Uploading with SFTP — step by step with FileZilla

In short

SFTP is how the pros move thousands of photos: a direct, secure connection between your computer and our servers, up to 4× faster and more stable than uploading through the browser. There's no tab to keep open and no upload that dies at 92% — if your connection drops, you just reconnect and continue.

It sounds technical. It isn't. If you can drag files from one folder to another, you can use SFTP — that's literally the whole gesture. The setup takes about ten minutes the first time, and after that every big upload is: open app, connect, drag, walk away.

In this guide we use FileZilla because it's free and works on Windows, Mac, and Linux — but any SFTP client works (WinSCP, Cyberduck, Transmit, or even a mobile app). The steps are nearly identical everywhere.

What you need

1. An SFTP client. We'll use FileZilla (download the FileZilla Client, not the Server).

2. Your album's SFTP credentials. Every album has its own — here's where they live:

   Open your album → press Upload → choose SFTP upload. You'll see four values: Server, Port, Username, and Password, each with a copy button.

   📷 [Screenshot: the SFTP upload tab in ZebraSnap showing Server, Port, Username and Password fields]

Heads-up: SFTP is not the same as plain FTP. They're different protocols on different ports. Every client we mention speaks SFTP — just make sure you pick the SFTP (sometimes called SSH) option if your client asks.

Step 1 — Install FileZilla

Download FileZilla Client from the official site and install it like any other app. On the download page, the plain "FileZilla" version is all you need.

📷 [Screenshot: FileZilla download page with the Client download button highlighted]

Step 2 — Connect to your album

Open FileZilla. Across the top there's a Quickconnect bar with four boxes: Host, Username, Password, Port.

Copy each value from ZebraSnap's SFTP tab into the matching box:

Press Quickconnect.

📷 [Screenshot: FileZilla Quickconnect bar filled in with ZebraSnap credentials]

The first time you connect, FileZilla shows a window about an "unknown host key" — that's normal for any new server. Check "Always trust this host" and press OK.

📷 [Screenshot: FileZilla unknown host key dialog with "Always trust" checked]

When the connection works, the message log at the top says something like "Status: Connected" and the right-hand panel shows the album's (empty) remote folder.

Step 3 — Find your photos

FileZilla shows two file trees:

• Left side: your computer. Navigate to the folder where your photos are.
• Right side: the ZebraSnap server. This is your album. Leave it at the root folder — that's exactly where files should go.

📷 [Screenshot: FileZilla main window, photos folder on the left, empty album root on the right]

Step 4 — Drag and drop

Select your photos on the left (Ctrl+A / Cmd+A selects everything) and drag them to the right panel. That's the upload.

The bottom panel shows the queue: how many files are waiting, transferring, and done. You can keep using your computer — FileZilla works through the queue on its own.

📷 [Screenshot: FileZilla transfer queue processing hundreds of photos]

A few tips while it runs:

• Keep original filenames. Same-name files replace each other, which is exactly what you want for re-uploads.
• Connection dropped? Reconnect (Quickconnect again) and re-drag the folder. Files that already arrived are simply replaced; nothing is duplicated. FileZilla can also retry failed transfers: right-click the failed queue at the bottom → Reset and requeue all.
• You can also upload compressed files (ZIP, 7Z, RAR…) over SFTP and we'll unpack them, the same as on the web.

Step 5 — There is no step 5

Done. As soon as files arrive, ZebraSnap processes them automatically — previews, watermarks, face and bib recognition — and they appear in your album within a few minutes. You don't need to go back to the website to "confirm" anything, and you can close FileZilla whenever the queue is empty.

Troubleshooting

"Authentication failed" / wrong password. Copy-paste the credentials with the copy buttons instead of typing. Make sure you're using the credentials of the right album — each album has its own.

"Connection refused" or it hangs. Double-check the Port box matches the port shown in ZebraSnap, and that you're connecting with SFTP, not FTP. On some office/hotel networks the SFTP port is blocked — try another network or a phone hotspot to confirm.

Photos uploaded but don't appear. Give it a few minutes — big batches take longer to process. They appear in the album automatically; there's nothing else to press.

Want a different app? All of these work great with the same credentials:

• Desktop: FileZilla (free, all platforms), WinSCP (Windows), Cyberduck (Mac/Windows)
• Mobile: FE File Explorer (iOS), Total Commander (Android), Termius (iOS/Android)

All upload methods

SFTP is one of four ways to upload. See How to upload photos: all the ways, explained — or, if SFTP isn't your thing, the desktop app gives you most of the reliability with none of the setup.