Transfer Files to and from Raspberry Pi using FileZilla FTP (Mac OS)

In this guide, you’ll learn how to transfer files remotely from your computer to a Raspberry Pi and vice-versa. We’ll be using FileZilla FTP (File Transfer Protocol) Client to establish a remote connection over the internet to transfer files between your Mac OS computer and a Raspberry Pi.

We have a similar guide for Windows PC: Transfer Files to and from Raspberry Pi using FileZilla FTP

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, make sure you check the following prerequisites.

• You need a Raspberry Pi board.
• Operating System: You should have a Raspberry Pi running Raspberry Pi OS (32-bit or 64-bit).
• SSH: You should be able to establish an SSH connection with your Raspberry Pi.

Downloading FileZilla

The FileZilla Client is an open-source, cross-platform software that supports FTP, FTPS, and SFTP. It can be installed on Mac OS/Linux computers or Windows PC. In this guide, we’ll show you how to install FileZilla on a Mac OS computer.

Let’s download the software and install it. Go to the official website and download it by clicking the “Download FileZilla Client” button.

Even though it says it’s for Mac OS computers with Intel chips, it also runs completely fine on computers with M1/M2 chips. I’ve tested it myself.

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Choose the Free version on the left option highlighted below; it has all the features needed.

Once the FileZilla Client installation file has been downloaded, open it and complete the installation steps.

Click the “Open” button.

And allow FileZilla to upload and download files from remote computers.

Finally, after installing the FileZilla software, open it.

Get Raspberry Pi Address

Having an SSH connection established with your Raspberry Pi, run the following command to get the Raspberry Pi IP address:

hostname -I

Save your Raspberry IP Address, because you’ll need it in the next step to establish the FTP connection.

Establish an FTP / SFTP Connection with Your Raspberry Pi

Now it’s time to establish an FTP connection with your Raspberry Pi. In the FileZilla top bar, enter your Raspberry Pi details:

• Host: <RPi IP Address or Hostname> (in our case, the IP address is 192.168.1.79)
• Username: <RPi username>
• Password: <RPi password>
• Port: 22 (default port is 22)

Once you’ve entered the required configuration settings, press the “Quickconnect” button.

You can either save the Raspberry Pi username and password or just click the OK button.

Then, click the OK button, and the connection should be established instantly.

Once the FTP connection is established, the “Remote site” window (highlighted in the picture below) allows you to browse your Raspberry Pi directories and access all its files.

Download Files from Raspberry Pi to Mac OS Computer

You can quickly download any files or folders from your Raspberry Pi.

1. Browse the Raspberry Pi folders using the “Remote site” section.
2. Do a right-click on your mouse to open the options menu.
3. Click the “Download” button to download the desired file.

You can also edit the file, create a new directory, create new files, delete files, rename files, and much more.

Once the file has been downloaded, open the “Successful transfers” tab (at the bottom left corner) to find the location where the file was saved on your computer.

Transfer Files from a Mac OS Computer to a Raspberry Pi

You can also transfer/upload any files or folders from your Mac OS computer to the Raspberry Pi.

Find the file or folder that you want to transfer to your Raspberry Pi and drag it to the “Remote site” window on FileZilla to the desired folder location.

Once the file has been uploaded to your RPi, in the bottom left corner, you can open the “Successful transfers” to see if the process has been completed.

Wrapping Up

When using a Raspberry Pi, sometimes you want to transfer files to the Raspberry Pi or download existing files remotely. Having FileZilla installed makes it very easy to accomplish this task.

We have other practical Raspberry Pi tutorials that you may find useful:

• Raspberry Pi: Set Up Remote Desktop Connection (RDP) – Mac OS
• Programming Raspberry Pi Remotely using VS Code (Remote-SSH)
• Getting Started with Node-RED on Raspberry Pi

You can find all our Raspberry Pi Projects on the following link:

• Free Raspberry Pi Tutorials and Guides