Internet Explorer as an FTP Program

Support Start > Internet Explorer as an FTP Program

This page applies only to the obsolete Internet Explorer 6 and earlier. If you are using Internet Explorer 7, these instructions won't work.

We recommend that customers use the Windows desktop as their FTP program instead of using Internet Explorer, since that method works no matter which version of Internet Explorer you are using.

These instructions are left here only because some customers have asked us how to use older versions of Internet Explorer as an FTP program. Also note that these instructions only work if you have Windows XP or later; older versions of Windows do not support this at all.

On this page:

Connecting to your website using Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer password limitation
Troubleshooting connection problems
What to do if you see an error message
Setting file permissions
A reminder about FTP and FrontPage

Connecting to your website using Internet Explorer

Type your domain name into the box at the top of this screen for detailed connection instructions.

Internet Explorer password limitation

Due to a limitation in Internet Explorer, you will not be able to login if your password contains anything other than letters and numbers. For example, you won't be able to login if your password contains any special characters such as !@#$&. If this happens to you, you can either change your password or create an additional FTP account with a simpler password.

Troubleshooting connection problems

If your computer uses a firewall, or a DSL or cable modem, you might experience problems connecting or viewing the file list. If you have difficulty, enabling "Passive FTP mode" will probably fix this.

Click the Tools menu and choose Internet Options.

Click the Advanced tab and check the Use Passive FTP (for Firewall and DSL Modem compatibility) box.

What to do if you see an error message

If you see an error message saying "The page cannot be displayed", check that your copy of Internet Explorer is set up to allow FTP browsing:

Click the Tools menu and choose Internet Options.

Click the Advanced tab and make sure that the Enable folder view for FTP sites box is checked.

Setting file permissions

Normally the default file permissions should be fine. However changes can be made to a file by right clicking on it in and selecting properties. You should then see the following box:

The suggested file permissions shown above should work fine with standard Web files. Click OK once you have made any changes.

A reminder about FTP and FrontPage

If you are using FrontPage to create and publish your site, you should not use Internet Explorer as an FTP program. Doing so can break the FrontPage server extensions for your account.