How to connect to FTP using FileZilla on Windows?

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How to use filezilla to connect to ftp - how to use filezilla to connect to ftp.How To Use FileZilla Like a Pro (and Resolve Errors Too)

 

As one of the most widely used FTP clients , FileZilla serves as a common go-to solution for transferring files between computers over the internet.

FileZilla achieves this transferring capability by linking a client with a server so the user can send files back and forth between the two. As one of the most widely used FTP clients, FileZilla serves as a common go-to solution for transferring files between computers over the internet. This means people use FileZilla to accomplish several tasks, such as:.

FileZilla offers multi-platform support for sharing files on just about every type of computer. You can install it on Mac, Windows, and Linux computers. Even non-technical website owners should learn how to tap into the FileZilla FTP in order to replace a damaged or missing file. Having access to your files in bulk could mean the difference between a normal day and the loss of many sales. General knowledge of how to use FileZilla also brings your workflow and company security into a better position.

We encourage those people to still learn how to use FileZilla FTP since sticking exclusively with a GUI puts them in the position of relying entirely on their hosting company. Installing FileZilla is similar to downloading and installing any piece of software on your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer: You click the Download button, save the installation file to your hard drive, then run that file to install it.

First, open a web browser and visit the official FileZilla website filezilla-project. This homepage provides two obvious Download buttons for you to choose from. By default, your browser and the FileZilla website should detect which operating system is in use on your computer. You can also select the Show Additional Download Options link to see the alternative, less commonly used versions of FileZilla.

After clicking your chosen Download button, a popup window appears asking you to decide which package of FileZilla to download. You can simply download FileZilla without any documentation, or you can opt to receive a comprehensive PDF manual with your download files.

The other option here is to download FileZilla Pro, which includes a wide variety of other features mainly for linking to cloud storage services. Save the file in a memorable place on your computer, then go to that location and click on the program file to complete the installation.

All operating systems are different, so you may have the Run the file, simply click on it, or choose an Install option.

Once active and installed on your computer, find and click on the FileZilla logo shortcut to run the program. You can move this to a more suitable location to make it accessible for yourself. FileZilla now opens on your computer with a welcome popup window in front of the client software. As you can see, several links are available for you to find help during your use of FileZilla. For instance, there are links for asking questions and reporting bugs, along with documentation links for basic usage instructions, configuring FileZilla and your network, and further documentation.

You should now see the standard home screen for FileZilla, with fields to type in host credentials to connect to your website server , information at the bottom about file transfers, and more. Keep in mind that you may have to allow access to your local files depending on your current permissions and operating system. The first order of business with FileZilla is to make a link between your local computer and the remote server files for your website.

The easiest way to open up sharing from your computer to the server is by adding host credentials in the several input fields at the top of the FileZilla window. This is called the Quickconnect section, as it offers a way to type in host server credentials from the main screen. Sometimes you may have to contact your host or website developer to figure out the right login information. For Kinsta customers, these credentials are conveniently shown in the MyKinsta dashboard. Simply navigate to MyKinsta, log into your account, and click on the Sites button in the menu.

Kinsta provides fields for Host , Username , Password , and Port. Those are the exact same fields we saw in the FileZilla Quickconnect area, giving you everything you need at a glance:. Copy each one over to its respective FileZilla field. However, saving these credentials directly in FileZilla could be considered a security risk, so instead, we recommend using a password manager to store these sensitive details. As an alternative, you have the option to create a Master Password in FileZilla that locks access against saved passwords from intruders.

After that, you should see a Success notification in the Message Log. In addition, all Remote Site files should appear in the panel to the right of the Local Site files. However, some hosts including Kinsta use SFTP as its protocol to ensure all file transfers are encrypted and secure at all times.

The Site Manager button allows you to configure your default protocol, handle default directories, and specify advanced transfer settings. The icon looks like multiple server machines linked together. This generates a new site folder within FileZilla. Once the new site is added, you gain access to the more advanced settings to the right, including the General tab.

Select this General tab to see the same fields that we saw from before, such as Host , Username , Port , and Password. FileZilla will run a few status updates, then tell you that the directory listing connection was successful. Look for the Successful text at the bottom of the status update list. A successful connection will also show the file directory from your host server. The right side of the FileZilla window now has the root directory shown, along with any files within that directory once you click on the site folder.

As mentioned, this remote server holds the site contents for a WordPress site. This makes it possible to move, delete, copy, upload, and download files from both your computer and the remote host server. Most of these areas are interactive in some way, meaning you can either left- or right-click on sections like the Local Directory Contents , Message Log , or Transfer Queue to bring up an additional menu with even more options.

Right-clicking a file in the Local Directory Tree or Contents sections loads a menu with options to complete the following:. The right-click options differ based on the area you place your mouse. And that makes sense — users tend to want alternative actions when dealing with remote files compared to local files. Therefore, a right-click in that Remote Content area results in the following options:. You can also hold down the left-click button on your mouse to drag a file to another location within the FileZilla interface.

This sent the previously local file to the remote environment while also leaving a copy of the original image file in the local directory. You can also move Local Directory Contents to the Remote Directory Contents or reverse the operations by transferring items from the remote server to the local files. A local file moved to the remote server, for instance, gets uploaded to the directory you chose.

Moving a remote file to the local side downloads that file to your local machine. To begin, the Site Manager button provides a few settings to customize which directories appear at all times. Click on the Site Manager icon to open it up. There are also settings to change up the FileZilla interface and even to make bookmarks or new folders. Choose the Advanced tab to proceed. You can find two important customization settings in this section.

The first is for the Default Local Directory. The second is for the Default Remote Directory. For both, you can click on the Browse buttons to find a directory inside the local or remote environments.

This way, whenever you open up FileZilla with the same credentials, it will automatically display those directories from the start. In short, FileZilla provides a way to connect to multiple remote servers at one time. The last tab in the Site Manager is called Charset. You have the option to Force UTF-8 or make a Custom Charset , but we highly recommend sticking to the Autodetect setting, seeing as how using the wrong charset could improperly present filenames in FileZilla.

Back on the main window, FileZilla offers several quick key buttons for removing elements from view. The first icon next to the Site Manager button is to toggle the display of the Message Log. As mentioned, a quick click of that button eliminates the Local Directory Tree but leaves the Local Directory Contents with far more space than it had before.

Well, the quick button one more to the right works by toggling the display of the Remote Directory Tree. This is the directory tree on the right side of the screen. Using that button hides the tree and makes additional space for the Remote Directory Contents. In this situation, the Remote Directory Tree goes away but everything on the left side for the Local Directory stays in place.

The fifth button from the left in the FileZilla Control Panel looks like multiple blue and green arrows pointing in opposite directions. Selecting this button toggles the display of the Transfer Queue at the bottom of the FileZilla interface. However, you should know that they all work to modify transfers in progress or connected servers.

For instance, those buttons allow you to instantly cancel a current operation, disconnect from the current server, or automatically connect to the most recently logged server. The quick key looks like a magnifying glass over some pages or files. Activating the button takes the two directories you have open one from the local side and another from the remote side and compares them so you can see if they have the same files. For instance, you might need to upload a collection of assets to your server from a local machine.

After the fact, an excellent way to check if it worked is to run the Directory Comparison tool. It stacks similar or identical files next to each other and provides a green shade if it finds a duplicate.

In the above screenshot, our. We briefly mentioned that you can upload, download, and manage remote and local files in FileZilla. In short, there are two ways to upload, download, or manage a file in FileZilla: by right-clicking the file in question or by dragging and dropping it into a new location.

In FileZilla, users can download entire directories or individual files from the Remote Directory Tree or the Remote Directory Contents module; this is essentially everything on the right side of the screen. Your reasoning for downloading, viewing, or editing this file may vary. Some people simply want to better understand what types of files are inside their sites. Other times, you may need to download a file, edit its content, and re-upload it back to the server. You also may find that some files get corrupted or hacked.

This could require you to download or view the file to inspect it for potential issues.