Everything You Need to Know

Getting Started

System requirements

• Windows 10 or Windows 11, 64-bit (x86_64)
• No other software required — all dependencies are bundled in the installer

Installation

1. Download FTPtoFTP.exe from the download link.
2. Run the installer and follow the prompts.
3. Launch FTP to FTP File Transfer from the Start menu.

Free trial and licence

The first 24 hours are completely free with unlimited usage — no credit card needed. After the trial, a licence costs $8.25/month billed annually ($99/year), which includes all updates and priority email support.

Connecting to Servers

The app shows two connection panels side by side. Each panel can connect to an FTP server or browse This PC (your local drives plus Desktop, Downloads, and Documents).

Connection settings

• Host — the server address, e.g. ftp.example.com or an IP address
• Port — usually 21 for FTP and FTPS explicit TLS
• Username / Password — your FTP account credentials
• FTPS/TLS — toggle on for encrypted transfers (explicit TLS, RFC 4217)
• Passive mode — enable if your server or network is behind a firewall or NAT (recommended for most hosting providers)

Saved connection profiles

After a successful connection you can save the server as a profile and reconnect with one click. There is no limit on saved profiles. Profiles are stored locally in ~/.ftp2ftp_profiles.json — they never leave your computer, and you can back the file up or copy it to another machine.

Supported servers

Any server speaking standard FTP (RFC 959) or FTPS explicit TLS (RFC 4217) works, including cPanel/WHM hosting, FileZilla Server, ProFTPD, vsftpd, IIS FTP, and Pure-FTPd. Directory listings use modern MLSD with automatic fallback to legacy LIST for older servers.

Transferring Files

Your first transfer

1. Connect the left panel to your source server.
2. Connect the right panel to your destination server.
3. Select files or folders in the source panel — use Ctrl+Click for multiple selections.
4. Click the Transfer arrow button. Done.

Files stream from the source server through your connection straight to the destination — nothing is saved to your PC in between, so no temp files and no disk space used.

Transfer modes

• FTP → FTP — direct server-to-server transfer (the headline feature)
• PC → FTP — upload local files to a server
• FTP → PC — download server files to your machine
• PC → PC — copy between local folders using the same interface

During a transfer you see live per-file progress: speed, percentage complete, and elapsed time. All I/O runs on background threads, so the interface never freezes — you can keep browsing while transfers run.

File Management

Right-click any selection in either panel for file operations that run directly on the server:

Compress to ZIP

Downloads the selected files into memory, compresses them into a single ZIP archive (in-memory DEFLATE), and uploads just that one archive to the destination. No temporary files are written to your hard drive. This is especially fast for hundreds of small files — one large transfer always beats thousands of tiny ones.

Extract archives

Extract ZIP, TAR, TAR.GZ (.tgz), TAR.BZ2, and TAR.XZ archives directly on the destination FTP server — again with no local temp files.

Other operations

• Rename files and folders on the server
• Delete files and folders
• Create directories — nested paths are created automatically

Transfer Queue & Activity Log

The queue

Every file you transfer appears in the real-time queue under one of three tabs: Queued, Success, or Failed. A single failed file in a thousand-file migration never goes unnoticed.

The activity log

Connection events, directory listings, and every file operation are recorded with timestamps and severity levels. When a transfer fails, the log tells you exactly which file and why, so you can retry just that file instead of starting the whole job over. The log also doubles as an audit trail for client work.

Troubleshooting

Can't connect to a server

• Double-check host, port, username, and password — most failures are credential typos.
• Enable passive mode. Most hosting providers and home networks require it.
• If the server requires encryption, toggle FTPS/TLS on; if connection fails with TLS enabled, try without it to confirm the server supports explicit TLS on that port.
• Check that your firewall or antivirus isn't blocking the app's outbound connections on port 21.

Directory listing looks empty or wrong

The app uses MLSD and falls back to LIST automatically. If a very old server still misbehaves, reconnect — and if the problem persists, send us the activity log lines for that session.

A file transfer failed

Open the Failed tab in the queue and check the activity log for the reason — common causes are permissions on the destination folder, a full disk quota on the server, or a dropped connection. Fix the cause and retry the failed files; everything that already succeeded stays put.

Still stuck?

Email support@ftptoftp.com or use the contact form. Include your Windows version and the relevant activity log lines — it helps us fix things faster. Priority email support is included with every licence, and trial users are welcome too.

Technical Reference

• Framework: PySide6 (Qt6 Python bindings) — cross-platform native UI
• Protocols: Standard FTP (RFC 959) + FTPS Explicit TLS (RFC 4217)
• Archive formats: ZIP, TAR, TAR.GZ (.tgz), TAR.BZ2, TAR.XZ
• Threading: all I/O on background threads — UI never freezes
• Profile storage: JSON at ~/.ftp2ftp_profiles.json (local only)
• Compression: in-memory DEFLATE — no temp files written to disk
• Runtime: Python 3.7+ — all dependencies bundled in the release build
• Platforms: Windows 10 / 11 · 64-bit (Linux and macOS builds are planned)
• Privacy: no telemetry, no cloud — credentials stored locally only