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If FileZilla connects but you cannot see /var/www, the client is usually not hiding it. Your account is probably opening in a provider-defined home or web root, while /var/www is outside that account’s namespace. First verify the Site Manager connection and read the Message Log; then determine the account’s remote root and check server-side traversal permissions. Only the server administrator or hosting provider can change a chroot, virtual root, ACL, or account role.
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Hidden-file controls affect names such as .htaccess, not the ordinary /var/www directory. The steps below separate connection errors, path mapping, hidden files, permissions, and protocol issues so you can apply the narrowest fix.
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A FileZilla remote pane shows the filesystem namespace granted to the account that logged in. It does not automatically expose the server’s complete Linux filesystem. On a self-administered VPS, an administrative SFTP account may be able to start at / and browse to /var/www. On shared hosting, the same provider may place an account in /home/username, /public_html, /www, or another virtual root. In that arrangement, the server can have a real /var/www directory while your login has no path to it.
There are four distinct causes that look similar in the interface:
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- The Site Manager uses the wrong host, protocol, port, username, password, key, or authentication method.
- The login succeeds, but the account is jailed or mapped to a virtual root that excludes the system path.
- The directory exists but the account lacks read and execute (traverse) permission on
/var,/var/www, or a parent component. - You are looking for a dot-file such as
.htaccessand have hidden names disabled; this does not explain a missing ordinary directory namedvar.
Changing a FileZilla display option cannot grant Unix permissions or escape a chroot. Treat the visible remote root as an access boundary until the server owner confirms otherwise.
1. Verify the Site Manager connection before changing files
Open File > Site Manager and compare every value with the hosting control panel or administrator’s instructions. A successful username/password exchange is not enough: an incorrect protocol or port can produce a partial-looking session, failed listings, or a connection to a different service.
| Setting | What to verify | Common value or issue |
|---|---|---|
| Host | Use the provider’s exact hostname or IP address, not a website URL unless the provider says it is valid. | A web address can resolve to a different service than the FTP/SFTP endpoint. |
| Protocol | Select the protocol the account supports: SFTP over SSH, FTP, or FTP over TLS (FTPS). | SFTP is not “FTP with encryption”; it uses the SSH service and its own port. |
| Port | Enter the port supplied by the provider. | SFTP commonly uses 22; FTP commonly uses 21. Providers may use custom ports. |
| Logon type | Choose normal password, key-file, interactive, or another method exactly as instructed. | An SSH key account may reject a password even when the password is correct. |
| User | Check capitalization, account suffixes, and whether the provider requires a separate SFTP user. | A hosting-panel username and a server administrator username may expose different roots. |
| Encryption | For FTP, use the required explicit or implicit TLS setting. | Plain FTP sends credentials without encryption; use it only when the administrator explicitly permits it. |
WordPress.org’s FileZilla guide recommends encrypted SFTP or FTPS whenever possible. Its handbook, published March 28, 2023 and updated October 14, 2026, says: “Whenever possible, use SFTP or FTPS instead of plain FTP so your connection is encrypted.”
2. Read the Message Log, not just the folder pane
The Message Log is the fastest way to distinguish a login problem from a path or permission problem. In FileZilla, keep the log visible while reconnecting and attempting to open the suspected directory. Look for the first meaningful server response rather than the final generic “directory listing failed” line.
Authentication or host errors
Messages such as ECONNREFUSED, timeout, host-key failure, invalid credentials, or “authentication failed” mean the session has not reached a usable remote tree. Recheck the endpoint, port, logon type, password, and SSH key. If the server recently changed its host key, verify the change with the provider before accepting it.
Listing and transfer errors
“Can’t retrieve directory listing,” repeated connection attempts, or a successful login followed by an empty remote pane usually indicates a data-channel, passive-mode, firewall, or server-permission issue. For FTP, enable passive transfer mode in Edit > Settings > FTP > Passive mode, then reconnect. Ask the provider whether its firewall allows the passive port range. For SFTP, a listing failure more often points to the account’s path, permissions, or server-side policy because directory data travels through the SSH connection.
Permission and path responses
550 Permission denied, 550 Failed to change directory, or an SFTP “permission denied” response means the server recognized the path but refused access. A “No such file” response can mean the path is outside a virtual root, not that the physical server lacks the directory. Save the complete log when contacting support; it identifies the account and operation without requiring you to guess.
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3. Identify the namespace exposed to your account
After login, note the first remote path shown in FileZilla’s remote directory field. Typical starting points include:
/home/username— a Unix home directory./public_html,/htdocs, or/www— a provider-mapped document root./— the real filesystem root, normally available only to an authorized administrative account.- A provider-specific path that does not correspond to a visible system directory.
If the field shows /home/username and you type /var/www into it, the server may reject the request because /var is outside the account’s chroot. If the field shows / but /var is absent, the account may still be in a virtual root deliberately presented as “root.”
Do not infer the document root from the operating system alone. The web server may serve a site from /var/www/html, a project directory, a container volume, or a provider-managed path. Ask for the exact document-root path associated with the domain and the exact path visible to your SFTP or FTP account. Hosting documentation generally supplies the server, login, and port and then shows only the directories available after authentication; that visible set is the account’s namespace, not a promise that every server directory is reachable.
4. Try the path safely in FileZilla
Once the provider confirms that your account should have access to the system root, test the path without changing permissions:
- Reconnect using the confirmed Site Manager entry.
- In the remote directory field, enter
/and press Enter. If the server rejects this or displays a provider home directory again, record the response. - Open
var, thenwww. If the site uses the conventional document root, openhtmlbeneath it. - If the provider supplied a mapped path such as
/sites/example/public, use that path instead of assuming/var/www/html. - Right-click the intended folder and choose Download or upload a harmless test file only when your administrator authorizes a write test.
Do not create a new /var/www directory merely because it is absent from the pane. Creating a same-named folder inside /home/username does not expose the server’s existing web root and can confuse deployment scripts.
5. Show hidden files when the missing item begins with a dot
FileZilla hides dot-files by default. WordPress.org’s permissions handbook, published March 28, 2023 and updated October 14, 2026, states: “By default, most FTP Clients, including FileZilla, keep hidden files, those files beginning with a period (.), from being displayed.”
To reveal them in current FileZilla versions, use Server > Force show hidden files, then refresh the remote directory. Depending on the version, the equivalent control may also appear under the View or Settings menus. This is useful for .htaccess, .well-known, .env, and other names that begin with a period.
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The setting has no effect on /var, /var/www, or /var/www/html. If those ordinary names are missing, return to namespace and permission checks rather than repeatedly toggling hidden-file visibility.
6. Check traversal permissions with shell or administrator help
On a Linux server where you have authorized SSH or console access, inspect the account and every path component. Run:
id
pwd
ls -ld /var /var/www /var/www/html
namei -l /var/www/htmlid shows the current user and groups. pwd confirms the shell’s starting namespace. ls -ld displays ownership and mode bits for each directory. namei -l expands the path one component at a time, which makes a blocked parent directory easy to identify.
To list a directory, an account generally needs read permission on that directory and execute permission to traverse it. It also needs execute permission on every parent: an account cannot reach /var/www if it cannot traverse /var, even when /var/www itself appears readable. Check group membership, POSIX ACLs, and any inherited permissions in addition to the basic owner/group/mode display.
On systems enforcing SELinux or another mandatory security policy, Unix mode bits can look correct while policy still denies access. An administrator should inspect relevant audit logs and the service’s security context rather than disabling the policy as a quick fix.
7. Change only the narrowest permission, when authorized
If the account should access the directory but lacks permission, have the administrator choose the smallest change that supports the deployment workflow. Options include adding the account to a controlled group, granting a directory-specific ACL, changing ownership for a dedicated deployment account, or mapping the account directly to the document root. A dedicated deployment account is usually safer than making a system directory writable by every user.
FileZilla can request a mode change through the remote context menu: right-click the affected directory, choose File permissions…, enter the administrator-approved mode, and apply it only to the intended object. The menu does not bypass server policy; the server may reject the operation or apply a different result.
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Do not use broad modes as a diagnostic shortcut. OVHcloud’s FileZilla guidance warns against chmod 000, which removes management access, and against chmod 777, because anyone can edit the folders or files. That guidance gives provider-specific examples such as 705 for folders and 604 for files, but those values are not universal defaults. Follow the server administrator’s ownership, group, ACL, and deployment policy instead of copying a numeric mode from another host.
FileZilla Pro documentation summarizes the usual cause of failed remote operations this way: “A failure to transfer or delete a file on a remote server is generally caused by permissions or a lock set on the file.” A missing directory listing can have the same server-side root cause.
8. FTP, FTPS, and SFTP are different access choices
| Characteristic | FTP | FTPS | SFTP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Encryption | None unless wrapped by another system. | TLS encrypts the control and, depending on mode, data channels. | SSH encrypts authentication, commands, and data in one connection. |
| Typical port | 21, although providers can customize it. | 21 for explicit TLS or a provider-specified implicit-TLS port. | 22 commonly, or a custom SSH port. |
| Authentication | Usually username and password. | Username/password plus TLS certificate validation. | Password, SSH key, or an administrator-selected SSH method. |
| Firewall behavior | Separate data connections can require passive port ranges. | Also uses data-channel rules that must be allowed by the firewall. | Normally one SSH connection, simplifying firewall configuration. |
| Directory visibility | Limited by the FTP account’s root and permissions. | Limited by the FTPS account’s root and permissions. | Limited by the SSH account’s shell, chroot, virtual root, permissions, and policy. |
Switching from FTP to SFTP can solve encryption or passive-mode problems, but it cannot automatically expose /var/www. The SFTP account may be jailed separately, use a different username, or start in a different directory. Use the exact protocol, port, and authentication method supplied by the provider.
9. Understand chroot, virtual roots, and account mapping
A chroot or virtual-root configuration intentionally makes a directory appear to be the top of the account’s filesystem. Inside that boundary, / means “the account’s root,” not necessarily the server’s physical root. A provider can therefore show /home/username as / to FileZilla and prevent traversal into /var.
Web hosts also map a domain to a document root without granting shell access to that directory. Your FTP account might expose /public_html while the web server internally serves a path under /var/www. In that case, uploading to the mapped directory is the supported workflow; trying to expose the underlying system path would weaken isolation.
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Ask the provider or administrator one precise question: “What remote path does this account see for the document root of my domain, and is /var/www intentionally outside its chroot or virtual root?” If direct access is required, request one of these controlled changes:
- An SFTP account mapped directly to the document root.
- A dedicated deployment account with group or ACL access.
- An administrative SSH/SFTP account, if your role genuinely requires system-wide access.
- A provider-side change to the chroot or virtual-root mapping with an audit trail.
Do not ask support to make the entire server web tree world-writable merely to satisfy FileZilla. Mapping and least-privilege account design preserve isolation better than broad mode changes.
10. Match the symptom to the likely fix
FileZilla connects but shows only a home folder
This is normally an account-root or chroot issue. Confirm the document-root mapping and use the provider’s visible path. Only the administrator can expose a parent directory outside the jail.
The remote pane is empty after login
Check the Message Log for a failed listing, then test passive mode for FTP. If the listing succeeds but no names appear, ask whether the account has read permission on its assigned root and whether an ACL or security policy filters the contents.
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Have an administrator run namei -l /var/www and inspect group, ACL, and security-policy decisions. Grant traverse access only where required; do not apply a recursive world-writable mode.
You can open /var/www but not /var/www/html
Check ownership and mode on the final directory, then confirm that the site actually uses html as its document root. A different virtual-host configuration may point to another project directory.
Only .htaccess or another dot-file is missing
Enable Server > Force show hidden files and refresh. If the file still does not appear, check its existence and permissions from the server rather than changing the ordinary directory path.
FTP login works but directory listing repeatedly fails
Use passive mode, verify the provider’s passive port range and firewall rules, and compare the account’s FTP root with its SFTP root. If SFTP is available, test it with the provider’s exact SSH settings.
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- Obtain the SFTP hostname, SSH port, username, and password or private-key instructions from the administrator.
- In Site Manager, choose SFTP – SSH File Transfer Protocol, enter the supplied host and port (22 is common), and select the correct logon type.
- Connect and verify the host key through a trusted administrative channel before accepting it.
- Inspect the remote path shown after login. If it is a virtual root, use the mapped document-root path supplied by the administrator rather than assuming the physical path is visible.
- If the account is allowed to see the physical root, enter
/var/www/htmlin the remote directory field and press Enter. - Confirm that the directory listing contains the expected site files. Download a small file for verification before making changes.
- Upload or edit only the files covered by your deployment permissions, then review the Message Log for a successful transfer and close the session.
If step 5 returns “no such file” or “permission denied,” stop there. The result identifies an account mapping or server permission boundary; repeatedly reconnecting or enabling hidden files will not remove it.
12. Security checklist before changing access
- Use SFTP or FTPS instead of plain FTP whenever the provider supports it.
- Confirm the domain’s actual document root before creating or editing directories.
- Use a separate deployment account when several people or services need web-file access.
- Prefer group membership or a narrowly scoped ACL over world-writable permissions.
- Keep a record of ownership, mode, ACL, chroot, and SELinux changes.
- Never use
chmod 777as a general-purpose fix, and do not usechmod 000unless an administrator is intentionally locking the object. - Remove temporary test files and revoke temporary accounts or keys after troubleshooting.
Final diagnostic checklist
- Read the Message Log and identify whether the failure is connection, authentication, listing, path, or permission related.
- Confirm host, protocol, port, username, password or key, and encryption settings in Site Manager.
- Record the remote starting path and compare it with the provider’s documented account root.
- Use Force show hidden files only for dot-files such as
.htaccess. - For authorized shell access, inspect
id,pwd,ls -ld, andnamei -lon every path component. - Ask for a mapped document root, dedicated deployment account, or controlled ACL when the desired directory lies outside the jail.
- Change only the affected permission and follow the server’s security policy; do not apply blanket modes.
When FileZilla shows a home or provider web directory instead of /var/www, that behavior is usually the server enforcing the account’s namespace, not the client concealing a folder. Correct credentials and protocol first, then have the administrator provide the right mapped path or narrowly grant the access your deployment actually needs.
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