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To send and receive data via File Transfer Protocol (FTP) using Microsoft Excel, you must utilize external integration methods because Excel lacks an explicit, native “FTP Upload/Download” button. Depending on your technical background and specific workflow requirements, you can achieve this through native Power Query tools, automated VBA scripting, third-party middleware, or integration platforms. Native Method: Receiving Data via Power Query

You can pull files (such as .csv or .xlsx) directly from an FTP or SFTP server into Excel using the built-in Get & Transform tool. Open Excel and navigate to the Data tab on the Ribbon menu. Click Get Data > From Other Sources > From Web.

In the URL field, type the complete FTP address of the file (e.g., ftp://username:password@://server.com).

Choose Anonymous if credentials are coded into the URL, or select Basic to enter your FTP credentials directly into the prompt windows.

Click Load to place the raw file data right into your sheet.

Right-click the data table at any time and select Refresh to pull down the newest file version from the host.

Automated Method: Sending and Receiving Data via VBA Scripts

To automate both sending (uploading) and receiving (downloading) text, .csv, or data files, you can use an Excel Macro (VBA code). The most reliable method is using VBA to build a temporary .txt instruction script and launching Windows’ native command-line FTP utility. VBA Code Structure Example

Sub Automate_Excel_FTP() Dim ScriptFile As String ScriptFile = “C:\Users\Public\ftp_commands.txt” ‘ 1. Create a script containing FTP commands Open ScriptFile For Output As #1 Print #1, “open ://yourserver.com” ’ Connect to FTP server Print #1, “your_username” ‘ Account user id Print #1, “your_password” ’ Account password Print #1, “cd /remote/folder” ‘ Move to remote path Print #1, “lcd C:\Local\Folder” ’ Point to your computer folder Print #1, “bin” ‘ Use binary transfer mode ’ — CHOOSE ONE OR BOTH ACTIONS BELOW — Print #1, “put UploadBook.csv” ‘ SEND: Upload local file to FTP Print #1, “get DataFile.csv” ’ RECEIVE: Download remote file to local PC ‘ —————————————- Print #1, “bye” ’ Close connection Close #1 ‘ 2. Execute the Windows FTP application silently using the script Shell “ftp -s:” & ScriptFile, vbHide End Sub Use code with caution. Upload file via FTP from Excel VBA – Stack Overflow