Different users can have different chroots, groups, and document roots. |
| Remote directory | Use a path that exists inside this account’s namespace. | /var/www may be outside a jailed account even when it exists on the host. |
Whenever the provider supports it, prefer SFTP or FTPS over unencrypted FTP. WordPress.org’s handbook states: “Whenever possible, use SFTP or FTPS instead of plain FTP so your connection is encrypted.” That guidance was published March 28, 2023 and updated October 14, 2026.
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3. Identify the namespace and document root
After login, note the first directory shown in the remote pane and the path displayed in FileZilla’s remote-directory field. That is the starting point for this account, not necessarily the server’s filesystem root.
Use a shell when one is available
If the same account has SSH access, run these commands:
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id
pwd
ls -ld /var /var/www
namei -l /var/wwwid shows the user and groups. pwd shows the shell’s starting directory, which often corresponds to the SFTP account’s root. ls -ld displays ownership and mode bits for the target directories. namei -l breaks the path into each component so you can see exactly where traversal stops.
If pwd reports /home/alice and an absolute ls /var/www fails with “Permission denied” or “No such file or directory,” that result is meaningful: the account either lacks access or is seeing a restricted namespace. Ask the administrator which path is mapped as the website’s document root. It may be /home/alice/public_html, /srv/www/site, or a provider-specific alias.
Ask for the mapping instead of guessing paths
Send the provider or administrator the account name, the remote path FileZilla opens, and the exact Message Log error. Ask these specific questions:
- What is this account’s document root?
- Is the account jailed or chrooted, and what path is used as its virtual root?
- Is the site stored under
/var/www, or has it been moved to another directory? - Does this account have SFTP access, and which port and authentication method should be used?
- Should deployment use a separate account or a symlinked release directory rather than direct access to
/var/www?
4. Rule out hidden-file confusion
FileZilla and other FTP clients commonly hide names that begin with a period. WordPress.org’s permissions handbook notes that most FTP clients, including FileZilla, keep such hidden files from being displayed by default. This explains a missing .htaccess, .env, or .well-known entry, not a missing /var/www directory.
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- In newer FileZilla versions, choose Server > Force show hidden files.
- Refresh the remote listing.
- Use the setting only to inspect dot-files; it does not change permissions or reveal directories outside the account’s namespace.
5. Check traversal and read permissions
Unix permissions apply to every component of a path. To list /var/www, the account generally needs execute (traverse) permission on /var and /var/www, plus read permission on the directory being listed. Ownership, group membership, POSIX ACLs, SELinux, AppArmor, and other security policies can impose additional restrictions.
What an administrator should inspect
- Owner and group: Compare the account shown by
idwith the owner and group fromls -ld. - Mode bits: Check whether the user or one of its groups has the required read and execute rights.
- Parent directories: Use
namei -l /var/wwwto find the first component that blocks traversal. - ACLs: Review extended ACL entries when the mode bits look correct but access still fails.
- Security policy: Check SELinux or another mandatory access-control system if ordinary Unix permissions permit access but the server still denies it.
- Service account boundaries: Confirm that the SFTP subsystem, FTP daemon, or chroot configuration exposes the intended path.
FileZilla’s troubleshooting guidance attributes remote transfer and deletion failures primarily to permissions or locks on the server. The same server-side controls can prevent a directory listing.
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6. Change the narrowest permission only when authorized
If you administer the server, correct the owner, group, ACL, or directory mode that blocks the deployment account. If you do not administer it, do not change modes through FileZilla without written instructions.
To inspect a directory in FileZilla, right-click it and choose File permissions…. Apply a change only to the affected directory and verify the result with the administrator. A permission change cannot defeat a chroot, virtual root, missing group membership, or SELinux policy.
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Do not use broad, permanent write access as a shortcut. OVHcloud explicitly warns against chmod 000, which removes management access, and chmod 777, which allows anyone to edit the hosted files. Its examples of 705 for folders and 604 for files are provider-specific guidance, not universal defaults. Follow the server’s documented ownership and least-privilege policy instead.
FTP and SFTP: choose the protocol that matches the account
| Factor | FTP or FTPS | SFTP |
|---|---|---|
| Transport | FTP uses a separate control and data connection; FTPS adds TLS encryption. | Runs through SSH and encrypts the session and transfers. |
| Common port | Plain FTP commonly uses 21; FTPS may use a provider-specific port. | Commonly 22, unless the administrator specifies another port. |
| Authentication | Usually an FTP username and password, sometimes with TLS certificates. | SSH password or key-based authentication, as configured. |
| Firewall behavior | Passive mode may be required because FTP opens additional data ports. | Usually needs only the SSH/SFTP port, simplifying firewall rules. |
| Directory mapping | The FTP daemon may apply its own home directory or chroot. | The SSH account and SFTP subsystem may apply a different chroot or virtual root. |
| When a switch helps | Try Passive transfer mode when the listing fails and the provider requires FTP. | Use the exact SFTP port and key or password supplied by the provider. |
Changing from FTP to SFTP can fix a blocked listing connection, but it does not automatically grant access to /var/www. The SFTP account must still be mapped to that path and permitted to traverse it.
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- For FTP or FTPS, open Edit > Settings > Connection > FTP and select Passive transfer mode if the provider recommends it.
- Reconnect and watch the Message Log for the data-connection response.
- For SFTP, create a separate Site Manager entry with SFTP – SSH File Transfer Protocol, the exact port, and the specified password or key file.
- After authentication, test the provider’s documented document-root path rather than assuming
/var/www. - If the listing remains empty or denied, stop changing FileZilla options and send the log to the administrator.
How to open /var/www/html over SFTP
Use this procedure only when the administrator confirms that the account is allowed to access that path.
- Open File > Site Manager > New site.
- Set Protocol to SFTP – SSH File Transfer Protocol.
- Enter the supplied host and port, commonly 22, but use the provider’s value when it differs.
- Set Logon Type to Normal for a password or Key file for SSH-key authentication, then enter the approved username and credentials.
- Connect and inspect the remote path shown after login.
- If the account starts at the real filesystem root and permissions allow it, enter
/var/www/htmlin the remote-directory field and press Enter. - If the account starts at a virtual root, enter the mapped path supplied by the administrator, such as
/htmlor/public_html; do not prepend/var/wwwunless that prefix is visible in this account’s namespace.
Match the remedy to the cause
| Observed situation | Likely cause | Correct remedy |
|---|---|---|
FileZilla opens /home/user and has no parent level. |
Chroot or provider-defined virtual root. | Use the mapped document root or ask the provider to expose the required path. |
| Remote pane is empty and the log says listing failed. | Wrong protocol, blocked FTP data connection, or denied listing permission. | Verify host and port, try Passive mode for FTP, or use the provider’s SFTP service; then check permissions. |
.htaccess is absent but ordinary folders appear. |
Hidden-file filtering. | Choose Server > Force show hidden files. |
Entering /var/www returns permission denied. |
Missing traversal rights, ACL, security policy, or account jail. | Have an administrator inspect namei -l, ownership, groups, ACLs, and the jail configuration. |
| FTP works but SFTP fails, or the reverse. | Different services, ports, accounts, or authentication policies. | Use the service explicitly enabled for the account and its matching credentials. |
| You can list files but cannot upload or delete. | Write permission, ownership, file lock, or deployment policy. | Request the intended deployment directory or group/ACL change; do not make the web tree world-writable. |
Account-root remapping versus permission changes
| Approach | Security scope | Best use | Risk or limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Map the account to the document root | Exposes only the site tree intended for that account. | Shared hosting, managed hosting, and routine deployments. | The user still cannot administer unrelated system directories. |
| Create a dedicated deployment account | Limits access to a specific site and controlled group or ACL. | Automated or team deployments that need predictable permissions. | Requires administrator setup and key management. |
Grant access to the existing /var/www tree |
May expose multiple sites and system-managed files. | Only when an administrator has a clear multi-site policy. | Broader blast radius and greater chance of accidental changes. |
| Make the directory world-writable | Broad write access to every local user or service covered by the mode. | Not an appropriate general solution. | Creates a serious security vulnerability and can enable unauthorized modification. |
When the hosting provider must intervene
Contact the provider or server administrator when any of these conditions applies:
- The account is jailed and the requested directory is outside its virtual root.
- You do not have shell or administrator privileges to inspect ownership, ACLs, or security policy.
- The provider controls the SFTP subsystem, document-root mapping, or allowed ports.
- The site uses a managed deployment process that forbids direct writes to the live web directory.
- Changing a mode in FileZilla would conflict with the provider’s backup, update, or malware-protection policy.
Request a supported alternative: the correct remote path, an SFTP-enabled account, a dedicated deployment user, or an administrator-managed group/ACL. No FileZilla display toggle can grant access that the server intentionally withholds.
Quick Recap
Final troubleshooting checklist
- Read the Message Log and capture the exact server error.
- Confirm host, protocol, port, username, password or SSH key, and logon type in Site Manager.
- Record the remote starting path and determine whether it is a home, chroot, or virtual root.
- Ask for the account’s document root instead of assuming it is
/var/www. - Use Server > Force show hidden files only for dot-files such as
.htaccess. - With administrator help, inspect
id,pwd,ls -ld /var /var/www, andnamei -l /var/www. - Check parent-directory traversal, ownership, groups, ACLs, and SELinux or other security policy.
- Use FileZilla’s File permissions… only for an authorized, narrow change.
- Avoid
chmod 000andchmod 777; follow the provider’s least-privilege policy. - For FTP listing failures, try Passive mode; for supported encrypted access, use SFTP with the exact port and authentication method.
- If the path is outside the account’s namespace, have the provider remap the account or supply a dedicated administrative or deployment account.
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