Protocol Error is the heading EverWeb shows for most problems when it publishes. The words after it, and the error number, tell you what went wrong. On EverWeb + Hosting, a message about your account can also stop publishing, so check that first.
Publishing to another web host by FTP? See I get a Protocol Error when publishing to my FTP server (another web host) instead.
1. Is it a message about your account?
| The message says | What to do |
|---|---|
| Please sign in to your account to publish your website | Go to EverWeb > Settings > Account (Windows: Edit > Options > Account) and sign in with your EverWeb account email and password. Can't sign in? See I can't log in to my EverWeb account. |
| The account '...' is no longer active | The project is set to publish to an old plan. Open the project, go to File > Edit Publishing Settings, and under EverWeb Location choose your current plan in Accounts and your website in Domains. If your new plan isn't in the list, sign out and back in (see step 2). If you have no active plan, see "Plan ended" below. |
| The account '...' is suspended. You may have an outstanding balance | An invoice is unpaid. This can be the hosting renewal, or an add-on such as Site Shield or SEO PowerUp, which suspends the hosting too. Click Check Account Status, or sign in to your invoices and pay it. Your hosting comes back on its own once the payment goes through. Then sign out and back in to EverWeb. |
| The account '...' has not yet been activated | New plans can take up to 24 hours to activate. When you get the email saying it's active, sign out of EverWeb and sign in again. |
| Your plan has expired, or the version isn't within your upgrade period | See EverWeb won't let me publish and says my plan has expired. |
Plan ended? If your EverWeb + Hosting account has ended and isn't suspended for an invoice, contact us to renew it. You can still publish to another host: you keep a license that covers EverWeb up until the day your hosting ended.
2. Check you're signed in and publishing to EverWeb
- Go to EverWeb > Settings > Account (Windows: Edit > Options > Account). If it shows you're signed in, click Sign Out, then sign in again. This also picks up any change to your plan, such as an upgrade.
- Open your project and go to File > Edit Publishing Settings.
- Check that Publish To is set to EverWeb, not FTP Server. EverWeb + Hosting doesn't use an FTP password.
- Under EverWeb Location, check Accounts and Domains show the right plan and website. Leave Subdirectory empty, unless you mean to publish to a folder.
3. Find the error number
- In the error window, click Copy To Clipboard.
- Paste the text into an email or a note. Look for the line that starts with Error:.
| Error number or words | Go to |
|---|---|
| 28 before anything uploads, "Your IP address may have been blocked", or 7, "being blocked" | My IP address is blocked: email, publishing or my site won't connect. Signing in to your EverWeb account page (the Client Area) on this computer clears the block. |
| 55 with "Your account may have run out of disk space" | My hosting is full. What is using my space and how do I clear it? (Error 55) |
| 56, or 55 without the disk space line | Publishing stops with a dropped connection, or Error 56: Failure with receiving network data |
| 28, "Operation timeout", partway through | Publishing a large website times out or stops when my computer is idle |
| 30, "PORT", "Could not open data connection to port" | Publishing to FTP: Cannot open data port, or 'Could not open data connection to port'. It applies to EverWeb + Hosting too. |
| "does not allow more than ... connections" | Step 2 in "If it still won't publish" below |
| Any other number | What does this publishing error number mean? |
4. If it still won't publish
Publish again after each step. Use passive publishing connections and Maximum Connections are on the Publishing tab of EverWeb > Settings (Windows: Edit > Options). Use Secure Publishing is on the Account tab.
- Turn off any VPN (NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark), and iCloud Private Relay on a Mac (how). Then sign in to your Client Area on this computer, to clear any block on your connection.
- Set Maximum Connections to 1. Close any other FTP app connected to your website, wait 15 to 20 minutes, then publish.
- Check Use passive publishing connections. Keep it on normally. If it's already on, try it off once, then turn it back on.
- Turn off Use Secure Publishing, then try again. Some networks, such as hotels, cafes and offices, block secure publishing connections. If it publishes, your network is the cause. Turn the setting back on when you're on another network.
- Try another network, such as your phone's hotspot. If that works, restart your router. If it still fails at home, ask your internet provider whether they block FTP (port 21). EverWeb uses it to send your files, even to EverWeb + Hosting.
- If it stops partway through, click Continue Publishing when EverWeb asks, rather than Cancel.
Still stuck?
Go to Help > Publishing Connection Diagnostics (EverWeb 4.5 or later) and click Run Tests. Then contact us with:
- the full error text from Copy To Clipboard
- the diagnostics report
- a full-screen screenshot of File > Edit Publishing Settings
- which steps you've tried
Phone support is included with EverWeb + Hosting, so you can also call us and we'll go through it with you.
Related articles
- EverWeb won't publish my website: what to try
- What does this publishing error number mean?
- My IP address is blocked: email, publishing or my site won't connect
- My hosting is full. What is using my space and how do I clear it? (Error 55)
- I get a Protocol Error when publishing to my FTP server (another web host)