Below you find a step-by-step guide; if you prefer, you can watch our FTP Connection Modes video tutorial. While the differences between active and passive mode can get complex, here is a basic explanation answering the questions FileZilla and FileZilla Pro users ask most often.
What is the difference between active and passive FTP mode?
FTP and FTPS connections use two different channels to a server at once: one for commands and responses, the other for the actual data being transferred. It’s a little like ordering a pizza — you make a phone call or put in an order via a website, but the actual pizza arrives by car or scooter.
The second channel — the data channel — is opened differently in active and passive modes. In active mode, the remote server opens the data channel back to the client. In passive mode, the local machine opens the data channel using the IP address and port number with which the remote server replies to a successful connection request. Sort of like the difference between having a pizza delivered (active mode) and going to pick it up yourself (passive mode).
Why does FileZilla use passive mode by default?
Some firewalls and routers will not allow a remote server to initiate a connection to a computer on the local network. If the remote server cannot open the data channel, an active-mode FTP connection cannot transfer any data. Passive mode lets the client initiate both the command and data channels, which works reliably across most network setups — so FileZilla and FileZilla Pro use passive mode by default for FTP and FTPS connections.
How do I switch between active and passive FTP mode in FileZilla?
To see or change which mode FileZilla / FileZilla Pro uses:
- In the main menu, click Edit > Settings….
- Select Connection > FTP from the list on the left side.
- Check the Transfer mode and modify if needed.
- Click OK.
The video tutorial below shows how FTP works and the differences between active vs passive mode.