--- title: "How to use SFTP on a Mac, from Terminal to an app" description: "Connect your Mac to an SFTP server: what macOS offers built in, what to look for in an SFTP client for Mac, and how to connect and copy with AnyBucket." url: https://anybucket.app/guides/sftp-client-mac lang: en --- # SFTP on a Mac, the easy way Web servers, build machines and NAS boxes almost all speak SFTP. Here's how to get files on and off them from your Mac, from Terminal to a two-pane app. ## The short answer macOS has no SFTP in Finder: its **Connect to Server** handles SMB, NFS, WebDAV and read-only FTP. You can use `sftp` or `scp` in Terminal, or an SFTP client. In [AnyBucket](https://anybucket.app/features/sftp), press **⇧⌘K**, pick **SFTP**, enter the server and your user, and connect. Your Mac and the server appear side by side; mark files with **Space** and press **F5** to copy. It uses your own `~/.ssh` keys, agent and config, like Terminal. ## What macOS gives you - **Finder:** **Go → Connect to Server** connects to SMB, NFS and WebDAV shares, and to FTP servers read-only. SFTP isn't on the list. Apple describes the options in [Connect your Mac to shared computers and servers](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/mchlp1140/mac). - **Terminal:** `sftp user@host` opens an interactive session, and `scp file user@host:/path` copies a file. Both are fast and use your SSH keys, but there's nothing to see: you type every path. For a few files now and then, Terminal is enough. For daily work, a client that shows both sides is easier. ## What to look for in an SFTP client | Look for | Why it matters | | --- | --- | | Your own `~/.ssh` keys, agent and config | No second set of keys and hosts to maintain | | Jump hosts (`ProxyJump`) | Many servers sit behind a bastion | | Host key checks against `known_hosts` | Tells you when a server isn't the one you expect | | Your Mac and the server side by side | You see both ends of every copy | | Copies that survive a dropped connection | Large uploads finish on their own | | Edit in your own editor | Fix a config file without downloading it by hand | AnyBucket does all of these. The [comparison](https://anybucket.app/compare) shows which of them other Mac apps describe. ## Connect to an SFTP server 1. Press **⇧⌘K** (**File → Connect to Server…**) and pick **SFTP**. 2. Enter the server's address and your user name. Leave the password empty if you log in with a key. 3. Connect. If it's the first time, AnyBucket shows the server's host key; compare its fingerprint with the one your administrator published before you trust it. 4. Save it as a bookmark, and next time **⌘K** finds it by a few letters. You can also paste an address into the palette: press **⌘K** and paste `sftp://deploy@example.com/var/www`. ## Copy files 1. Press **⌘\\** to open a second pane and pick **This Mac**, or another server. 2. Mark files with **Space**, or press **+** and type a pattern like `*.html`. 3. Press **F5** to copy them to the other pane, or **F6** to move them. Transfers that hit a dropped connection retry on a fresh one, and the queue comes back if you quit. When both panes are on the same SFTP server and your account has a shell, copies run on the server with `cp`, so nothing comes down to your Mac. ## Edit files on the server Press **F4** on a file and pick an app. AnyBucket opens it there, and every time you save, the change uploads. **F3** shows it in Quick Look without opening anything. **⇧⌘C** copies the file's URL. ## Keys, config and jump hosts Because AnyBucket runs `/usr/bin/ssh`, whatever works with `ssh user@host` in Terminal works here: password, keys, agent, `~/.ssh/config` with `Host`, `IdentityFile` and `ProxyJump`, and security keys. If a login fails, try the same host in Terminal first. [SSH keys and jump hosts](https://anybucket.app/guides/ssh-keys-and-jump-hosts) walks through the setup. ## Questions, answered ### How do I connect to an SFTP server? With Terminal or an SFTP client such as AnyBucket. Finder's Connect to Server handles SMB, NFS, WebDAV and read-only FTP, but not SFTP. ### Does AnyBucket use my SSH keys? Yes. It runs the `ssh` that comes with macOS, so your keys in `~/.ssh`, your agent and your `~/.ssh/config` work as they do in Terminal. ### Which SFTP servers does it work with? OpenSSH servers, with password, key and agent logins. See [compatibility](https://anybucket.app/support/compatibility). ### Can I copy from SFTP to S3 directly? Yes. Open the SFTP server in one pane and the bucket in the other, and press F5. See [copy files between servers](https://anybucket.app/guides/copy-files-between-servers-mac). ### Where is my SFTP password stored? In your login keychain, one item per bookmark. ## Read next - [SFTP](https://anybucket.app/features/sftp) - [SSH keys and jump hosts](https://anybucket.app/guides/ssh-keys-and-jump-hosts) - [Troubleshooting](https://anybucket.app/support/troubleshooting) - [AnyBucket vs FileZilla](https://anybucket.app/compare/filezilla) **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