Perhaps many of you already know how to create and configure a FTP server. If you don’t know what FTP is, FTP or File Transfer Protocol is used to transfer data from one computer to another over the Internet, or through a network.

Specifically, FTP is a commonly used protocol for exchanging files over any network that supports the TCP/IP protocol (such as the Internet or an intranet). There are two computers involved in an FTP transfer: a server and a client. The FTP server, running FTP server software, listens on the network for connection requests from other computers. The client computer, running FTP client software, initiates a connection to the server. Once connected, the client can do a number of file manipulation operations such as uploading files to the server, download files from the server, rename or delete files on the server and so on.

If you need to access your files from other location, running a FTP server is a good solution. This article will only show you how to setup and configure a FTP server on your computer. I promise you that it is good to know how to setup a FTP server on a computer. I will tell you more about it on the next article.

So here’s how to setup FTP server on Windows.

There are many FTP server software on the internet but I prefer to use FileZilla Server. Follow the step-by-step below and you’ll have a home FTP server running in no time.

1. Download FileZilla Server.

2. Run the downloaded file, click I Agree.

3. Use the default Standard component installation and click Next.
how to install FTP server

4. The default installation location is OK. Change it if you want and click Next.

5. Make sure “Install as service, started with Windows (default)” is selected and port 14147. Click Next.

6. At startup settings, if you’re the only person using the computer, then click Install button. If sharing and has multiple user accounts, select the second one that says “Start if user logs on, apply only to current user“.
FTP Run only to current user

7. Click OK when you’re prompted to “Connect to server” and FileZilla server interface will appear.
How to connect to FTP server

8. Click Edit on the menu bar, and select Users.
How to add users to FTP

9. Click the Add button on Users and type the name of the user account.

10. Check Password and enter a password for the user that you’ve created.

11. Go to Shared Folders, and click Add button on Shared folders. Select the folder that you’d want the user to access.
Share Folders on FTP

12. Check Read, Write, Delete, Append for Files. Also check Create, Delete, List, + Subdirs for Directories and click OK.
Configure FTP user rights

13. Now go to My Computer, type the Address as ftp://127.0.0.1 and hit Enter.
How to connect to FTP

14. Enter the username and password that you created just now and you’re logged in to the shared folder.

You now have a fully functional FTP server on your computer. You can add more users and also shared folders as you wish. Wait a minute, you’re not 100% done yet because you won’t be able to access from outside of your network. To be able to access from other location, you need to setup Dynamic DNS and also your router/firewall.

1. Dynamic DNS.
- We need dynamic DNS because most of us don’t have static IP address. Whenever we reconnect our Internet connection, we get a new IP address. You can use No-IP to map your IP address such as 68.57.46.35 to hostname like “raymond.no-ip.org”. Remembering raymond.no-ip.org is much easier than 68.57.46.35. Instead of typing ftp://127.0.0.1 on My Computer or any FTP client software, you can now enter your hostname, for example, “ftp://myftpserver.no-ip.org”

2. Router and Firewall.
- You need to forward TCP port 21 on your router to your computer. Refer to PortForward.com on how to forward ports. As for firewall, you need to unblock TCP port 21. If you’re using Windows Firewall, you can add port 21 to be excluded from being blocked. Go to Control Panel -> Windows Firewall. Click on Exceptions tab and Add Port button. Enter the name as FTP and port number as 21. Make sure TCP is selected.
How to add exclude port in Windows Firewall

Here’s an important FTP security tip. When creating FTP user account and password, use NEW username/password and avoid using same username/password as your Windows user account login. This is because FTP passwords and file contents are sent in clear text, which can be intercepted by eavesdroppers/packet sniffers.

Another Tip: Instead of using My Computer to access FTP, there are also free FTP clients to connect to FTP server such as FileZilla Client and FreshFTP.

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