"Output Truncated" Message When Listing Files Using FTP

When using FTP to connect to your Ruachost hosting account, you may sometimes see the following message when trying to list files in a directory:

226 Output truncated to 10000 matches

This article explains why this happens and how to resolve it.

Problem

When you attempt to view the contents of a directory with many files, your FTP client may not display the full list. Instead, it shows the “Output truncated” message.

Cause

This occurs because the FTP server limits directory listings to 10,000 files.

• If a directory contains more than 10,000 files, the server cuts off (truncates) the listing.
• This is a server-side safeguard to prevent performance issues.

Resolution

To work around this limitation, you can use one of the following methods (all of which are also more secure than plain FTP):

1. Use the File Manager in Ruachost Panel

• Log in to your Client Area.
• Navigate to File Manager.
• Browse the directory directly in your web browser without FTP limitations.

2. Use SFTP (Secure FTP)

• Connect using SFTP instead of FTP.
• SFTP does not have the 10,000 file listing limit.
• Most FTP clients (like FileZilla, Cyberduck, or WinSCP) support SFTP.

3. Use SSH

• Log in to your hosting account via SSH.
• Run commands like ls, ls -l, or find to view directory contents.
• This method is efficient for directories with very large numbers of files.

4. Use SSHFS (Secure Shell Filesystem)

• Mount your hosting account as a local filesystem using SSHFS.
• Browse and manage files as if they were stored locally.
• This is especially useful for developers and advanced users.