FTP Cheatsheet
Connect and Login
Start an FTP session and authenticate.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
ftp hostname
|
Connect to server |
ftp 192.168.1.10 |
Connect by IP |
ftp hostname 21 |
Connect to a custom port |
user username |
Log in with username (prompts for password) |
user username password |
Log in with username and password |
quit |
Quit session |
bye |
Quit session (alias for quit) |
Local and Remote Paths
Navigate directories on both sides.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
pwd |
Show remote working directory |
!pwd |
Show local working directory |
cd /remote/path |
Change remote directory |
lcd /local/path |
Change local directory |
ls |
List remote files |
!ls |
List local files |
Download Files
Transfer files from remote server to local system.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
get file.txt |
Download one file |
get remote.txt local.txt |
Download and rename locally |
mget *.log |
Download multiple files |
prompt |
Toggle interactive prompt for mget |
reget large.iso |
Resume interrupted download |
Upload Files
Transfer local files to remote server.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
put file.txt |
Upload one file |
put local.txt remote.txt |
Upload with remote name |
mput *.txt |
Upload multiple files |
append file.txt |
Append local file to remote file |
Transfer Modes
Select ASCII or binary mode as needed.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
binary |
Set binary transfer mode |
ascii |
Set text transfer mode |
type |
Show current transfer mode |
hash |
Show transfer progress marks |
status |
Display session and transfer status |
Remote File Management
Manage files and directories on the FTP server.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
mkdir dirname |
Create remote directory |
rmdir dirname |
Remove remote directory |
delete file.txt |
Delete remote file |
mdelete *.tmp |
Delete multiple remote files |
rename old.txt new.txt |
Rename remote file |
size file.iso |
Show remote file size |
Connection and Safety
Useful options to avoid transfer issues.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
passive |
Toggle passive mode |
debug |
Toggle protocol debug output |
verbose |
Toggle verbose transfer output |
close |
Close connection, keep FTP shell |
open hostname |
Reconnect to another host |
!command |
Run a local shell command |
help |
List available FTP commands |
Batch and Non-Interactive
Run FTP commands from scripts.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
ftp -n hostname |
Disable auto-login |
ftp -inv hostname |
Script-friendly mode |
ftp hostname < commands.txt |
Run commands from file |
