Accessing FTP servers

This article is no longer maintained, so its content might be out of date.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is used for transferring files to and from your and computer and an online server. With Firefox, you can browse and download files from FTP servers.


Limitations

Firefox allows for simple browsing and downloading from FTP sites:

  • Firefox does not support active FTP mode.
  • Firefox does not support FTP uploading. To upload files to FTP servers, it is recommended that you use a separate FTP program. In addition, there may be third-party Firefox extensions that can help you. For more information on searching for and installing extensions, see Find and install add-ons to add features to Firefox.


Downloading files from FTP servers

When you access an FTP server in Firefox, the address will begin with ftp:// (e.g. ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/). File and folders are listed as if you were browsing a computer hard drive.

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  • Clicking on a folder will navigate you to the contents of the folder.
  • Clicking on a file will make Firefox try to display that file. (As if you clicked on that a link to that file on any webpage.)


To download a file:

  1. Right-clickHold down the control key while you click on the file name.
  2. Select Save Link As....
  3. You will be prompted to choose where on your computer to save it. Choose a location, and click Save.


FTP servers that require a username and password

By default, Firefox accesses FTP servers anonymously. To provide a username and password, put the username before the server name in the URL, and divide it with an @ symbol. e.g. ftp://chris@ftp.mozilla.org/

Firefox will prompt you for your password.

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If you tell Firefox to remember your password, it will be saved in the same manner as passwords for any other website. See Password manager - Remember, delete and change saved passwords in Firefox.

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