Sudo -s launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/ftp.plistĪs the command suggests, this unloads the ftp daemon and shuts down the server. SFTP is recommended because of the default encryption layer and secure transferring. Note: The FTP and SFTP servers are different, and enabling one does not enable the other. You can verify that SFTP is working by typing this at the command line: Update: Our much more detailed guide on Remote Login and SSH Server is here.

Click on the checkbox next to “Remote Login” to enable SSH and SFTP.

Launch System Preferences and go to “Sharing”.

Enabling SFTP is actually easier than FTP on the Mac these days:

Enabling the SFTP Server in OS XĪs you probably know, FTP is unencrypted and as a result as fallen out of favor for security reasons. You can then FTP from other Macs via the same ftp command, or by using the “Connect to Server” option in the Finder. If you don’t see that, then the server either hasn’t finished starting yet or you didn’t enter the command properly.

Confirm the FTP server works by typing:Ģ20 ::1 FTP server (tnftpd 20100324+GSSAPI) ready.Sudo -s launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/ftp.plist Launch the Terminal (/Applications/Utilities) and enter the following command to start the FTP server:.To turn off FTP, go into Terminal and type: sudo launchctl stop will start a generic FTP and FTPS server on the Mac, but not an SFTP server: NOTE: Even though the FTP options are not available, as long as the folder is shared, it will be accessible through FTP. Now you can set up a shared folder in Mac as covered in OkiDoc 4044. If anything is wrong, it will give you an error and you should retype the command, making sure spacing and spelling are correct. After that, if everything was spelled and formatted correctly, it will give you a new prompt. This will be the Admin password for the computer. Sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/Ftp.plistĪfter pressing enter, you will be prompted for a password. Load the FTP library into the Launch controller with the following command: Use the following procedure to activate FTP:įirst, go into Terminal, located under Utilities in the Applications folder. The options and the FTP server are still built into Lion, but require a little work to get to and activate. Unfortunately, Apple has removed the options from the menus in sharing to activate FTP in Lion. Turn on FTP in Mac OSX Lion (10.7.x) - This will provide the capability to scan to a remote folder.įTP was the easiest way to set up scanning to a remote folder under Mac OSX Snow Leopard (10.6).

Ftp sharing mac