Installing FileZilla on Windows

This page covers the whole install path on a Windows PC — picking a build, running setup, the portable alternative, and the first launch. Files are never hosted here: the button below opens the download page run by the FileZilla Project, which is the only place we recommend taking the installer from.

Compatibility

• Windows 11 — supported by the current 64-bit release.
• Windows 10 — supported by the current 64-bit release.
• Windows on ARM — a separate ARM64 build is published alongside the x86 one.
• Older Windows versions — the project keeps legacy installers in its archive; check its own pages before assuming a version still works.

Roughly 100 MB of free disk space and a normal user account are enough. Nothing runs in the background after installation, so a low-spec laptop is fine.

Step by step: the installer

1. Open the project download page and choose the Windows 64-bit client build.
2. Save the .exe file, then check the SHA-512 checksum listed next to the download if you want certainty about what you just received.
3. Launch the installer. Windows may show a User Account Control prompt — that is expected for a system-wide install.
4. Read each screen instead of clicking through. Setup may propose optional extras; you can decline them and still get a fully working client.
5. Choose whether to install for all users or only yourself. A per-user install avoids needing administrator rights entirely.
6. Finish, and let it start the program.

Portable use, without an installer

The project also ships a ZIP archive for Windows. Extract it into a folder you own — or onto a USB stick — and start the executable inside. Handy on locked-down office machines and for keeping a known-good version around while you test a newer one.

First launch

You get the two-pane layout: local drive on the left, remote host on the right, a message log along the top and the transfer queue underneath. Before connecting to anything, two settings are worth a look:

• Transfer mode — leave it on passive; that is what almost every host and home router expects.
• Master password — switch it on if you plan to save site passwords, so they are not stored in readable form.

Then move on to making your first connection.

When setup will not cooperate

• SmartScreen warning — Windows shows this for files it has not seen often. Verify the checksum from the project page, then decide.
• Antivirus quarantines the download — this usually points at a copy taken from a mirror or bundler rather than the project's own page. Delete it and download again from the source.
• "Requires administrator" — rerun setup and pick the per-user option, or use the portable ZIP.
• Program starts, then closes — an outdated graphics driver or a corrupted settings folder is the usual cause; the project forum has threads on both.

Frequently asked

Related guides

• Connecting to an FTP server and moving files
• Connection errors and timeouts
• All client download options