# FTP 530 Login authentication failed

> The FTP server rejected your credentials — usually the wrong username format, or a client trying to connect without TLS.

Source: https://cwp.sg/errors/ftp-530-login-incorrect/  
Author: Ben Johnson  
Last verified: 2026-08-04

**Also seen as:** 530 Login incorrect, FTP login failed, Could not connect to server

## What it means

`530` is the FTP server saying the login was refused. Unhelpfully, most servers return the same code whether the username was wrong, the password was wrong, or the connection was rejected for a policy reason such as requiring encryption.

On shared hosting there are three realistic causes, and they are worth checking in this order:

1. The **username is not what you think it is** — it is rarely your email address
2. The client is not using **TLS**, and the server requires it
3. The password is genuinely wrong

Cause 1 accounts for most reports, because hosting FTP usernames are usually account-prefixed and look nothing like your login email.

## Why it happens

### Using your email address as the FTP username

Your control panel login and your FTP login are different accounts. FTP usernames on shared hosting are typically something like `cwp_12345678` or `u1234_ftp` — assigned by the host, shown in the panel, and never your email address.

### The client is not using TLS

Plain FTP sends your password in clear text, so most hosts now require explicit FTP over TLS (FTPS). A client set to plain FTP is refused at login, which surfaces as `530`.

Note this is **FTPS**, not **SFTP** — they are unrelated protocols despite the similar names, and picking the wrong one in your client fails too.

### Too many failed attempts triggered a block

Repeated failures get your IP temporarily banned by the host's brute-force protection. Once that happens, even correct credentials fail until the ban expires — which makes it look like the password is wrong when it is not.

### The account is suspended or still being created

A suspended account rejects FTP. A brand new account may not have finished provisioning — creation is asynchronous and takes a few minutes.

## How to fix it

### 1. Copy the username from the control panel

Do not type it from memory and do not assume it is your email. Open the FTP or account details page and copy all three values exactly:

- **Host** — often `ftp.yourdomain` or a server hostname
- **Username** — the account-prefixed one
- **Password** — the FTP password, which may differ from your panel password

Watch for a trailing space when pasting. It is invisible and it fails authentication.

### 2. Set the client to explicit FTP over TLS

In FileZilla: **File → Site Manager → New Site**, then:

```
Protocol:   FTP - File Transfer Protocol
Encryption: Require explicit FTP over TLS
Logon Type: Normal
Port:       21
```

Do **not** pick *SFTP - SSH File Transfer Protocol*. That is a different protocol running over SSH, and free shared hosting does not offer SSH at all.

Accept the certificate warning on first connection if the certificate is issued to the server's own hostname.

### 3. Wait out a brute-force ban

If it failed several times before you checked the credentials, you may be temporarily blocked. Wait 15–30 minutes, or connect from a different network to confirm — if it works elsewhere with the same details, your IP is banned rather than your password being wrong.

### 4. Reduce simultaneous connections

FTP clients open several connections at once by default, and shared hosting limits how many you may hold. In FileZilla: **Site Manager → Transfer Settings → Limit number of simultaneous connections → 2**.

This also fixes uploads that start fine and then stall partway through a large directory.

### 5. Use the file manager instead

If you need to get a file up right now, the web file manager in your control panel uses your panel login rather than FTP credentials, and it bypasses this problem entirely.

## On CWP hosting specifically

CWP requires explicit FTP over TLS on port 21 — plain FTP is refused, and there is no SSH or SFTP on free accounts.

Your FTP username is shown on the **FTP Accounts** page of the control panel and is not your email address. If you have just created the account, allow a few minutes: provisioning is asynchronous and FTP becomes available once it completes.

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Content Website Platform (cwp.sg) operates the free hosting it writes about; see https://cwp.sg/about/ for the methodology and the commercial disclosure.