Chromebook FTP Programs

chromebook ftpIt is possible to use FTP on a Chromebook to download files. For example, Filezilla is a popular FTP client that most people use on Windows. There is no FileZilla for Chromebook, but some other FTP programs that can help Chromebook power users. FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, and along with its partner, SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol), is a common language computers share.

Common uses of FTP / SFTP include:

  • Transferring large files that aren’t permitted by many email services.
  • Syncing files to your web server or hosting provider.
  • Transferring folders all at once, rather than as individual files.
  • Efficient transfer of large volumes of data from one computer to another (such as music or games).

 

Chromebook FTP Built In

Simplest solution is to visit ftp://website/ in Chrome. For example:

ftp://username:password@192.168.1.1/

This will only enable you to download/read from the server.

If you want to access FTP servers from the Chrome OS file explorer, the ‘Files’ app, the server you’re connecting to will need to be SFTP (that is port 22, not 21). These are harder to set up and, in my experience, not worth the hassle. Should you choose to, in the files app there’s an option on the left to “add services” or such, and among these options is one to mount a remote SFTP location.

Another of these services is the option to mount SMB or ‘samba’ shares, which are mainly Windows-based. If your main use for the server will be on the same local network only, I’d recommend this. Fast, safe and easy. Just make sure the Windows PC hosting the shares uses a login password, otherwise anyone on the network can access them.

Finally, you could install an android app like Solid Explorer, which would let you add a normal FTP server through that. This is a bit clunky, but really not a bad solution at all.

Chromebook FTP Programs

sFTP Client is available from the Chrome Web Store, comes with a one-time $2.99 price tag, and is setup just like FileZilla, so you shouldn’t have any problem figuring out how to use it.

Access your Local/Remote FTP server (including your NAS drive), local server, VPS, dedicated server, cloud server or shared hosting. sFTP Client is all about simplicity, it has been built on the Google Chrome / Chrome OS packaged app interface allowing the app to be fast and responsive

 

Using Crouton for FTP on Chromebook

This allows you to install a complete Linux distro of your choice as a chroot and run it simultaneously (not dual boot) with your normal Chrome OS system.

You then have access to a much wider range of FTP clients, including FilezillagFTP and LFTP. If you use the xiwi target, you can actually run these as a normal window in your Chrome OS system without having to switch between the two.

5 COMMENTS

  1. We need a Android Based FILEZILLA as these programs don’t allow you to download from the Webhost onto your local external drives when trying to backup…. OR easily add files in a que! ARGGGHHHH

    For Web Developers we NEED to get files from public_html and download in a one-by-one to an external HD or SD Card so we can use Code Editors to Customize Code & Design…. Since i’m a customizer of WP themes and PHP Scripts, Web Design Coding = THIS IS A HUGE GAP in the Chromebook!

    Has ANYONE solved this with an app? if so which oe is it (Not sFTP, as very complicated and has only basics from what I can tell, though still very new to ChromeBooks

    PLEASE HELP ME
    Tweet @Code_Collective & @14tyME & @jaycameron

  2. no one answered?? I really wish they had. this says it is 2.99 one time but when you go to extension store it is 50 dollars. im not sure how often i will need it. im switching my wp woo site from hostgator to cloudways because it is sooooo fast. but i am not sure i can do this.

  3. I installed Linux Dev, then used flatpak to add FileZilla. A little bit tricky at first (further comment below), but it works perfectly fine now.

    The problem is that:
    Installing works fine, but it won’t run…
    I followed this

    1- Press Ctrl+Alt+T

    2- A terminal window will open, this is different than crostini terminal, and called crosh. Now type “vsh termina” on it and press enter

    3- Now type “lxc config set penguin security.nesting true” then press enter.,

    4- Restart your computer, it should work now.

    from Pickyduck on Reddit and it works after that.

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