What is SFTP?
SFTP stands for SSH File Transfer Protocol. It's a common way for users to download or upload files to the Internet. With SFTP, data is securely transferred using encryption and no clear text file data is transferred.
Before you begin
You'll need to first create a feed in order to submit data feeds. Note that when submitting via SFTP, your file must be under 4 gigabytes (GB) in size, in either the compressed or uncompressed format. If your file is larger than this, split your file into multiple, smaller files before uploading.
If you need more help using SFTP after reading this article, please consult our troubleshooting guide.
Create an SFTP account
To create an SFTP account:
- In your Manufacturer Center, click the tools and settings icon
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- In the dropdown, click SFTP or GCS.
- Select the SFTP tab.
- An SFTP account username will be automatically generated. To generate a password and enable your account, click Generate.
- A popup box will appear that contains your automatically generated password.
- To return to the “SFTP” settings page, click Dismiss.
Note: Once you generate your password, make sure you securely store your password before dismissing the pop-up box. Your password will not be shown again for security reasons. Also, your first password generation may not take effect for several hours. If you can't log in to our SFTP server right away, try again later.
Change your SFTP password
If you need to change your SFTP password, you can do so by generating a secure password within the Manufacturer Center. To change your SFTP password:
- In your Manufacturer Center, click the tools and settings icon .
- In the dropdown, click SFTP or GCS.
- In the “SFTP” section, click Reset.
- A popup box will appear asking you to confirm that you want to change your password. If you want to continue, click Reset.
- Another popup box will appear that contains your newly generated password.
- Click Dismiss to return to the “SFTP” settings page.
Note: After you generate your password, make sure you securely store your password before dismissing the pop-up box. Your password will not be shown again for security reasons. Remember that you may only generate a new Google Manufacturer Center SFTP password. You won't be able to retrieve any lost or forgotten passwords.
Upload your file via SFTP
While you can use many methods to upload a file via SFTP, we've included instructions for the most common types below. If you haven't used SFTP before, we recommend Option 1 below as it's easiest to configure.
With all of the options, you’ll need the following information:
- Host name: partnerupload.google.com. This is our SFTP server where you will send your feed.
- User: The SFTP username you can find in your Google Manufacturer Center SFTP settings.
- SFTP server port: 19321, this is the port used by the Google Manufacturer Center SFTP server.
- SFTP server fingerprint: 85:19:8a:fb:60:4b:94:13:5c:ea:fe:3b:99:c7:a5:4d, this is the identifying server fingerprint key for "partnerupload.google.com".
- Password: The SFTP password you generated in your Manufacturer Center account. Note that this will be different from your Manufacturer Center password. Your SFTP password is set up under the SFTP Settings (Settings > SFTP) in your account.
Note: If you’re setting up scheduled fetches within the Manufacturer Center, you can't use Google’s SFTP Server (sftp://partnerupload.google.com) as your file URL.
Option 1: Transfer your data feed using an SFTP program
Transfer your data feed using an SFTP program
To use this method, you'll need to have an SFTP program, also known as an SFTP client, installed on your computer. If you don't already have an SFTP client, you can download one from the web. The following SFTP clients are free to try. (Depending on your usage, you may have to pay for these programs after your trial runs out.) Click on one of these links to download the program from the web.
After you have downloaded and installed your SFTP program, you will need to configure it so that you can connect to our SFTP server. Your SFTP client will need the following settings:
- Host name: partnerupload.google.com. This is our SFTP server where you will send your feed.
- User: The SFTP username you can find in your Google Manufacturer Center SFTP settings.
- Password: The SFTP password generated in your Google Manufacturer Center account. Note that this will be different from your Manufacturer Center password. Your SFTP password is set up under the SFTP Settings Settings > SFTP) in your account.
- Logontype: This should be set to normal, not anonymous. You may have to change this setting before you will be able to enter your username and password.
Note: SFTP clients will have different interfaces. You may need to select the connection as SFTP or you may need to prefix the host name address with the "sftp://" protocol (for example, sftp://partnerupload.google.com). Refer to your SFTP client's documentation for instructions.
Option 2: SFTP your data using the command
Windows: SFTP your data using Command Prompt
- From the Start menu, select Programs, then select Accessories, then select Command Prompt. Or from the Start menu, select Programs, then select MS-DOS Prompt. (If neither of these works: From the Start menu, select Search, then select For Files or Folders, then type in the word prompt. Double-click the file named "Command Prompt.")
- In the window that appears, type sftp -P 19321 {your sftp username}@partnerupload.google.com and hit Enter.
- Provide the username you set up in Manufacturer Center (which can be found by clicking Settings then SFTP in your account).
- “-P 19321” designates the correct port for the Google Manufacturer Center SFTP server.
- If this is your first time connecting to partnerupload.google.com, you may see the following prompt: “The authenticity of host '[partnerupload.google.com]:19321' can't be established. RSA key fingerprint is 85:19:8a:fb:60:4b:94:13:5c:ea:fe:3b:99:c7:a5:4d. Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)?” After verifying that the fingerprint key displayed in your session matches the one above, enter ‘y’.
- You'll be prompted to enter a password. Provide the SFTP password you generated in Manufacturer Center. Note that this will be different from your Manufacturer Center and is set up under the SFTP Settings (Settings > SFTP) in your account.
- Send the file via SFTP by typing put {your directory, including filename} and hitting Enter. For example, if you had a feed named "datafeed.txt" located in your Documents folder, you'd type "put C:\Users\username\Documents\datafeed.txt".
- After a few moments, you should see a status update appear which will show you the progress of your upload, and then confirm when the upload is complete. Once completed, you can exit the program.
Note: If you make a mistake along the way, you may get a blank prompt or an error message. If so, start over with the first step and continue until you're able to complete the transfer of your file.
Mac: SFTP your data using Terminal
- Open a Terminal window. You can do this by hitting Command + Spacebar, searching for "Terminal", and then selecting it in the box that appears.
- In the Terminal window that appears, type sftp -P 19321 {your sftp username}@partnerupload.google.com and hit Enter.
- Provide the username you set up in Manufacturer Center (which can be found by clicking Settings then in your account).
- “-P 19321” designates the correct port for the Google Manufacturer Center SFTP server.
- If this is your first time connecting to "partnerupload.google.com", you may see the following prompt: “The authenticity of host '[partnerupload.google.com]:19321' can't be established. RSA key fingerprint is 85:19:8a:fb:60:4b:94:13:5c:ea:fe:3b:99:c7:a5:4d. Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)?” After verifying that the fingerprint key displayed in your session matches the one above, enter ‘y’.
- You'll be prompted to enter a password. Provide the SFTP password you generated in Manufacturer Center. Note that this will be different from your Manufacturer Center, and is set up under the SFTP Settings (Settings > SFTP) in your account.
- Send the file via SFTP by typing put {your directory, including filename} and hitting Enter. For example, if you had a feed named "datafeed.txt" located in your Documents folder, you'd type "put /Users/username/Documents/datafeed.txt".
- After a few moments, you should see a status update appear which will show you the progress of your upload, and then confirm when the upload is complete. Once completed, you can exit the program.
Note: If you make a mistake along the way, you may get a blank prompt or an error message. If so, start over with the first step and continue until you're able to complete the transfer of your file.
Linux: SFTP your data using the command line
- Open the "Terminal".
- In the terminal window that appears, type sftp -P 19321 {your sftp username}@partnerupload.google.com and hit Enter.
- Provide the username you set up in Manufacturer Center (which can be found by clicking Settings then SFTP in your account).
- “-P 19321” designates the correct port for the Google Manufacturer Center SFTP server.
- If this is your first time connecting to partnerupload.google.com, you may see the following prompt: “The authenticity of host '[partnerupload.google.com]:19321' can't be established. RSA key fingerprint is 85:19:8a:fb:60:4b:94:13:5c:ea:fe:3b:99:c7:a5:4d. Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)?” After verifying that the fingerprint key displayed in your session matches the one above, enter ‘y’.
- You'll be prompted to enter a password. Provide the SFTP password you generated in Manufacturer Center. Note that this will be different from your Manufacturer Center, and is set up under the SFTP Settings (Settings > SFTP) in your account.
- Send the file via SFTP by typing put {your directory, including filename} and hitting Enter. For example, if you had a feed named "datafeed.txt" located in your Documents folder, you'd type "put /home/username/Documents/datafeed.txt".
- After a few moments, you should see a status update appear which will show you the progress of your upload, and then confirm when the upload is complete. When completed, you can exit the program.
Note: If you make a mistake along the way, you may get a blank prompt or an error message. If so, start over with the first step and continue until you are able to complete the transfer of your file.