FTP, or File Transfer Protocol, is a method of uploading or downloading files to or from a web server.
FTP clients that we use and love
Filezilla. Free. Mac, Windows and Linux compatible! Offers both a client and server version. Very full-featured. Supports FTP, FTP over SSL/TLS (FTPS) and SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP).
FireFTP. Free plugin for Firefox – Mac and PC compatible. Long list of features.
CuteFTP. Low-cost. Mac and PC versions available. Robust solution that’s been around for a long time. Offers a lot of customization options.
Transmit. Low-cost. Rock solid Mac-only solution. Easy to install, set up and use. Lots of features, including iDisk and WebDAV support.
WS_FTP. Low-cost. Windows only. Long standing resource with a solid feature set.
FetchFTP. Another low-cost Mac only solution with great features.
Did you know you can FTP in a browser?
How to FTP with Internet Explorer 6.0
FTPing with Internet Explorer 7.0 isn’t quite as easy. From the Technically Speaking blog, here’s how to do it:
- Open IE 7
- Enter a FTP user name, password, and site in the URL bar using the following pattern:ftp://<username>:<password>@<site.tld>So if you had a username of johndoe, a password of pa55word, and your site is example.com, you would use the following URL:ftp://johndoe:pa55word@example.com
- IE will display a directory listing of the FTP site.
- Click the Page menu (hint: it’s on the right hand side, under the search bar)
- Select Open FTP Site in Windows Explorer.
- Windows explorer opens. Windows can’t remember that we’ve already given the username and password, so we have to do it again.
- Click the File menu and select Login As….
- Enter your user name and password, and click the Log On button.
We already mentioned the free FireFTP client for Firefox on Mac and PC.
MacMost.com has a nice tutorial on how to FTP in Safari:
Helpful how-tos to expand your understanding
About the author: At Your Service Cincinnati principal Nora Rubinoff’s core virtual assistant services include social media management, WordPress support, online reputation management, project management, customer relationship management, customized e-mail marketing campaigns and productivity enhancement. Nora is a Mac and PC specialist. Nora is enthusiastic about architecting solutions that enable clients to make more out of their business day.
Nora is a recipient of the Karen S. House Award for Regional Collaboration as well as the Women of Excellence Award, several state and local government proclamations and holds the IVAA EthicsCheck™ certification. Nora is a past board member for IVAA and serves on several community advisory boards. Read more from this author
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