How to enable ftp server on Mac OS X 10.8

Apple Mac OS X Lion and Mountain Lion don't come with a button that enables the ftp server by only a click, but that still doesn't mean the ftp server isn't included. Let's see how to enable it.

Click the Spotlight Search button in the Mac OS X toolbar end enter terminal into the search field.

Click the Terminal app (see picture).

To enable the ftp server you need to enter the following command into the Terminal window:

sudo -s launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/ftp.plist

... and press Enter.

It's a one line command, simply copy and paste it into the terminal window.

To test if the Mac OS X ftp server was successfully enabled enter the following command into the terminal window:

ftp local host

... and press Enter.

If you get the Connected to local host message then your Mac OS X ftp server was successfully enabled.

To disable the ftp server enter the following command into the Terminal window:

sudo -s launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/ftp.plist


Also recommended:

  How to use FTP client in Mac OS X Lion