How do I use FTP?

There are several different FTP clients available for you to choose from. Many of them are available to download from the internet. Fortunately, your browser probably provides FTP capabilities to receive various file types. It is as easy as entering an FTP address in the Address box (it might also be labeled "Location" or "URL") at the top of your browser, or clicking on a link to an FTP site.

A Place To Start

If you don't already have an FTP site in mind to connect to, you might want to begin by going to a web site entitled Monster FTP Sites List at the following web address:

http://hoohoo.ncsa.uiuc.edu/ftp

Using this address connects you to a huge resource list with FTP site descriptions and links to click on.

You can also try out these specific FTP addresses:

How do I get to an FTP site with my browser?

Using your browser to go to FTP sites is easy, whether you're using Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, or some other browser. Just follow these steps:

  1. At the Address box (it might also be labeled "Location" or "URL") at the top of your browser, highlight and delete all of the information shown. This would be http://www.microsoft.com/ if you are at the Microsoft Home page, for example. Do not forget to delete the http:// protocol prompt.
  2. Type the FTP protocol prompt 
    ftp://
  3. Type the FTP address in the Location bar.
  4. Press Enter.
  5. Example: If the site address you want to go to is gatekeeper.dec.com then type the following in the address area:

    ftp://gatekeeper.dec.com

Note, you may see FTP twice in an address found in books or magazines, as in these examples:

This is indicating that you should use ftp to access the location ftp.sura.net, so you would type ftp://ftp.sura.net or ftp://archive.umich.edu.

When you access a FTP site, you are often required to have an account and password to gain access to the other computer. This is called Non-Anonymous FTP. See the Non-Anonymous FTP portion of 'Advanced FTP' for more details. Fortunately, publicly accessible areas were created for individuals to retrieve files, without the need for accounts or passwords. This is known as Anonymous FTP. These sites use the login name of anonymous and your e-mail address as your password. Both Netscape Navigtor and Microsoft Internet Explorer log into these sites automatically.

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