{"id":6068,"date":"2026-07-07T16:55:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T13:55:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/?p=6068"},"modified":"2026-07-07T16:55:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T13:55:02","slug":"change-delete-ftp-sub-user-spanel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/change-delete-ftp-sub-user-spanel\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Change or Delete an FTP Sub-User in SPanel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In SPanel, you manage an FTP sub-user from the FTP Accounts page. To rotate a password, open the row’s Actions<\/strong> menu and choose Change password<\/strong>. To remove access, tick the account’s checkbox and click Delete Selected<\/strong>, then confirm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note up front<\/strong>: deleting the sub-user removes its login but leaves the files in its home directory untouched, so cleanup is a separate step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who this is for<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is for site owners who gave a contractor, freelancer, or agency their own FTP login and now need to change that password or pull the access – because the project wrapped, credentials leaked, or it’s time for a routine rotation. You want to act on that one sub-user without disturbing your main account login or anyone else’s access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What problem this solves<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When a job ends, leaving a working FTP login in someone’s client is a standing risk. Sharing your main account password instead would be worse – you’d have to change your own credentials and re-point every tool you own. The narrow task is to change or revoke one contractor’s access without collateral damage, and SPanel’s per-account controls handle that directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How SPanel solves this<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In SPanel, each FTP sub-user is a separate login listed on the FTP Accounts page. Every row has an Actions menu with two entries: Change password<\/strong> and Connect an FTP client<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To rotate a password, open Actions and choose Change password. SPanel opens a dialog where you set the new password and save. The change applies to that sub-user only – your main account login is unaffected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To revoke access, you don’t use the Actions menu. Select the account’s checkbox and click Delete Selected. SPanel asks you to confirm before removing the login. After you confirm, the sub-user disappears from the list and can no longer connect. There is no rename option; for a different username, delete the account and create a new one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why this is different in SPanel<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Two details are worth calling out. First, credential management is scoped: you change or remove a single sub-user without touching the main account password or its files. The contractor’s login is its own object, so revoking it is a clean, contained action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, a password change takes effect immediately for the next connection. There’s no propagation delay. The moment you save, the old password stops working. That matters when you’re rotating credentials after a possible leak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before you start<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Access to SPanel for the account that owns the FTP sub-user.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Know which sub-user you’re acting on. The list uses the <account>_<subuser> namespace, so confirm the exact name first.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • For a password change, have a strong new password ready.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Deletion is destructive with no undo. If the contractor uploaded files you still need, retrieve them first – deletion leaves the files but removes the login you’d use to reach them over FTP.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • To pause access temporarily, change the password rather than deleting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Step-by-step<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    1. Open SPanel and go to the FTP Accounts<\/strong> section. Find the row for the sub-user you want to change or remove – here, the sub-user created in the create-sub-user article.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. To change the password, open that row’s Actions menu. You’ll see Change password<\/strong> and Connect an FTP client<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      \"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      1. Choose Change password<\/strong>. SPanel opens a dialog. Enter the new password and save. The dialog closes and the change is confirmed; the new password is required on the very next connection.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
        \"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        1. To remove the sub-user instead, return to the FTP Accounts list.\u00a0
          Safety check first: confirm the right row, since deletion can’t be undone. Tick the account’s checkbox, then click Delete Selected<\/strong>. SPanel asks you to confirm. Approve<\/strong> the prompt, and the sub-user is removed and can no longer log in.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
          \"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

          What happens behind the scenes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          Each FTP sub-user is a self-contained login tied to a home directory on the server. Changing the password updates only that login’s credential, which is why your main account and other sub-users are unaffected and the change is live right away. Deleting the account removes the login record but leaves the home directory in place – the server treats your files as separate from the credential that reached them, so removing access never destroys data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Limitations and edge cases<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          • Deleting the sub-user removes its login but does not delete the files in its home directory<\/strong>. Revoking access and cleaning up storage are separate tasks. If you need the files gone, remove them through File Manager or another login afterward.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • You cannot rename a sub-user<\/strong>. There’s no edit-name action in the Actions menu. To get a different name, delete the account and create a new one.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • The <\/strong><account>_<subuser><\/strong> namespace format still applies to any recreated user<\/strong>. A new sub-user is still prefixed with your account name, so plan the suffix and give the contractor the full namespaced login.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            Troubleshooting<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
            Symptom<\/td>Likely cause<\/td>What to do<\/td><\/tr>
            Contractor still connects after you changed the password<\/td>They saved the old password in their FTP client<\/td>The new password applies on the next connection; have them update the saved credential, or delete the account to fully revoke.<\/td><\/tr>
            Can’t find a Rename action<\/td>SPanel has no rename for FTP sub-users<\/td>Delete the sub-user and recreate it with the new name.<\/td><\/tr>
            Files remain after deleting the sub-user<\/td>Deletion removes the login, not the home directory<\/td>Remove the files separately through File Manager or another login.<\/td><\/tr>
            Wrong account selected for deletion<\/td>Similar namespaced names in the list<\/td>Cancel the confirmation prompt, re-check the <account>_<subuser> name, then proceed.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            When to use this \/ when not to use this<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
            Use this when<\/td>Skip or use something else when<\/td><\/tr>
            A contractor’s job ended and you want their access gone<\/td>You only need to pause access briefly – change the password instead<\/td><\/tr>
            You suspect a sub-user’s password leaked<\/td>You want to free the storage too – delete, then clean up separately<\/td><\/tr>
            You’re doing a routine credential rotation<\/td>You want a different username – delete and recreate, since there’s no rename<\/td><\/tr>
            You need to revoke one login without touching your main account<\/td>You want to change your own main account FTP password<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            FAQ<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

            Q:<\/strong> Does changing the password disconnect an active session?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            A:<\/strong> It changes the credential required for the next connection. An open session may continue until it ends; to be certain access is cut, delete the sub-user.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Q:<\/strong> Will deleting the sub-user delete its files?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            A:<\/strong> No. Deletion removes the login only; the files in its home directory stay in place, so remove them separately if needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Q:<\/strong> Can I rename an FTP sub-user?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            A:<\/strong> No. There’s no rename action. Delete the sub-user and create a new one with the name you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Q:<\/strong> How fast does a new password take effect?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            A:<\/strong> Immediately. The next connection requires the new password; the old one stops working as soon as you save.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Q:<\/strong> Does changing a sub-user’s password affect my main account login?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            A:<\/strong> No. Each sub-user is a separate login, so the change is scoped to that account and doesn’t touch your main credentials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Q:<\/strong> Can I recover a deleted sub-user?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            A:<\/strong> Not directly – there’s no undo action. You’d recreate it, and the recreated login still follows the <account>_<subuser> namespace format. To pause access without losing the account, change the password instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n