Using Windows As An FTP Client

Using Windows As An FTP Client

here are many FTP clients available but many do not know that you can use Windows Explorere to browse an FTP location. This tutorial shows how to connect to a remote FTP server from Windows Explorer. This is specifically for connecting to the Windows FTP server that comes as part of the Internet Information Services (IIS)component on Windows 2000/2003/2008.

First, you must set your browser to NOT use "Passive" FTP mode or it will not be able to get the list of directories. To do so, go to Internet Explorer and choose Tools -> Internet Options.

Select the Advanced tab and make sure that Use Passive FTP (for firewall and DSL modem compatibility) is NOT checked.

Now open Windows Explorer and in the Address bar (NOTE: If you do not see the Options bar, right-click in the "gray" area next to the toolbars and make sure Address Bar is checked. Now enter the address to your FTP server and don't forget to start it with "ftp://" so Windows knows that you want to use the FTP protocol to connect to this URL.

A Login box will open after a short connection wait. In the dialog, enter your User name and Password to the FTP site (if your FTP supports anonymous acces, you can just check the "Log on anonymously" box). You can also choose to save your password for future connections. Now click Log On.

You will now be connected after a short duration while Windows negotiates the connection. The really nice thing is now you can drag/drop or copy/paste any file from your hard drive directly into this folder and windows will automatically handle uploading it to the FTP location with a nice progress bar.