Upload a Dreamweaver site by defining a site and a remote server

A Dreamweaver page in a local folder is not online yet. You need hosting, DNS that points to that hosting, and a correct remote-server setup before using Put. MDN explains what a web server does and the general process to upload files to a web server.

Dreamweaver workflow

  1. Open the site manager in Dreamweaver. In current versions this is normally under Site and then Manage Sites; exact labels can vary by version.
  2. Create or edit the local site folder so Dreamweaver knows where index.html, CSS, scripts, and images are stored.
  3. Add a remote server. For SFTP, enter the host name, port, username, authentication method, and the server root directory, such as /public_html/ or the path supplied by the host.
  4. Enter the site’s web URL, such as https://www.example.com/, so previewed remote paths match the public address.
  5. Use the Test button before uploading. If the test fails, fix the host, port, username, password/key, firewall, or root directory first.
  6. Use Put to upload the selected file or the whole site. When Dreamweaver asks about dependent files, upload CSS, JavaScript, and images too.

DNS and hosting checks

  • The domain does not have to be bought from the same company as the hosting. Update records at the real DNS provider: registrar DNS, hosting DNS, Cloudflare, or another DNS service.
  • If you use a subdomain such as www or blog, create the matching A, AAAA, or CNAME record.
  • The public homepage is usually index.html or index.php in the web root directory, not a random local desktop path.

When the upload works but the page looks broken

Check case-sensitive filenames and relative paths. Images/Logo.PNG and images/logo.png can be different files on a Linux host. Also confirm that the CSS and image folders were uploaded, not only the HTML file.