Set up a FileZilla FTP Server on Windows Server
Setting up a FileZilla FTP server is useful, especially if other avenues of file transfer on your Windows Server are not working. In this guide, we’ll show you how to download, configure, and use the FileZilla FTP server for Windows Server.
How to download and install FileZilla FTP Server for Windows Server
To download FileZilla FTP Server for Windows Server, start by heading to the official FileZilla website. Once there, locate the “Quick download links” section. In this area, there’s a download link for the FileZilla Client and the Server. Click the “Download FileZilla Server” download button.
After selecting the download button, you’ll be taken to the FileZilla Server download page. Select the green button to download the installation EXE to your Windows Server.
Once the installation EXE is downloaded to your Windows Server, open up the Windows Explorer app, and select the “Downloads” folder. Then, double-click on the installation EXE to start it up.
Inside the FileZilla installer, you must first agree to the end-user license agreement. Select the “I Agree” button to continue to the next page in the installer. On the next page, you’ll need to choose the components to install. By default, everything is selected. However, you can de-select anything you do not wish to install.
After selecting the components you must choose the destination folder. By default, the server will install itself to “Program Files.” If you wish to change it, select the “Browse” button, and browse for a new location. Select “Next” when done to move to the next page of the installer.
You must now configure how the server should be installed. By default, FileZilla will install itself as a service that starts with Windows Server. Keep this option. Then, click the “Next” button to move to the next page.
You’ll now need to configure the server admin password. In the text box, enter a secure password. Then, re-type your password in the second box. When you’ve set your password, click the “Next” button.
After setting the password, the FileZilla Server will fully install to your Windows Server system. When it’s finished, close the installation tool. Once it’s closed, the server will start.
How to configure FileZilla FTP Server on Windows Server
To configure FileZilla FTP Server on Windows Server, start by launching the “Administer FileZilla Server” icon on the Windows Server desktop. When you select this icon, the FileZilla Administration Interface will open.
Inside of the FileZilla Administration interface, find the “Connect to Server” button, and select it with the mouse. After selecting the “connect” button for the first time, you’ll be prompted to set up an admin password. Do so.
Once you’ve set up an admin password, you’ll be connected to the FileZilla Administration Interface. From here, select the “Server” menu, and choose the “Configure” button. Selecting this button will open up the FileZilla Server config area.
Inside of the FileZilla Server config area, find “Rights management,” and select it with the mouse. Then, find “Users” and select it with the mouse. Inside the “Users” area, click the “Add” button to add a new user.
After selecting the “Add” button to add a new user, name your new user. Then, find “Authentication.” If you choose to have this user account log in with a password, set it in the text box. Otherwise, choose a different type of authentication with the drop-down menu.
Next, launch the Windows Explorer app, and navigate to the C:/ drive. Create a folder with the name “FTP” in this location. This folder will house everything uploaded and downloaded by this user (and any user that you set up, if you wish).
Return to the FileZilla Server settings area, and select your created user. Then, find “Mount points.” Under “Virtual path,” set it to “\”. After setting the “Virtual path,” set the “Native path” to “C:\FTP”. Click the “Apply” button to apply the changes to the server.
Connecting to your FTP server
To connect to your newly created Windows FileZilla FTP server, do the following. First, download the FileZilla FTP app and install it. It is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. After installing the software on the computer, enter your connection details.
- Host/Server: Enter the IP address or hostname of your FTP server
- Port: Enter the FTP port number (usually 21 unless you have configured a different port)
- Protocol: FTP – File Transfer Protocol
- Encryption: Specify the encryption type
- Logon Type: Normal
- Username: Enter the FTP username
- Password: Enter the FTP password
Once you’ve entered your connection details, click the connect button to log into the FTP server. You can then upload/download files to the Windows Server via FTP.
