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PSFTP is a nice little program that allows you to upload files from your local Windows machine to another machine such as a remote GNU/Linux/BSD/Unix/Mac OS X server.

It uses the SSH File Transfer Protocol - SFTP, (this has nothing to do with FTP), and can provide secure file transfer over a network.

Starting PSFTP

You start PSFTP by clicking on its option in the PuTTY folder in the start menu.

When you start PSFTP you will see a prompt like this:

psftp>

Connecting to a remote machine

To start a session use the open command, this can be a hostname or an IP Address, so:

open username@host.net

open warrior@google.com

open warrior@192.168.0.99

Moving files

To move a file to the server use the put command, for example:

put image.png

To retrieve a file from the server down to the local machine, use the get command:

get image.png

That is all you really need to know. There are lots of other commands, but because PSFTP is not very forgiving of typing mistakes, I personally find it easier to move files around on the remote server using PuTTY rather than PSFTP.

However for moving files between Windows and a GNU/Linux/Unix machine, PSFTP works really well. However if you do want to know more commands then I have reproduced the program's in-line help below.

PSFTP - command reference

! run a local command

bye finish your SFTP session

cd change your remote working directory

chmod change file permissions and modes

close finish your SFTP session but do not quit PSFTP

del delete files on the remote server

dir list remote files

exit finish your SFTP session

get download a file from the server to your local machine

help give help

lcd change local working directory

lpwd print local working directory

ls list remote files

mget download multiple files at once

mkdir create directories on the remote server

mput upload multiple files at once

mv move or rename file(s) on the remote server

open connect to a host

put upload a file from your local machine to the server

pwd print your remote working directory

quit finish your SFTP session

reget continue downloading files

ren move or rename file(s) on the remote server

reput continue uploading files

rm delete files on the remote server

rmdir remove directories on the remote server