FTP in Windows Explorer, the command prompt and browsers: what works and what does not

Windows ships with two ways to use FTP without installing anything: File Explorer can open an ftp:// address and keep it as a network location, and the command prompt has ftp.exe. Web browsers used to open ftp:// links too. All of them still work for the simplest case, a plain FTP server and a few files, and all of them stop at the same walls. This page shows how to use each, where it ends, and what an FTP client adds.

FTP in File Explorer

Type ftp://ftp.example.com into the Explorer address bar and press Enter; for a login, right-click in the window, choose Login As, or put the login in the address as ftp://user@ftp.example.com. Files and folders appear like a local folder and you can drag files in and out. To keep it, right-click This PC > Add a network location and enter the ftp:// address; the site then appears under This PC with its own icon. What it cannot do: SFTP or FTPS (there is no encryption of any kind), resume an interrupted copy, queue a batch, show transfer speed or a log, set file permissions, or sync a folder. Large uploads through Explorer also stall silently because Explorer treats the server like a slow local disk.

FTP from the command prompt: ftp.exe

Open a command prompt and type ftp ftp.example.com, then user, password, cd, ls, get and put, binary for anything that is not text, and bye. For batch files, ftp -s:commands.txt runs the commands in a text file, which is how a great many scheduled uploads were built. The limits: plain FTP only (no SFTP, no FTPS), no passive mode on older versions (so it fails behind most routers), no resume, no wildcard downloads of folders, and no useful exit code, so a batch file cannot tell whether the transfer worked. FTPShell's ftpshellc console runs the same -s:file command files with SFTP, FTPS, passive mode, resume, logs and exit codes.

FTP in a web browser

Chrome, Edge and Firefox removed FTP support between 2021 and 2022, so an ftp:// link in those browsers now either does nothing or hands off to another program. Where a browser still opens one, it is read-only: you can view a listing and download a file, not upload, rename or delete.

Mapping an FTP site as a drive letter

Windows cannot map an FTP server to a drive letter by itself; Add a network location gives a shortcut under This PC, not a drive. Third-party drive-mapping tools exist, but programs that expect a real disk (editors that save in place, backup software) behave unpredictably on them. An FTP client with direct editing covers the common reason people want the drive letter: open a file on the server, change it, save it back. FTPShell's Remote > Direct edit does exactly that.

What an FTP client adds

Encryption with SFTP and FTPS, which almost every host now requires; passive mode with automatic fallback so connections work behind routers; a transfer queue with resume, duplicate rules, retry and reconnect; folder compare and sync so you upload only what changed; remote search; a side-by-side diff and an editor that saves straight to the server; scheduled tasks and scripting; favorites that remember each server; and a log that shows what the server actually said. FTPShell Client does all of this on Windows Vista through 11, and the Personal edition is free for non-commercial use.

Questions people ask

How do I connect to an FTP server in Windows Explorer?

Type the ftp:// address in the Explorer address bar, press Enter, and use Login As (right-click) if the server needs a login. Add a network location keeps it under This PC.

Does Windows 11 have a built-in FTP client?

Yes, the same two as earlier versions: File Explorer's ftp:// support and the ftp.exe command. Neither supports SFTP or FTPS.

Can Windows Explorer connect to SFTP?

No. Explorer and ftp.exe speak plain FTP only. SFTP and FTPS need a client such as FTPShell.

Why does ftp.exe hang on dir or ls?

It uses active mode, so the server tries to connect back to your PC and your router or firewall blocks it. Use a client with passive mode.

Can I map an FTP site as a network drive in Windows?

Not as a drive letter with Windows alone; Add a network location gives a shortcut. For editing files on the server, an FTP client's direct edit is the dependable route.

Can I use Chrome, Firefox, Mozilla, Edge, Internet Explorer or another web browser as an FTP or SFTP client, and which browsers support FTP?

Not any more. Chrome dropped FTP in version 95 and Firefox in version 88, both in 2021, and Edge follows Chrome; Internet Explorer could browse FTP folders but is retired. No current browser supports SFTP at all. An ftp:// link in a modern browser either does nothing or is handed to a desktop program. For uploads, renames or anything beyond reading a listing you need a client such as FTPShell.

Is there a Chrome or Firefox FTP add-on, addon or extension to download, and how to access FTP or a secure FTP site from a browser, through a browser, by URL?

The classic Firefox add-on for FTP stopped working when Firefox moved to its current extension model, and Chrome never allowed extensions to add protocols. FTPShell has no browser extension; it is a desktop client. The only browser route left is a server that publishes its files over HTTPS as well. For a secure FTP site, SFTP or FTPS, a browser cannot connect by URL at all, so open the address in an FTPShell session instead.

How do I enable, set up, setup, install, configure or change the FTP settings and configuration in Windows 10 and Windows 11, or specify a port?

Windows has no central FTP settings. For the client side nothing needs enabling: File Explorer opens ftp:// addresses as it is, and ftp.exe runs from any command prompt. Searches for enable FTP on Windows 10 usually mean the FTP Server feature of Internet Information Services, which is a server role you switch on under Windows Features; for simple hosting FTPShell Server is the easier route. To use a non-standard port in Explorer, write ftp://host:2121/; in ftp.exe type open host 2121; in FTPShell, type the port in the connect bar.

Is there a native Microsoft FTP client or FTP software from Microsoft for Windows 10 and 11?

Microsoft ships two: the ftp:// support inside File Explorer and the ftp.exe command-line tool, both plain FTP without encryption, resume or scheduling. PowerShell has no FTP cmdlet; scripts there use .NET classes by hand. There is no graphical Microsoft FTP client beyond Explorer, which is why most Windows users install one.

Does the Windows ftp command use passive mode (PASV), and what does entering extended passive mode mean?

No. The Windows ftp.exe command only uses active mode, where the server connects back to your PC, so it fails behind most routers and firewalls even though login succeeds; typing quote pasv does not change how it transfers. Entering extended passive mode is the message printed by Unix-style clients when they send EPSV, the newer form of PASV that also works with IPv6. FTPShell defaults to passive mode and switches automatically when a listing fails.

Can I mount an FTP or SFTP site as a drive in Windows, or use FTP through Windows Explorer?

Windows cannot map an FTP or SFTP server to a drive letter on its own; Add a network location only gives a shortcut under This PC, and it works for plain FTP only. Using FTP through Windows Explorer is fine for a few files on a plain FTP server. For the usual reason people want a drive, editing a file on the server in place, FTPShell's Remote > Direct edit opens the file and uploads it again on Save, over FTP, FTPS or SFTP.