Google only allows you to use SFTP which is much more secure then FTP. SFTP takes advantage of both Public and Private Keys to access your Google hosted web server instead of a password. Both Public and Private Keys are generated and provided to you after setting up your web server and migrating your WordPress website.
Both SFTP and FTP allow you to drop and drag files from your web server to your computer and vice versa. For those of you new to FTP and SFTP, the term FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. SFTP stands for Secure File Transfer Protocol. SFTP is simply more secure than FTP – hence the name.
It’s rare however to use either SFTP or FTP to access the files on your web server since most everything you need to do with your WordPress website can be controlled through your WordPress dashboard.
There are many SFTP programs available for both Windows and Mac operating systems. For Windows we suggest using WinSCP. If you’re on a Mac, then we recommend using Transmit.
Take a moment to watch our video tutorial on How to use SFTP to access your Web ServerHow to use SFTP to access your Web Server.