Dreamweaver SFTP Remote Site Setup: Transfer Modes, Encoding, and Sync Verification

Problem: Files corrupt or sync stalls when using Dreamweaver's SFTP remote site

You've just changed a stylesheet on your local machine and hit Synchronize in Dreamweaver, only to find that the remote copy still shows the old version—or worse, that an image file opened corrupted because the transfer mode didn't match the file type. Dreamweaver's Remote Site dialog makes it easy to persist a host, port, and protocol, but the choices that follow—FTP vs SFTP vs FTPS, text versus binary transfer, and encoding defaults—can silently corrupt assets or leave sync operations stalling for minutes on large directories.

Choosing the right protocol in the Remote Site dialog

In Dreamweaver's Remote Site dialog, the Protocol dropdown offers FTP, SFTP, and FTPS. FTP sends credentials and data in clear text; Passive mode is the default and works behind most consumer firewalls without port forwarding, but active mode requires the server to initiate a connection on a range of ports that many corporate firewalls block. SFTP wraps the file transfer over SSH, encrypts both control and data channels, and preserves server-side file permissions—making it the safest choice for most remote workflows. FTPS adds TLS encryption to traditional FTP, but Dreamweaver's client does not always negotiate the required STARTTLS handshake, so connections can fail silently on servers that enforce explicit TLS only.

Text vs binary transfer and encoding pitfalls

Dreamweaver defaults to a single transfer mode for the entire site, but mixing text and binary assets without per-file overrides leads to corruption. Text mode applies line-ending conversions (CRLF to LF or vice versa), which scrambles non-text files such as PNGs, ZIPs, or minified JavaScript. Binary mode transfers bytes verbatim, preserving image and archive integrity, but may leave HTML, CSS, and JavaScript with mismatched line endings on cross-platform teams. The practical approach is to set the site-wide default to Binary and then use the Get and Put dialogs to override to Text for individual HTML, CSS, or JavaScript files. Additionally, mismatched file encodings—especially when moving assets between systems with different default encodings—can introduce invisible characters into source files; always check the file's encoding after a sync on a new machine.

Synchronizing and verifying your remote site

The Files panel's Put, Get, and Synchronize commands compare local and remote directories by timestamp and file size, uploading only entries that differ. When you initiate Synchronize, Dreamweaver enumerates every file in both directories before computing the transfer list. On directories with thousands of entries, this enumeration step is noticeable—syncs can take minutes before any data moves. To keep workflows efficient, synchronize individual folders or use the Put command on selected files rather than full-directory syncs during active development. After any sync, verify the result by selecting the site and clicking Test Connection, then inspect the Local and Remote file lists for matching timestamps and sizes on files you expect to be unchanged.

Concrete example: configuring a new SFTP remote site

1. In the Sites menu, choose New Remote Site. Enter your host address (e.g., your-server.example.com), port 22, select Protocol SFTP, and provide your username.
2. Keep "Use passive mode" checked (the default). Switch to active mode only if you have added the required port range to your firewall rules.
3. Click Test Connection. A successful response confirms host reachability and valid credentials.
4. In the Transfer Settings section, set the Default transfer mode to Binary. For individual HTML, CSS, or JavaScript files, open the Get or Put dialog and change the mode to Text before transferring.
5. After the transfer, select the site in the Files panel and click Synchronize. Compare the Local and Remote file lists—timestamps and sizes should match for files you expect to be unchanged.
6. If you recently changed your server password, open the Remote Site dialog, re-enter the password, and click Test Connection again; cached credentials in the operating system keychain or Dreamweaver preferences may still reference the old secret.

Limitation and trade-offs

Synchronizing directories with thousands of files enumerates every entry before computing differences, which can feel slow. Credential caching in the operating system keychain or Dreamweaver preferences may time out after periods of inactivity, requiring you to re-enter passwords. FTPS connections can fail on servers that require explicit STARTTLS because Dreamweaver's client does not always complete the handshake. When those issues arise, switching to SFTP or using a dedicated SFTP client for initial setup is the most reliable workaround.

For new remote sites, start with SFTP and a Binary default transfer mode. After each sync, run Test Connection and glance at the timestamp columns to catch silent mismatches early. If you must use FTPS, verify your server's TLS configuration and be prepared to re-enter credentials after password changes. For large directories, sync folders incrementally or use the Put command on changed files to avoid the full-directory enumeration delay.