How to install FileZilla on Linux
While many people on Linux scoff at the use of FTP, as it is ancient, it still has its uses, like quick file transfers over SSH, moving large amounts of data over a LAN, or for emergency server backups.
There are many great FTP clients available on Linux, but none of them hold a candle to FileZilla. Why? It supports many different file-transfer protocols, like FTP, SFTP, and many others. Additionally, it’s still getting new features, and it is easy to get working on any Linux distribution. Here’s how to get FileZilla working on your system.
Ubuntu installation instructions
The FileZilla FTP client is available for Ubuntu Linux users in the “Universe” software repository. However, not every Ubuntu installation supports the “Universe” repo out of the box, so we must demonstrate how to set it up.
First, launch a terminal window by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T or Ctrl + Shift + T on the keyboard. Then, with the terminal window open, use the add-apt-repository command below to add the “Universe” repo to your software sources.
sudo add-apt-repository universe
After adding the “Universe” software repository to your software sources on Ubuntu, the next step is to run the update command, as it will tell the system about the changes made with the add-apt-repository command.
sudo apt update
Following the running of the update command, your Ubuntu PC will have access to the “Universe” software repository. Now, it is time to install the FileZilla app. To do that, use the apt install command below.
sudo apt install filezilla
Debian installation instructions
As the FileZilla FTP client is open-source, the people behind Debian Linux have no issues distributing it on the “Main” software repository. If you’re a Debian user, you will be able to install the software by doing the following.
First, open up a terminal window by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T or Ctrl + Shift + T on the keyboard. Then, use the apt-get install command below to get FileZilla.
sudo apt-get install filezilla
Keep in mind that when you install the FileZilla app from the Debian “Main” software repository that you are not getting the absolute latest release of the software. For many Debian users, this isn’t a problem. However, if you’re the type of person that needs the newest features, going the apt-get route isn’t a good idea. Instead, consider setting up FileZilla as a Snap package or Flatpak installation instructions below, as they offer up newer releases.
Arch Linux installation instructions
On Arch Linux, it is possible to install the FileZilla FTP client through the “Community” software repository. However, before we go over how to do that, we must talk about how to enable the “Community” repo, as not every Arch Linux user has it set up.
To enable the “Community” software repository, launch a terminal window by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T or Ctrl + Shift + T on the keyboard. Then, open up the Pacman.conf file in the Nano text editor with the command below.
sudo nano -w /etc/pacman.conf
Inside of the Pacman configuration file in Nano, use the Down Arrow key on the keyboard to make your way to the bottom, till you find “Community” in the file. Then, use the Backspace key to remove the “#” symbol from in front of “Community,” along with the lines directly below it.
After getting rid of the “#” symbols in the Pacman configuration file, press Ctrl + O to save the changes, and Ctrl + X to close the editor. When out of the Nano text editor, use pacman to re-sync your computer to the official servers.
sudo pacman -Syyuu
Once your computer is re-synced with the official servers, use the pacman command below to install the latest version of FileZilla.
sudo pacman -S filezilla
Fedora installation instructions
Fedora Linux has FileZilla available for Fedora version 29, 30, 31, and Rawhide. The program is in the primary software sources, so no need to enable RPM Fusion. To install, open up a terminal by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T or Ctrl + Shift + T on the keyboard. Then, use the dnf install command below.
sudo dnf install filezilla
OpenSUSE installation instructions
OpenSUSE Linux has a version of the FileZilla FTP app ready for installation on each of its current releases (15.1, 15.0, and Tumbleweed). To start the installation of FileZilla on your OpenSUSE Linux PC, launch a terminal window by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T or Ctrl + Shift + T on the keyboard. Then, use the zypper install command below.
sudo zypper install filezilla
Keep in mind that specific versions of the OpenSUSE Linux operating system do not offer up the absolute latest pieces of software, for stability reasons. If you’re uncomfortable with using an out-of-date release of FileZilla, please follow the Snap or Flatpak installation instructions instead.
Flatpak installation instructions
The FileZilla FTP client is in the Flathub app store as a Flatpak package, which is good news, as 99% of Linux operating systems support Flatpak. To get FileZilla working via Flatpak, do the following.
First, follow our guide to get the Flatpak runtime up and running. Then, open up a terminal window by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T or Ctrl + Shift + T on the keyboard and enter the commands below.
flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo flatpak install flathub org.filezillaproject.Filezilla
Once the two commands above have run, you will have FileZilla installed on your Linux PC as a Flatpak package.
Snap package installation instructions
FileZilla is available to Linux users as a Snap package! To set up the app, you must be running a Linux distribution that has support for Snap packages. For more information on support, read the Snap website.
Once you’ve determined if your Linux PC supports Snap packages, follow our guide to learn how to enable the Snapd runtime. Then, use the snap install command below to get FileZilla installed.
sudo snap install filezilla --beta
