ftp access on mac mini

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frankmlinar Author

Level 1

12 points

ftp access on mac mini

It seems I cannot access any ftp sites using either Safari or Firefox. I use a mac mini, latest version, I think.

Right now I am "blaming" either my mac or my provider, and I am trying to narrow things down.

Can anyone help?

Posted on Sep 11, 2019 12:52 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

John Lockwood

Level 6

13,691 points

Sep 12, 2019 7:47 AM in response to frankmlinar

Apple have removed support for older less secure protocols like PPTP (VPN), Telnet (Terminal), and FTP (file transfer). As a result Safari and the Finder will no longer support FTP although I would have expected it to still work in Firefox.

It is still possible to install replacements for these and for FTP I personally use CyberDuck which does still supports FTP.

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Answer 2

kaz-k

Level 9

50,178 points

Sep 11, 2019 7:59 PM in response to frankmlinar

Hi,

To access ftp in mac, move to the "Go" Menu and click on the "Connect to Server" option. You can use the shortcut key Command K for that as well. With the new window opened up, you would be required to enter the address of your FTP server. Once done, simply click on connect.

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Answer 3

frankmlinar Author

Level 1

12 points

Sep 12, 2019 8:26 AM in response to John Lockwood

Thanks for the info. I tried it on my wife's computer, a Windows machine, and it does not work there either.

Anyhow, I am interested in downloading data from sites like NOAA where a lot of stuff is still ftp. I asked one site what the problem might be, and he eventually sent a link to https instead of ftp. He indicated they were in the process of switching over.

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Answer 4

frankmlinar Author

Level 1

12 points

Sep 12, 2019 8:29 AM in response to frankmlinar

Thanks to everyone for their answers. Bottom line: ftp is no longer supported by the latest browsers. (I also tried it on my wife's Windows machine! No joy.)

So now when I run into an ftp site I have to whine at the owner and hopefully get a link to https.

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Answer 5

Sep 12, 2019 4:49 PM in response to frankmlinar

In the Mac store there is FileZilla and Viper FTP (full or lite version). Both work fine in 10.14.x

Or just use terminal and install it with a package manger (e.g. Homebrew) or compile from source. I still mostly use FTP in the CLI with terminal.

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Answer 6

Sep 12, 2019 12:53 AM in response to frankmlinar

I has been a while when I last used FTP but then I used ncftp via the Terminal or Fetch or Anarchie via the GUI. Fetch should be compatible with Catalina BTW.

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Answer 7

Sep 12, 2019 8:40 AM in response to Matti Haveri

ncftp or ftp are no longer bundled with Mojave.

BTW, Fetch Celebrates 30 Years:

https://tidbits.com/2019/09/06/fetch-celebrates-30-years/

https://fetchsoftworks.com/fetch/news/thirty-years-of-fetch

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ftp access on mac mini

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