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CuteFTP Home General Usage Guide

What is CuteFTP?

CuteFTP is a Windows-based File Transfer Protocol (FTP) application that gives users the ability to upload, download, and edit files on remote FTP servers around the world. Whether you are a novice or advanced PC user, CuteFTP allows you to utilize the capabilities of FTP without having to know all the details of the protocol itself. CuteFTP 8 Home simplifies FTP by offering a user-friendly Windows interface instead of a cumbersome command-line utility.

Launching CuteFTP

Once you have installed CuteFTP, launch it by clicking on the Start Button > All Programs > GlobalSCAPE > CuteFTP Home and select the CuteFTP Home icon. CuteFTP Home will now launch and take you to its main screen.

The main screen is used to transfer files to and from remote servers and is divided into four windows: an upper window (the log pane), two center windows (the local and remote panes), and a lower window (the queue pane). The two center windows represent files available on local and remote drives, much like Windows Explorer. When you first open CuteFTP Home, the upper window will be hidden.

Establishing a connection

You can connect to any site listed in the CuteFTP Site Manager. You must be connected to the Internet before you can connect to any sites. CuteFTP can connect to sites using FTP, FTPS (SSL), TLS (SSL v3), and SSCN (SSL Site-to-Site transfer). (To add an FTP site to the Site Manager, refer to Adding a Site to the Site Manager.)

To connect to an existing site within the Site Manager
  1. On the main menu, click Tools > Site Manager > Display Site Manager.
  2. Under the General FTP Sites (by default) folder, click once on the FTP site.
  3. Do one of the following:
    • Click on the "Connect" button
    • Double-click the select FTP site
    • On the main menu, click File > Connect > Connect
    • Press CTRL+T

Adding a Site to the Site Manager

Think of the Site Manager as your "Bookmarks", CuteFTP will store the FTP host address, username, password, etc. for each FTP Site so that you won't have to manually type this information each time you connect. The FTP host address, username, and password is provided by your Web Hosting provider/FTP Server Administrator. Follow these steps to add an FTP Site to the Site Manager.

To add a site to the Site Manager without the Connection Wizard
  1. On the main menu, click Tools > Site Manager > Display Site Manager.
  2. Click New, then click the type of site to define.
  3. On the Type tab, specify the protocol for the site.
  4. On the General tab, in the Label box, type a descriptive name for the site.
  5. In the Host address box, type the address for the site. The address can be a domain address, such as ftp.globalscape.com, or an IP address, such as 192.168.20.52. Ask your hosting provider for the address.
    If you do not provide the correct address, then every time you try to connect to that site an error message like the one below appears.
    Click Details to view the details and log entries to determine the specific error.
  6. In the Username field, type the user name given to you by your hosting provider.
  7. In the Password field, type the password given to you by your hosting provider.
  8. Click Connect to connect now or Exit to connect later. The site information is saved in the Site Manager for future use.

NOTE: Your host address can be in IP format (e.g., 255.255.255.255) or in domain name format (e.g., ftp.mysite.com).

Connecting to an Existing Site

  1. Launch the Site Manager by clicking on the Site Manager icon or by clicking on Tools > Site Manager > Display Site Manager from the main navigation menu.
  2. Select a folder (click on the name) from the list in the left window of the Site Manager screen.
  3. Choose a site (click on the name) listed below the selected folder.
  4. Click the Connect button.

After connecting CuteFTP will display a message from the server administrator informing you of rules and regulations on the server. Click the OK button at the bottom of this screen to clear the message.

Editing a Site in the Site Manager

  1. Select a folder (click on the name) from the list in the left window of the Site Manager screen.
  2. Choose a site listed below the selected folder
  3. Make any changes in the fields listed to the right.

Removing a Site from the Site Manager

  1. Select a folder (click on the name) from the list in the left window of the Site Manager screen.
  2. Choose a site listed below the selected folder.
  3. Click the Delete button at the bottom of the Site Manager screen.

NOTE: Folders may be deleted or renamed by selecting the folder and clicking on the Delete or Rename buttons.

Transferring Files

Once you are connected to an FTP site, you may upload and download files. The left side of the main window contains the names of files on your computer. The right side contains files on the server you are connected to.

To UPLOAD a file, you may do any of the following:

  • Click on a file in the left window, hold down the button, and drag the file to the right window.
  • Right-click on a file in the left window and select Upload from the popup menu.
  • Double-click on a file in the left window.
  • Left-click once on a file in the left window and select Upload from the Transfer menu.
  • Left-click once on a file in the left window and press the Control and Page Up keys simultaneously.

To DOWNLOAD files, use one of the following methods:

  • Click on a file in the right window, hold down the button, and drag the file to the left window.
  • Right-click on a file in the right window and select Download from the popup menu.
  • Double-click on a file in the right window.
  • Left-click once on a file in the right window and select Download from the Transfer menu.
  • Left-click once on a file in the right window and press the Control and Page Down keys simultaneously.

Resuming Transfers

  1. Select a folder (click on the name) from the list in the left window of the Site Manager screen.
  2. Choose a site listed below the selected folder.
  3. Click the Delete button at the bottom of the Site Manager screen.

NOTE: Folders may be deleted or renamed by selecting the folder and clicking on the Delete or Rename buttons.

Creating a Certificate

If you are connecting to an SSL site, your ftp host may require that you have a certificate. With CuteFTP 8 Home you can easily create certificates. SSL servers use certificates to determine whether or not they will allow you to connect.

To create an SSL certificate:

  1. On the menu bar click Tools > Global Options > Securiy > SSL Security.
  2. Click the Create Certificate button.
  3. Enter the Certificate Set Name - This will be the name of the certificate generated by the Certificate Wizard.
  4. Enter the Output Location - Type a path or click the browse button to choose the folder where you will save the certificate.
  5. Choose a bit-length for the certificate private key. CuteFTP supports up to 4,096 bit keys
  6. Choose an Expiration date - This defines how long the certificate will remain valid.
  7. Enter and confirm the Pass Phrase - The Pass Phrase can be any combination of characters or spaces. It is used to encrypt the private key. Do not lose the pass phrase. The certificate will be useless without it.
  8. Click the Next button.
  9. Enter the City/Town of your organization.
  10. Enter the State/Province of your organization.
  11. Enter the Name of your organization.
  12. Enter the Common Name, typically this is your name or the domain name associated with your site.
  13. Enter your Email Address.
  14. Enter the Unit or name of your department, i.e. Information Systems.
  15. Enter the two-letter Country code for your organization's nation.
  16. Click the Next button.
  17. Select the Set up CuteFTP to use the generated certificate check box - the wizard will automatically associate the certificate to CuteFTP. It can later be unassociated by clearing the Use SSL Certificate check box in Tools > Global Options > Security > SSL. If the check box is cleared, the wizard will only save the certificate files in the directory you specified in Step 4.
  18. Click Finish.
  19. CuteFTP will display the paths to all the files generated for your certificate. Click Ok to complete the creation of the certificate.




Notes:

  • Not all SSL sites require certificates.
  • When you create a certificate CuteFTP generates three files:
    1. A Private key file (.key) - The private key should never be distributed to anyone. It is used to decrypt sessions encrypted by a public key.
    2. A Certificate request file (.csr) - This file can be signed by GlobalSCAPE Secure FTP Server's Certificate Signing Utility or sent to an intermediate Certificate Authority such as Verisign or Thawte for signing.
    3. A Certificate file (.crt) - This is a signed certificate, whether self-signed or signed by an intermediate certificate authority.
  • If the server will accept self-signed certificates, you will be able to connect with the .crt file and .key file you created and associated to CuteFTP, provided the server has added your certificate to its trusted list.
  • You can export certificates (.crt files) from CuteFTP's Trusted certificate store, located under Global Options > Security, SSL Security.

Firewall and Proxy Server Configuration

A firewall or proxy server is a safeguard utilized by many Local Area Networks (LANs) or Wide Area Networks (WANs) to protect the network from unauthorized access. If you are using CuteFTP on a LAN or WAN, you might experience some problems caused by the network settings. If you are not on a LAN or WAN, check with your ISP about the existence of a firewall. When first using CuteFTP, use the default firewall settings and try connecting to several of the predefined sites in the 'Site Manager'. If every site tried gives the message "can't connect" or "can't login, still trying," then you probably need to configure the firewall settings. If your LAN or WAN supports FTP Proxy protocol, you will need the following information:

  • IP address for your firewall host
  • Port number for the FTP proxy server
  • User name and password

To configure your firewall or proxy settings, click on Tools > Global Options > Connection > Socks 4 & 5/Proxy Server. Enter this information in the respective fields.

For more information about configuring firewalls, please visit here.

Using the "Connect to URL" Option

You can paste a URL (Universal Resource Locator) into CuteFTP by using this function.

  1. From any Windows application, highlight the URL. The URL may be general (ftp://ftp.globalscape.com) or specific (ftp://ftp.globalscape.com/pub/cuteftp/cuteftp.exe).
  2. Copy the URL to the clipboard by pressing Ctrl+C on your keyboard.
  3. Return to CuteFTP and select File > Connect > Connect to URL from the Menu Bar.
  4. Press the Ctrl+V (paste) keys, then choose Ok.
  5. CuteFTP will parse the URL and start downloading the file.