How do I mount an SFTP folder with Finder?

Question

Level 2

317 points

How do I mount an SFTP folder with Finder?

I noticed that Finder has a "Connect to Server" function (cmd+K), but it doesn't seem to list SFTP as supported (FTP is though). Is SFTP not supported using only Finder?

Macbook Pro (silver), Mac OS X (10.5.5)

Posted on Nov 6, 2008 10:53 AM

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Answer 1

orangekay

Level 5

4,085 points

Nov 6, 2008 10:55 AM in response to g-pod

Even FTP is barely supported. There are MacFUSE plugins for this, but they cost money.

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Answer 2

Király

Level 6

10,025 points

Nov 6, 2008 11:14 AM in response to g-pod

No. Finder is not a good tool for FTP. Even with regular FTP, remote FTP volumes will mount as read-only.

You need to find a third party tool if you want a functional FTP or SFTP with a graphical user interface.

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Answer 3

Nov 6, 2008 11:42 AM in response to orangekay

There are freeware Fuse plugins for FTP and SFTP, but you probably have to compile them yourself...

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Answer 4

etresoft

Level 9

56,662 points

Nov 6, 2008 12:29 PM in response to g-pod

The freeware MacFusion includes FUSE modules for FTP and SSH. That isn't quite the same as SFTP, but maybe good enough.

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Answer 5

V.K.

Level 9

56,192 points

Nov 6, 2008 12:40 PM in response to g-pod

as mentioned you can't do sftp from finder. I use [Fugu|http://rsug.itd.umich.edu/software/fugu> for sftp. It's free and works quite well. It does have its limitations but it might be enough for your needs.

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Answer 6

g-pod Author

Level 2

317 points

Nov 6, 2008 4:44 PM in response to g-pod

Well, I used to use Fugu, and then later switched to Transmit and Cyberduck, but sometimes I'll want to access it by mounting. I can do this easily in Linux from "Places" / "Connect to Server" from the menu bar, but not in OS X.

The closest solution I've found so far is ExpanDrive, which isn't free. And the solution here using MacFuse and sshfs is ridiculously involved: http://code.google.com/p/macfuse/wiki/HOWTO

I was just curious if there was a simpler solution.

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Answer 7

etresoft

Level 9

56,662 points

Nov 7, 2008 5:21 AM in response to g-pod

g-pod wrote:
I was just curious if there was a simpler solution.

There sure is. You don't have to compile it all yourself if you don't want to. Do only Step 1 from the Quicker Start Guide, then download Macfusion.

I don't see how a two-step process can be considered "ridiculously involved".

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Answer 8

g-pod Author

Level 2

317 points

Nov 7, 2008 7:53 AM in response to etresoft

MacFusion is the closest free solution so far. I think I got scared off by the comment that it wasn't quite the same as SFTP, which I understand as not being the same as FTP over SSH. I couldn't connect to any of my servers that don't support FTP (and instead support SFTP) using the sshfs option in MacFusion.

So I tried compiling instead, which I found to be involved only because, after installing MacFuse, I had to compile for pkg-config, gettext, glib, glib2 (which I had to get using MacPorts, which requires Xcode Developer Tools and X11), and sshfs. All of this compiling took about two hours. So yes, it wasn't quite the ideal technique for an end-user.

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Answer 9

g-pod Author

Level 2

317 points

Nov 7, 2008 9:34 AM in response to g-pod

My mistake, MacFusion does seem to work with sites for which I originally used SFTP. Resolved. Thanks!

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Answer 10

etresoft

Level 9

56,662 points

Nov 7, 2008 9:38 AM in response to g-pod

The exact meaning of sftp is a bit fuzzy and irrelevant. The best thing to do is find out what methods you have to connect to your servers. Run Terminal and try to connect via the sftp program. If that works, then sshfs in MacFusion will probably also work if you give it the same parameters.

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