This wikiHow teaches you how to understand and use FTP (File Transfer Protocol) to transfer files from your computer to a web server and vice versa.
Step
Part 1 of 4: Understanding FTP Basics
Step 1. Learn the difference between FTP and
FTP (short for File Transfer Protocol) is a connection method designed to transfer files from a remote server to a home computer, or vice versa. FTP is usually used in corporate and educational settings, and is used as the main method of managing web servers.
HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is used to transfer files, but it is not as powerful as FTP transfers
Step 2. Understand the parts of the FTP address
If you encounter an FTP address on a site, it usually displays like a regular site address, but has a few exceptions:
- For example, you may have seen an address like this ftp.example.com:21. This means the address is ftp.example.com, and the port used is 21. You must use both parts of the address if you want to connect to an FTP server.
- If FTP requires a username, the address will be [email protected]:21. The words "username" are the required names.
- If a username isn't specified, you'll usually need to type " anonymous " to set the username in order for you to connect. Remember, you are not actually anonymous when connecting to a public FTP. Your IP address is visible to the host.
Step 3. Set the desired connection method
There are three main ways to connect to an FTP server: using a visual client, a browser-based client (browser), or the command line. The easiest and most commonly used way to connect to FTP is to download and install a visual client. It also gives you a lot of power and control over the process. This article focuses a lot on using an FTP client.
- The visual client is basically a program that can be used to enter the required FTP port and address. The program does all the hard work from there.
- To connect to FTP via a browser, enter the FTP address into the address field as you would for a regular website. You may need to enter login information before you can browse the directory. Using a browser will usually be slower and less stable than using a dedicated client.
- If you want to know how to connect to FTP using the command line, see the end of this article.
Part 2 of 4: Connecting a Computer to an FTP Server
Step 1. Download FileZilla
Using a client to connect to an FTP server will usually result in faster downloads and uploads, and FileZilla is one of the most popular FTP servers. You can download it by visiting https://filezilla-project.org in a computer browser. Next, do the following things:
- Click Download FileZilla Client
- Click Download FileZilla Client on the next page
- Click button Download green under the "FileZilla" heading.
- The examples in this article do use FileZilla, but you can use other FTP clients in the same way.
Step 2. Install FileZilla
How to do this will vary depending on the operating system you are using:
- Windows - Double click the Filezilla installation file you downloaded, click Yes when prompted, click I agree, click Next four times, uncheck the box on the Update Driver page, click Next, uncheck the box on the WinZIP page, then click Next.
- Mac - Click the FileZilla DMG file that you downloaded, click and drag the FileZilla application icon into the "Applications" folder icon, then follow the onscreen instructions until FileZilla starts installing.
Step 3. Run FileZilla
If FileZilla is installed, click Finish with the "Start FileZilla now" box checked, or double-click the FileZilla icon on the desktop (for Windows) or in the Applications folder (Mac) to launch it.
Step 4. Enter the FTP server information
At the top of the FileZilla window, fill in the fields below:
- Host - This is where the FTP address is located.
- Username - Enter the login username here (if the username doesn't exist, type anonymous).
- Password - This is the password used to log into the FTP server (if there is no password, leave the field blank).
- Port - This is the FTP server port number.
Step 5. Click Quickconnect
It's in the upper-right corner of the FileZilla window. By doing so, FileZilla will connect to the server.
Step 6. Browse the content on the FTP server
Once connected, you'll see a tree of FTP directories on the right side of the window. The top frame shows the tree structure, while the bottom frame shows the contents of each folder. At this point, you can start downloading and uploading files.
- When you switch folders, a small command will be sent to the server. This causes a short delay when you move to another folder.
- You can enter a specific location into the column on the top right.
- If you do not have permission to enter a particular directory, an error message will appear when you access it.
Part 3 of 4: Uploading and Downloading Files
Step 1. Try using the computer's built-in FTP program
Both Windows and Mac provide built-in options that can be used to download and upload FTP files. You don't need it if you've downloaded and installed FileZilla. However, it's a quick way to download and upload files if you don't want to run or connect to your own FTP server.
Step 2. Browse the directory on your computer
On the left side of the window, there are two frames that you can use to browse folders on your computer. This allows you to select the file you want to upload or specify a location to save the download.
You can enter a specific location in the column on the top right
Step 3. Download the file from the FTP server to the computer
Find the file or folder you want on the right side of the window, then find the folder you want to use to save the file in the window on the left. Next, click and drag the file from the right bottom frame to the left bottom frame. The file or folder will automatically be transferred.
- The file size in bytes will be displayed in the " Filesize " column.
- You can download multiple files at the same time by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking each one you want. The files will be transferred one by one.
- To add a file to the download queue, right-click the file and select "Add files to queue".
Step 4. Upload the file to the server
Find the folder or file you want to upload on the left side of the window, then specify the folder you want to upload it to on the right side of the window. If you have permission to upload files to an FTP server, you can upload them by clicking and dragging the file from the left side of the window to the right.
- Most public FTPs will not allow anonymous users to upload files.
- With the same size, uploading files usually takes longer than downloading them.
Step 5. Track the progress of the transfer
You can monitor the progress of the transfer in the bottom window frame. A list of files transferred and queued will be displayed here, along with their size, priority, and progress percentage. You can also view successful and failed transfers by clicking the tab Filed transfers (transfer failed) and Successful transfers (transfer successful) at the bottom of the window.
Step 6. Create your own server
On a Windows computer, you can create your own FTP server that other users can use to connect and upload files (or a place to download files).
Part 4 of 4: Using the FTP Command Line
Step 1. Launch terminal or command line
Windows, Mac OS X, and nearly all Linux distributions have a command-line FTP client such as Terminal or Command Prompt:
- On a Windows computer, open Command Prompt by pressing Win+R, typing cmd, and pressing Enter.
-
On macOS, open Terminal by clicking Spotlight
typing in the terminal, and double clicking Terminal.
- On most Linux, launch Terminal by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T.
Step 2. Connect the computer to the FTP server
The commands that must be typed in a command line program are the same for all operating systems. You can connect to the server by typing ftp ftp.example.com. Once the connection is established, you will need to enter a username. If you're connecting to a public FTP, type anonymous as the password when prompted, then press Enter. Or, type in the username and password given to you.
Step 3. Look at the files on the FTP server
You can see a list of directories and files on the server by typing dir /p and pressing Enter.
Step 4. Switch to the directory you want
Type cd directory (replace " directory " with the folder or path to the folder you want to open) and press Enter.
Step 5. Switch to binary mode
By default, FTP is connected in ASCII mode, which is designed to transfer text files. Switch to binary mode by typing binary and pressing Enter.
Binary mode is perfect for downloading media files or entire folders
Step 6. Download the desired file
Download the file from the remote server to your computer using the get command. Run this " get " command to download the desired file.
For example, type get example-j.webp" />
Step 7. Upload the desired file
Upload the files that are on the computer to a remote FTP server using the put command. Run this " put " command by entering the location of the file you want to upload.
For example, type put c:\documents\homemovies\example.avi to upload an "example.avi" movie file from your computer to an FTP server
Step 8. Close the connection
Type close to disconnect from the FTP client. All ongoing transfers will be cancelled.