For any person or company managing large image files, using a file transfer service to access and share those files in the cloud is an absolute necessity. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to use one of the more popular free and easy-to-use File Transfer Protocol (FTP) services, FileZilla.
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Downloading and installing the program
Go to the open-source platform website filezilla-project.org. Choose ‘’Download FileZilla Client’’.
Choose the download file for your desired operating system. It’s available for Mac OS X, Windows PC, and Linux.
Once you’ve downloaded the software, follow the prompts and install it was would any other type of software program.
Next, set up your your FTP account credentials by logging into your account and enabling your FTP account from the “account setting section”. Click on the “Enable FTP account.”
Have your FTP username and password ready for this process. Make sure to create a password that cannot be easily replicated.
Note: You can change your password any time by clicking on “Reset Password”.
How to connect to a server
If you look right below the toolbar, you will see the information fields for entering your Host, username, password, and Port to connect to the FTP server. For the purpose of this tutorial, we’re using the example of connecting to the Clipping Path FTP server, which would allow you to share your images with us to outsource your image post-production photo editing and optimization requirements.
You don’t need to worry about entering the Port address. This should be left blank because it is standard across all servers. FileZilla will automatically enter Port details when left blank.
Start the connection process by clicking the Quickconnect button. The status of this connection will be displayed on the top pane of your computer.
If the connection is successful, the file system of the server will be listed on the right pane.
How to use your Site Manager
Quickconnect settings will disappear the moment you restart FileZilla. To save time in accessing the server, save your login details in Site Manager. Click on the File menu on the top left side of the program and choose ‘’Copy Current to Site Manager’’.
When you finish this process, it will automatically open the user interface of the Site Manager together with the server details which you initially entered. Name the login, example: “CPI FTP”.
Alternatively, you can click the “New Site” button and fill in your host name, user and password and save under the name “CPI FTP”. The login type should remain as ‘’Normal’’.
Now, each time you want to connect to this FTP server, you select Site Manager and choose the desired login name, like “CPI FTP”.
Download or upload your images with Clipping Path India
The Local site section of FileZilla lets you access the photo files on your computer’s hard drive. Navigate to the left pane to locate the files you want to upload to the server.
To create a directory to upload your files, go to Remote site section. Right-click on Create Directory and name your new directory.
Once the directory is created, double click on it to upload photos into this directory. If you need to go back, double click on the directory icon that ends with two dots located on the top left side.
Select the desired files to upload from the left panel and drag them to the right panel directory to upload. Or right click on the files and choose “Upload”.
You can view the progress of the upload in the bottom panel.
When the copying is finished, the files will automatically appear in the CPI FTP server.
See how Clipping Path India remove background from images using Photoshop >
Downloading images after they have been edited
To download files from an FTP server, in this case, CPI FTP, just follow the process in reverse. Login to the server, locate the files you want to download, drag them from the right panel to the left panel. Or select the files in the right panel, right click, and choose “Download”.
Again, you can view the download status on the bottom panel.
There you have it! You now know how to upload and download files with FileZilla via FTP.
Interesting in learning more? Check out 5 Ways to Optimize Your Product Photos for Ecommmerce Success.
