I’ve used CoreFTP for so long that I can barely remember a time when I didn’t use it. According to the CoreFTP website, it appears to have launched in 2003, and I’ve probably been using it close to that long.
Before CoreFTP, one might say I was less “freeware savvy” when it came to certain (most) tools. I purchased CuteFTP years ago until I realized there were a number of free alternatives that would perform the same tasks.
For getting files from point A to point B, I don’t think there’s anything simpler than CoreFTP, but surprisingly I find I’m the only one using it in my work environment. Most other IT people I interact with go for FileZilla which isn’t surprising since it’s the first result in most search engines.
Yes, apparently we are that lazy. Or perhaps FileZilla is the superior ftp client. I don’t know. For the simple tasks I use an ftp client for, I could probably just use the built in Windows command line ftp utility, but I’m still a sucker for a point and click GUI option. Since I don’t use CoreFTP for anything more than uploading the occasional file to a website or for retrieving a technical tool remotely, I’ll keep my example dead simple.
Here’s how you set up a new site in CoreFTP and transfer files with it, start to finish.
Browse to coreftp.com and download CoreFTP LE, the free version. You’ll have to select whether to download a 32 bit version or a 64 bit version which you can get from your operating system.
Once the setup begins, it’s a fairly quick and simple install.
That’s it. CoreFTP is installed. Now launch it to set up a couple of default settings and configure your first site.
Next you’ll see the Site Manager window appear. Give your site a name, then fill in the host, username, and password fields before connecting.
If you see a window with two separate panes, you’re in good shape. The left side will be your local computer/server you connected from and the right side should be the target computer/server you connected to. On the very left hand side you will see a tree icon. Clicking this will open up a box (Local) where you can navigate to a specific folder on your computer. Once you’ve selected a directory (where the file you wish to transfer is located), the path will show up on the line to the right of this tree icon.
Click once on the file/folder you wish to transfer to highlight it, then click the blue arrow pointing to the right. This sends your file/folder to the target machine.
Once you see your file/folder in the right window pane, you’re done. Your file has been transferred. Just make sure to select the correct directory on the right side as well so you know where to retrieve your transferred file from.
