Screw SmartFTP, Filezilla, CuteFTP! ... You don't need them!

[Jose Delgado]

Here's a little known *secret* way to replace all those FTP programs. I myself didn't know about it until today! Either I'm stupid or it really is "secret".

Ok here's what to do:

Go to Start > My Computer.

on the Address field type: "ftp://YOURUSERNAME@ftp.YOURDOMAIN.com" hit enter.

You should get a pop up.

Enter Your Password and click Log On.

You should now have access to all the files on your server! Just like an FTP program! You can upload files to it.




Pretty cool ey?!

Ok, Am I the only one that didn't know about this?

[najmiyusoff]

Actually I've known about this a while ago. But thanks anyway for sharing.

Pretty convenient eh?

[Bishop81]

Yeah, Internet Explorer has ftp capability... It has for as long as I know.
Or maybe it's Windows Explorer that it uses, I'm not sure. Been so long since I've messed with it.

[mesol]

is it secure to do this way. i hate IE

[Jose Delgado]

Originally Posted by mesol

is it secure to do this way. i hate IE

yeah I imagined.

so it seems like everyone knew about this except ME!



EDIT: I don't know if it's secure but I'm thinking it is.
any warriors want to share some knowledge?

[Sean Donahoe]

It is actually built into Windows explorer and when IE detects the FTP protocol it jumps over to windows explorer. The FTP client built into windows is actually fairly limited but it is pretty useful for a quick transfer when you do not have access to a FTP client.

However, Windows explorer does not support all FTP servers. If you use FireFox you can actually get a cool little plugin called FireFTP which I use a lot and like FileZilla it's 100% free and can import your Filezilla profiles.

Hope that helps someone...

[Tom Dean]

Thanks for the tip. I did not know about it. Just tried it.

Could come in handy when your away from your own pc - could still upload from a usb drive.

tom

[Jose Delgado]

Originally Posted by Sean Donahoe

It is actually built into Windows explorer and when IE detects the FTP protocol it jumps over to windows explorer. The FTP client built into windows is actually fairly limited but it is pretty useful for a quick transfer when you do not have access to a FTP client.

However, Windows explorer does not support all FTP servers. If you use FireFox you can actually get a cool little plugin called FireFTP which I use a lot and like FileZilla it's 100% free and can import your Filezilla profiles.

Hope that helps someone...

I have that sucker but I still think SmartFTP and Filezilla are better.

[Sean Donahoe]

Smart FTP is a very cool FTP client but no longer free, FileZilla is good but a little limited. My personal preference is CuteFTP Pro. For those who want a convenient browser based FTP client FireFTP is pretty handy.

[Dixiebelle]

Originally Posted by Jose Delgado

Here's a little known *secret* way to replace all those FTP programs. I myself didn't know about it until today! Either I'm stupid or it really is "secret".

Ok here's what to do:

Go to Start > My Computer.

on the Address field type: "ftp://YOURUSERNAME@ftp.YOURDOMAIN.com" hit enter.

You should get a pop up.

Enter Your Password and click Log On.

You should now have access to all the files on your server! Just like an FTP program! You can upload files to it.




Pretty cool ey?!

Ok, Am I the only one that didn't know about this?

Thanks for sharing that Jose: I wasn't ware of that. I like learning new things. I'll try it out tonight.

Dixie

[George Wright]

Awesome tip.

On all my other PCs I could do this with the IE browser. In my current PC It didn't work. Something about going to "my computer" makes it work.

Thanks Much

George Wright

[Jose Delgado]

Well now at least I know that I wasn't the only one unaware of this.

You're welcome Dixie and George.

[bendiggs]

I have a few hundred common files that I maintain and upload on a fairly regular basis, and in order to make the process easy and automated, I have built a batch file that utilizes the built in FTP features of Windows Explorer. Having a built in FTP client allows for a number of applications.

[Shannon Herod]

I had no clue you could do that, so you are not the only one José.


Thanks for the tip.

Shannon

[Gerry Humphrey]

There is also Free FTP but it is NOT 100% compatible with Windows Vista.

Free FTP

[curious1960]

Great tip, thank you!

[ragnartm]

Originally Posted by Jose Delgado

Ok, Am I the only one that didn't know about this?

I don't know if I would say only, but probably one of the few yes.

[Levada]

wow! Thanks for the tip, I love it! Been a filezilla fan for a while, but this is slick.

[Andyhenry]

That's funny.

I never even thought to mention this because I prefer ftp programs. As I've been into computing for over 20 years it didn't occur to me there might be people who didn't know

I'm constantly learning about how much I take for granted.

Thanks for sharing this.

Andy

[CelticFiddler]

Originally Posted by Andyhenry

That's funny.

I never even thought to mention this because I prefer ftp programs. As I've been into computing for over 20 years it didn't occur to me there might be people who didn't know

I'm constantly learning about how much I take for granted.

Thanks for sharing this.

Andy

I agree that it is funny. I have been aware of the built-in FTP client for several years (there is one in Unix, which I used long before I used the Windows implementation, and, of course, there is one in Linux). Once upon a time, I used it a lot, mostly through batch or shell files to do repetitive operations.

What I find funny is that anybody would think the built-in FTP client is a suitable substitute for any of the GUI-based FTP clients like FileZilla or SmartFTP, where moving files is a matter of drag and drop -- and the GUI-based programs show you a whole lot more information at a glance with a lot less rowing at the keyboard.

Oh, and Filezilla is free, so there is no cost barrier there. SmartFTP, which I understand is a bit more useful for folks with more than a few dozen domains to maintain, is around $50.

I find that I use Filezilla mainly for making complete site backups these days, since WordPress pretty much does everything else I need. Now that the free XCloner plugin is available for WordPress, that is even easier.

[mywebwork]

Actually this has been a capability of Windows since Windows 98, so it's hardly a new trick!

And before you dump your other FTP programs keep in mind that if you have a secure site using SFTP you can't do this with Windows. You can, however, do SFTP from the command line on a LINUX workstation or on a Mac.

If you are going to try this you may want to become familiar with commands like WGET and WPUT, for downloading and uploading multiple files.

This can be handy for batch jobs that are automated, but hardly a reason to drop your FTP program. I can be useful however when you are on a guest computer with no FTP capabilities.

Bill

[BIG Mike]

If you're really brave, go to Start->Run and type cmd to start DOS. Then type ftp and press enter...once the ftp command line appears type ? and enter for the commands to use...

[fluffythewondercat]

Real men use command-line ftp.

Real women use command-line sftp on Macs. We like security. :-)

GUI? Careful, you might get some on you.

fLufF
--

[daviddeschaine]

Thanks For The Info - I do use FileZilla everyday, Thanks David

Originally Posted by Jose Delgado

Here's a little known *secret* way to replace all those FTP programs. I myself didn't know about it until today! Either I'm stupid or it really is "secret".

Ok here's what to do:

Tha'ts Cool - I do use FileZilla all the time - Thanks, David

Go to Start > My Computer.

on the Address field type: "ftp://YOURUSERNAME@ftp.YOURDOMAIN.com" hit enter.

You should get a pop up.

Enter Your Password and click Log On.

You should now have access to all the files on your server! Just like an FTP program! You can upload files to it.




Pretty cool ey?!

Ok, Am I the only one that didn't know about this?

[azmanar]

Hi,

Knew this and also made my own FTP app using LUA.

I prefer GUI-based FTP for scores of my Websites. Can manage my userid, pass and hostnames much easier and quicker. Also some servers require SFTP and FTPS modes. Much easier to handle with FTP software.

Used CuteFTP and SmartFTP. Kinda like FileZilla better and stick with it.

[Andyhenry]

That's fine if you only have one or two websites.

I have hundreds so I use the GUI based FTP apps because I can store all of their details and just pull up a bookmark for any site at any time.

I do still sometimes use windows explorer etc. to throw one new image or file online sometimes though and I also use cpanel sometimes because I go there to check stats and do installs so it's just handy at the time.

Horses for courses - whatever suits you is the right way to go.

[Tinkn69]

If you use firefox, try fireFTP addon. I like it because it is no extra software to install on computer and it is within a tab of Firefox, you see source--->destination; really easy & it is really convenient!

If you use this strategy, it can free up clutter on the desktop and also system resources.

Side tip -

I actually "purpose" my browsers; I use Firefox for general info/surfing (safer) & for Facebook ONLY (much much safer for facebook) & FTP when I need it.

Google Chrome for web email & communications, twitter, etc.

I DO NOT run IE except for only a few sites that need it.

Tink

[DogScout]

If you are still using FTP, you risk a hacking. Use only SFTP.

For what it is worth.

[azmanar]

Originally Posted by Tinkn69

If you use firefox, try fireFTP addon. I like it because it is no extra software to install on computer and it is within a tab of Firefox, you see source--->destination; really easy & it is really convenient!

If you use this strategy, it can free up clutter on the desktop and also system resources.

Side tip -

I actually "purpose" my browsers; I use Firefox for general info/surfing (safer) & for Facebook ONLY (much much safer for facebook) & FTP when I need it.

Google Chrome for web email & communications, twitter, etc.

I DO NOT run IE except for only a few sites that need it.

Tink

Hi,

I tested this. Unfortunately with more Add-ons, FF becomes heavier to load and crashes more often.

Also, my recent experience with a virus/trojan attack from a website through FF made me wary of security risks it may pose.

To play safe, FTP info stays with FTP software.

[Pion]

My preferred FTP client (after 18 years of FTP) is BitKinex, a free FTP/SFTP/HTTP/WebDAV Client.

It is a VERY robust software, it has zillion of modern features, but at the same time it is very simple to use. You must give it a try.

[timpears]

No, you were not the only one. I didn't know it either.

Unfortunately I don't have a 'my computer' on my start menu, so I guess I can't use it. Oh well.

[mojojuju]

I'm surprised there's people that didn't know this.

Also, worth pointing out is that you can save the locations and login credentials of your FTP connections with Windows Explorer by mapping them as a network drive.

From Explorer, go to "Tools" from the menu and then click on "Map Network Drive". From there you can use the wizard to setup your FTP connection as a saved network connection.

The result is an icon that you can find in "My Computer" that you can click on and it will open up your saved FTP location in Explorer.



Even more useful than mapping FTP locations as a network drive is mapping them to a drive letter. When you map your FTP locations to drive letters, you can pretty much use them like you would any resource on your computer. An FTP location mapped to a drive letter functions exactly like a drive on your computer.

The easiest way to map an FTP location to a drive letter is to install NetDrive.

After you map your web hosting space to a drive letter on your computer using NetDrive, it will look a lot like you added another hard drive to your computer. In the screenshot below, you'll see that I mapped a web hosting account to the "E" drive letter:



The network drive created with NetDrive will function in every way as if it were a hard drive connected to my computer. It is even available from the "Save As" menu from any windows program. I can for instance save directly to my web space from Notepad:



Since the E: drive, which represents my web hosting account, is shown in the "Save As" dialog, I can save directly to my web hosting from any program, just as easily as if I was saving to my C: drive.

NetDrive also supports WebDAV.

I still use standalone FTP programs if I'm uploading many files at once and if I need verbose logging in case something goes wrong, or if I need more control over connection settings. But if I'm just uploading a file or two, using Explorer seems to be more streamlined and more integrated with other Windows features.

Another free tool that comes in handy if you want to connect by SFTP from Windows Explorer is Swish.

[Ansar Pasha]

@Mojoju... holy crap.... I've lost and mismanaged so many files with fiddly FTP stuff... and NOW you tell me!?



Ansar

[Brian Alaway]

Been around a long time but unfortunately it is NOT secure.
I prefer Filezilla or WinSCP as they both support SFTP, which Hostgator also supports on their shared servers.

[fluffythewondercat]

On the rare occasions I transfer files with my XP netbook, I use WinSCP as well.

fLufF
--

[Chri5123]

I think you can also do this from your browser as it is just one of the many protocols - think there are about 7 or 8? telnet etc... the most popular is without a doubt "http://"

[Steven Miranda]

Using browser based built in FTP works but can't provide the same reliability or features a a full FTP client. Transmit on the Mac is awesome.

[ocvseo]

Originally Posted by Jose Delgado

Here's a little known *secret* way to replace all those FTP programs. I myself didn't know about it until today! Either I'm stupid or it really is "secret".

Ok here's what to do:

Go to Start > My Computer.

on the Address field type: "ftp://YOURUSERNAME@ftp.YOURDOMAIN.com" hit enter.

You should get a pop up.

Enter Your Password and click Log On.

You should now have access to all the files on your server! Just like an FTP program! You can upload files to it.




Pretty cool ey?!

Ok, Am I the only one that didn't know about this?

this is not a secret anymore, even on linux system have this or even unix like system have this service, if you know the shell scripting language.

[moonlite]

Thank u, thank u, thank u! [i'm not worthy ] You're saving me a lot of time. Have been using filezilla. I think my host has ftp capability also, but I'll try this method too, then see which works better.

[LErinator]

Which is the best FTP client to use cross-platform, if you are dealing with multiple OSs?

More of a curiosity if you are working with a large amount of input from different sources. If this makes any sense.

[thebitbotdotcom]

I use zip files for everything....log onto the CPanel and then unzip it on the server...super fast...and you can do it from anywhere...

[Darrell Hagan]

I like Firefox/FireFTP myself........Pretty hassle free and just works

[moonlite]

I have stopped doing the easy method. Even though it was easy, it leaves my sites vulnerable to security issues. Now I'm giving Komposer a try (it's free) and it has some ftp capabilites also.

[xxxJamesxxx]

I didn't know this... Thanks for sharing... I'll give it a bash when I'm on my main comp.

Cheers for the intel.

James Scholes