FTP Commands for Windows
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a standard network protocol used to exchange files between
computers on a private network or through the Internet.
There are three ways in which FTP is commonly accessed:
Command-line FTP client.
Web browser.
Graphical FTP clients.
The first two are straightforward methods that allow you to directly use a Web browser (such
as Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer) or an FTP client application (such as FileZilla,
FTP Voyager®) to connect to the FTP server to exchange files. Using the command-line
interface, you need to enter a set of commands to send or receive files from other
computers.
Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux operating systems have built-in command-line clients that
can be used for establishing an FTP connection. To initiate an FTP connection from Windows,
type ftp at the command prompt, and press enter.
Here is a list of the most commonly used FTP commands in the Windows command-line
prompt.
FTP commands for Windows command prompt
FTP Description of Command
Comma
nd
This command toggles back and forth between the operating system and
! ftp. Once back in the operating system, typing exit takes you back to the
FTP command line.
? Accesses the Help screen.
append Append text to a local file.
ascii Switch to ASCII transfer mode.
bell Turns bell mode on or off.
binary Switches to binary transfer mode.
FTP Description of Command
Comma
nd
bye Exits from FTP.
cd Changes directory.
close Exits from FTP.
delete Deletes a file.
debug Sets debugging on or off.
Lists files, if connected.
dir -C = lists the files in wide format.
dir -1 = Lists the files in bare format in alphabetic order.
dir
dir -r = Lists directory in reverse alphabetic order.
dir -R = Lists all files in current directory and sub directories.
dir -S = Lists files in bare format in alphabetic order.
disconne
Exits from FTP.
ct
get Get file from the remote computer.
Sets globbing on or off. When turned off, the file name in
glob the put and get commands is taken literally, and wildcards will not be
looked at.
Sets hash mark printing on or off. When turned on, for each 1024 bytes of
hash
data received, a hash-mark (#) is displayed.
Accesses the Help screen and displays information about the command if
help
the command is typed after help.
Displays local directory if typed alone or if path typed after lcd will change
lcd
the local directory.
Sends a literal command to the connected computer with an expected one-
literal
line response.
ls Lists files of the remotely connected computer.
mdelete Multiple delete.
mdir Lists contents of multiple remote directories.
mget Get multiple files.
FTP Description of Command
Comma
nd
mkdir Make directory.
mls Lists contents of multiple remote directories.
mput Send multiple files.
open Opens address.
prompt Enables or disables the prompt.
put Send one file.
pwd Print working directory.
quit Exits from FTP.
quote Same as the literal command.
recv Receive file.
remoteh
Get help from remote server.
elp
rename Renames a file.
rmdir Removes a directory on the remote computer.
send Send single file.
status Shows status of currently enabled and disabled options.
trace Toggles packet tracing.
Type Set file transfer type.
user Send new user information.
verbose Sets verbose on or off.
FTP command-line options for Windows
Command-line options (also known as options, flags, or switches), are used to modify the
operation of an FTP command. A command-line option typically follows the main FTP
command after a space. Here’s a list of the most commonly used FTP command-line options
for Windows.
Command- Description of Command
Line Option
-v Suppresses verbose display of remote server responses.
-n Suppresses auto-login upon initial connection.
-i Turns off interactive prompting during multiple file transfers.
Enables debugging, displaying all ftp commands passed between the
-d
client and server.
Disables filename globbing, which permits the use of wildcard
-g
characters in local file and path names.
Specifies a text file containing ftp commands; the commands
-s:filename
automatically run after ftp starts. No spaces are allowed in this
parameter. Use this switch instead of redirection (>).
-a Use any local interface when binding data connection.
-w:windowsize Overrides the default transfer buffer size of 4096.
Specifies the computer name or IP address of the remote computer to
computer connect to. The computer, if specified, must be the last parameter on
the line.
Given the availability of numerous graphical FTP clients, the text-based FTP client built into
Windows and Mac OS X operating systems is a reliable tool for testing and troubleshooting.
Learning these commands helps you exchange files between computers without installing
additional software.
