Protocol Error is the heading EverWeb shows for most problems when it publishes to another web host. The words after it, and the error number, tell you what went wrong. Start there, then work through the checks below.
Publishing to EverWeb + Hosting? See I get a Protocol Error when Publishing to my EverWeb + Hosting Account instead.
1. 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 |
|---|---|
| 78, "Can't find directory path", "creating the dir/file failed" | Error 78: Can't find directory path (the directory/path couldn't be found) |
| 30, "PORT", "Could not open data connection to port" | Publishing to FTP: Cannot open data port, or 'Could not open data connection to port' |
| 56 or 55, "network data" | 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 |
| 7, "being blocked", or 28 before anything uploads | My IP address is blocked: email, publishing or my site won't connect |
| "does not allow more than ... connections" | Step 2 under "If your settings are right" below |
| Any other number | What does this publishing error number mean? |
2. Check your settings with your host
Go to File > Edit Publishing Settings and check each of these.
- Username and Password are your FTP login. This is often different from the login for your host's website. To check them, try the same details in a free FTP app such as Cyberduck. If that fails too, your host can help.
- Protocol and Port are ones your host accepts. Hosts sometimes change this, so if publishing used to work, ask them.
| Choose in EverWeb | Your host may call it | Port |
|---|---|---|
| FTP | FTP, plain FTP | 21 |
| FTP with SSL/TLS | FTPS, FTP over TLS | 21 |
| FTP with SSH | SFTP, SSH | 22 |
- Server, Username and Password have no spaces before or after. If you're not sure, delete them and type them again exactly as your host gave them.
Then click Test Connection.
3. If your settings are right
Publish again after each step. The publishing settings are under EverWeb > Settings on a Mac, or Edit > Options on Windows, on the Publishing tab.
- Turn off any VPN (NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark), and iCloud Private Relay on a Mac (how).
- Set Maximum Connections to 1. Many hosts limit how many connections you can open at once. Close any other FTP app that's connected to the same account, 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.
- On public Wi-Fi, such as a hotel or cafe, try another network. These networks often block secure connections. To test whether that's the cause, set Protocol to FTP if your host allows plain FTP. Plain FTP doesn't encrypt your password, so switch back afterwards.
- Ask your host whether they've blocked your IP address (the number that identifies your internet connection). Hosts do this after several failed sign-ins, for example with an old password.
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, with your password hidden