Sometimes it is necessary to send very large files to people, say for example a zip file with 100s of photos or a movie file. While email allows files to be attached, there is a limit to the file size that is allowed. And even if you are allowed to attach it, there is no guarantee that the recipient will be allowed to recieve it if it is too big. Luckily there is a way of transfering files called FTP which literally means File Transfer Protocol.

What is FTP?
FTP was created years ago as a simple way of transfering large files between two computers over the internet. They can be anywhere on the planet and it will work!

The FTP Server
One computer is a server, and acts as a central location for handing out files and receiving files. It has a server name, and you may need a username and a password to connect to it.

The FTP Client
Any regular computer such as a laptop or desktop can be a client allowing it to connect to a server and send files to it and recieve files from it.

So How Do You Send a Large File to Someone?
Let's assume they have sent you your username and password and the server details to connect to their FTP server. The first thing you need is an FTP Client - this is a bit of software that does FTPing. By far one of the best and freely available FTP clients is FileZilla. It is friendly and intuitive to use.

Start by downloading it and installing it on your computer.

Download Filezilla by clicking here - this is a safe link to the official FileZilla website that will open in a new window.

Now launch the FileZilla client on your machine and you will see a window that looks similar to the one shown below.

The rest is straight forwards... simply follow the instructions which correspond to the numbers on the diagram below:

1. Enter the server name, username and password into the boxes provided. Leave the Port box blank. Then hit the "Quickconnect" button.
2. You'll see a whole load of text flash by. This is telling you what FileZilla is doing. If there is a problem you will see red text. This might happen if you spelled the username wrong. Once you've connected you'll see stuff in box 4 appear.
3. This box allows you to choose the folder on your computer that contains the file you want to send. Select the appropriate folder.
4. This box allows you to choose the folder on the server where you want your file to end up. Again choose the appropriate folder. You often just leave this as it is.
5. The files shown here are the files on your computer that are in the folder you have chosen (see step 3). Simply click once on the file you want to transfer and drag and drop it into the box on the right marked 6. Alternatively you can double click the file you want to send and it will automatically put it into the box on the right.
6. Once the file has transfered you'll see it appear in box 6. While it is transfering you will see a progress bar in the box below box 5 and 6. Remember the larger the file the longer it will take!

So What About Getting Large Files From an FTP Server?

It's really easy, just follow steps 1 to 4 above, only set the local folder (step 3) to be the one where you want the file to be saved on your computer. Now click on the file on the remote server (box 6) and drag it onto your local machine (box 5). It's that simple!

When You Are Finished...

Once you've finished you can simply close the application down. It's not a good idea to remain connected unless you need to be and many servers will disconnect you after a while if you are not transfering files anyway.

Enjoy FTPing!