Is there a way to

Upload shopping cart to my live server in the root directory but not show the index page / site to anyone yet as i have some modifications still to make before going live to the public.

I know i can upload the store to a folder ( https://www.site.com/store, but if possible id just like to change 1 file / setting ( if possible ) and everything would be live from the root ( https://www.site.com )

Thanks for your time.

In 1.3.5, you can set your store "Down for Maintenance" but exclude
your IP address so you can access your site.

That might not be what you want, as the store is still visible.

You could insert a .html file ..something like "Storename Coming Soon!" in
your root directory.

TShooters:

In 1.3.5, you can set your store "Down for Maintenance" but exclude
your IP address so you can access your site.

Perfect, thanks for that.