--- title: "How to copy files between two servers on a Mac" description: "Copy files from one server to another on a Mac in one step, with nothing to download and re-upload: SFTP to S3, bucket to bucket, FTP to WebDAV, with F5." url: https://anybucket.app/guides/copy-files-between-servers-mac lang: en --- # Copy files between servers in one step Staging to production, an SFTP server to an S3 bucket, one provider's bucket to another's. Here's how to do it from a Mac in a single step. ## The short answer Open the first server in one pane and the second in the other, mark the files with **Space** and press **F5** to copy or **F6** to move. In [AnyBucket](https://anybucket.app/features/server-to-server), any two servers can sit side by side. When both panes are on the same server, the copy runs on the server itself (S3 CopyObject, WebDAV COPY, `cp` over SSH). Between two different servers, the files stream through a small spool on your Mac, with no temporary files for you to manage. ## Why it's usually two steps Most Mac file transfer apps treat your Mac as one end of every transfer. To move a folder from a staging server to an S3 bucket, you download it to your Mac, find it again, and upload it to the bucket. That's twice the waiting, a copy on your disk to clean up afterwards, and room for mistakes when you pick the wrong folder. In Terminal you can skip the Mac for SSH servers, with `scp` between two hosts or `rsync` run on one of them. That works when both ends speak SSH and you know the commands. It doesn't help with S3, WebDAV or FTP. ## Copy from one server to another, step by step 1. Open AnyBucket and press **⌘T** for a new tab. 2. Press **⇧⌘K** and connect to the first server, or press **⌘K** and type a few letters of its bookmark. 3. Press **⌘\\** to open a second pane, then pick the other server from the pane's source menu. 4. Press **⇥** to go back to the source pane and find the files. 5. Mark them with **Space**, or press **+** and type a pattern such as `*.jpg` to mark every match. 6. Press **F5** to copy them to the other pane, or **F6** to move them. The transfer joins the queue under the panes, and you can keep working. Prefer to pick the destination without opening it first? **⌘G** copies the marked files to any bookmark or folder you choose in the palette, and **⌥⌘G** moves them. ## What happens to the files AnyBucket picks the route for each transfer: | Source and destination | How the files travel | | --- | --- | | Same S3 account or store | On the server, with **CopyObject** | | Same WebDAV server | On the server, with **COPY** and **MOVE** | | Same SFTP server, account with a shell | On the server, with `cp` over SSH | | Two different servers | Streamed through a small, bounded spool on your Mac | | This Mac and a server | Uploaded or downloaded directly | A move copies the files, verifies the copy, then deletes the originals. Nothing is removed before the copy is there. ## Mix any two protocols Every protocol works with every other, in both directions: SFTP, FTP, FTPS, Amazon S3 and S3-compatible stores (Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2, Wasabi, DigitalOcean Spaces, Google Cloud Storage, MinIO), WebDAV over HTTP and HTTPS, and This Mac. Some common jobs: - **Publish assets:** from an SFTP web server to an S3 or R2 bucket. - **Change providers:** from Amazon S3 to Cloudflare R2 or Backblaze B2, bucket by bucket. - **Retire an old host:** from an FTP server to a WebDAV share or a new SFTP server. Every ordered pair of protocols is copied and moved end to end against real servers in AnyBucket's tests, with every byte checked. ## When a file is already there If the destination already has a file with the same name, AnyBucket asks before it overwrites anything. You can replace it, replace it only if yours is newer, keep both (the copy becomes `name 2.ext`), skip it or resume a partly copied file, and apply the answer to the rest of the transfer. More in [conflicts](https://anybucket.app/features/conflicts). ## Large copies and dropped connections Big jobs between servers can take a while, so the queue is built to finish them: - A dropped connection or a server restart retries on a fresh connection after 1, 3 and 8 seconds. - The queue is saved. Quit AnyBucket and interrupted transfers come back at the next launch. - Checksums are verified wherever the protocol allows. - Closing the last window keeps AnyBucket running in the menu bar, so transfers carry on. Anything that still fails waits under **Needs attention** in the Transfers window (**⌥⌘T**) with its error. See [a transfer stopped](https://anybucket.app/support/troubleshooting#stopped-transfers). ## Questions, answered ### Do the files go through my Mac? Only when the two sides are different servers. Then they stream through a small spool on your Mac, which AnyBucket manages and cleans up. When both panes are on the same server, the copy runs on the server and nothing comes down. ### Can I copy from SFTP straight to Amazon S3? Yes. Open the SFTP server in one pane and the bucket in the other, mark the files and press F5. The same works between any two of SFTP, FTP, FTPS, S3, S3-compatible stores and WebDAV. ### Is moving between servers safe? A move copies, verifies, then deletes the originals, so nothing is removed before the copy is there. If something fails, the transfer waits under **Needs attention** and the originals stay where they were. ### Can I do this with scp or rsync instead? Between two SSH servers, yes, if you're comfortable in Terminal. Those tools don't reach S3, WebDAV or FTP, and they don't show both sides as you copy. AnyBucket uses your own `~/.ssh` setup for SFTP, so the same hosts work in both. ### Can I try it before I buy? Yes. The [live demo](https://anybucket.app/try) runs in your browser with sample servers: mark a file with Space and press F5 to send it from one server to another. ## Read next - [Server to server](https://anybucket.app/features/server-to-server) - [Sync a folder with a server](https://anybucket.app/guides/sync-folder-with-server) - [S3 client for Mac](https://anybucket.app/guides/s3-client-mac) - [SFTP on a Mac](https://anybucket.app/guides/sftp-client-mac) **Buy for $9.99:** https://buy.polar.sh/polar_cl_pCF9yOjezTUaUqMPyUsxEho1EjcOvo6Bk49Q929LQCQ --- AnyBucket is independent software by [Clever Mechanisms](https://clevermechanisms.dev). It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Apple Inc. or any storage provider. Independent software in the spirit of Cyberduck and the classic two-pane commanders. Not affiliated with iterate GmbH (Cyberduck). Apple, Mac, macOS, Finder and Quick Look are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries and regions. Amazon S3 is a trademark of Amazon.com, Inc. Other product names are trademarks of their owners. Email support: support@clevermechanisms.dev