Access FTP and WebDAV Sites in Any Operating System’s File Manager

Windows:

Windows Explorer has implicitFTP support.

• To get a remote server, you can simply connect its address into the location box using the appropriate protocol.
• Then you’d be prompted for a username and password.
• You can likewise utilize the Add a Network Location wizard for this.
• On Windows 8 or 1, click This PC in the sidebar, click the Computer tab on the ribbon bar at the top of the window, and click “Add a network location”.
• Now the wizard demonstrates you how to properly enter the path to a WebDAV server, FTP site, or Windows network share. It also provides a Browse dialog that will scan for nearby shares on your local network and provide an easy list so you can add them.
• A shortcut for the network location will appear under This PC or Computer when you’re done.

Mac OS X:

You can do this specifically from the Finder on a Mac.

• Click the Go menu, and select Connect to Server to see the Connect to Server dialog.
• Type a server address to connect to an FTP, WebDAV, NFS, SMB/CIFS, or AFP server.
• After you did, you’d be prompted for a username and password.
• You’ll then be able to browse its contents and download files directly from the Finder window.
• The Finder only has support for browsing FTP shares and downloading files from them. To upload files, you’ll need a third-party FTP client.
• To connect to other servers, use http:// (WebDAV), nfs:// (NFS), smb:// (SMB/CIFS), or afp:// to specify an address.

Linux:

Linux offers a wide variety of distinctive desktop environments, and every one has its own file manager with its own way of accessing network shares. We’ll concentrate here on the Nautilus file manager used in Ubuntu and other GNOME-based distributions.

• Simply take a stab at discovering an "Unite with Server" choice in your record director of decision.
• Nautilus makes this very obvious with a “Connect to Server” option under the Network heading in its sidebar. You can also use the menu - just click File > Connect to Server.
• As on other working framework, you’ll need to enter the appropriate server address starting with the protocol.
• Use the ftp:// prefix for FTP servers, http:// (WebDAV), smb:// (Windows SMB/CIFS network file shares), and nfs:// (NFS).
• Nautilus offers is the ability to mount a computer’s file shares via SSH - just use the ssh://
• There’s also a Browse button, which you can use to scan for local file shares. For example, this includes Windows file shares on the local network.

These built-in features are no substitute for a full, dedicated client for accessing FTP servers, WebDAV sites, and other remote file shares in many situations. However, they make these remote sites easier to access, allowing you to more easily view their contents and access files directly in your file manager of choice.