How to Use FTP with a Macintosh

You can use file transfer protocol, or FTP, to transfer many files and folders at once from your computer to your File Manager. FTP can be used to transfer all sorts of file types, including HTML pages, text files, graphics, MP3s, and more. You'll find that FTP access is particularly handy when you want to work offline on your local hard drive on one or many files and then quickly push your changes to your live web site.

Download an FTP program (or client).

There are many other FTP clients available online, including some free tools. To try out different options, visit a software download site like Download.com and do a search for FTP. If you end up using another FTP program, please refer to that software's instructions for more detailed support.

Install and start the program.

Enter your FTP account information and choose Connect.
You should receive this information with your hosting account set up email, or in their support center.

Upload your files.
Transfer files from your computer to your site by simply dragging files from your desktop and to the FTP window. To update files on your site quickly, you can edit them on your local hard drive and then FTP them to your folders, replacing the older versions in your folder with the newer versions from your hard drive.

Note: File and folder names you FTP may include hyphens or underscores, but I do not recommend using spaces, slashes, or other special characters.