Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Using your own server
• Method 2 of 2: Using a Web Server

FTP is a File Transfer Protocol and is the primary method for uploading files and downloading them from the Internet. You can set up an FTP server on one of your computers or on a server hosted on the Internet on a web host to start transferring files via FTP.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Using your own server

1. 1 Make sure your computer can be connected to the internet and that the connection is stable. Use an operating system designed for server computers, such as Windows Server 2008 R2 or Mac OS X Server Snow Leopard.
2. 2 Download or buy a program to create an FTP server and FTP client. There are many free FTP server software that you can download on the Internet. The most popular of these are FileZilla Server and Wing FTP. FileZilla FTP Client is free software. Install the program of your choice.
3. 3 Run the installed FTP server software. Now you need to decide whether you want everyone to have access to your server and the files that are on it, otherwise you will have to restrict access by setting a username and password. Open the Options menu in the program and set the desired security settings.
4. 4 Find out the IP address of your computer in order to give it to others to access the server. To do this, enter the "ipconfig" command in the text box on the command line. If you have a Mac, enter "ipconfig" in the terminal window.
5. 5 Start your FTP client. Enter your IP address in the "Host" text box. Enter your username and password if you want to set restrictions on the server. Click on the "connect" button and drag the necessary files to the server with the mouse.
6. 6 Give the IP address to the people you want to give access to the files on your server. They will be able to enter your IP address into the address bar of the browser, thereby opening a page with your server and downloading files from it, if your computer, of course, is connected to the Internet, and you have the appropriate program running.

Method 2 of 2: Using a Web Server

1. 1 Buy web hosting and domain name. There are thousands of companies on the Internet from which you can buy all this. Make sure you buy enough space for all of your files.
2. 2 Go to your profile on the web host and set up your FTP server. You must create a username and password, as well as a directory name. The directory is where your files will be stored on the site. For example, if your site is http://mywebsite.com and the directory name is "files", then you can access your files by going to http://mywebsite.com/files.
3. 3 Download an FTP client. For example, the free FileZilla FTP Client.
4. 4 Use the newly created FTP profile, username and password to access your FTP using the downloaded program. Click the "Connect" button so you can access your files, upload new files and download them to your computer.