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SSH-Encrypted File Transfer

The Best Free SFTP Client for Windows, Mac & Linux

Download Secure SFTP — a professional Java SFTP client with a WinSCP-style dual-pane interface, drag & drop transfers, and rock-solid SSH encryption. Free forever, or upgrade to Pro for enterprise power.

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Free forever · No credit card · Cross-platform
SSH-2 / SFTP Encrypted
Java — Cross Platform
Dual-Pane Interface
Drag & Drop Support
Free Edition Available
Two Editions

Choose Your SFTP Solution

Start free with powerful essentials, or unlock enterprise-grade capabilities with the Pro Edition. Both run on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Secure SFTP Free Edition

A professional, feature-rich SFTP client at no cost. Perfect for individuals, web developers, and small teams.

Free — forever
  • Dual-pane local & remote file browser
  • SSH/SFTP encrypted transfer (JSch library)
  • Drag & drop — desktop, panel-to-panel, external
  • Real-time progress bars with speed & ETA
  • Recursive folder upload & download
  • Timestamped activity log
  • Create, delete, rename files & folders
  • Full keyboard shortcuts (F2, F5, Delete…)
  • Multi-tab session management
  • Saved connection profiles
  • Dark / light theme toggle
Download Free Edition View Documentation
PRO

Secure SFTP Pro Edition

Enterprise-grade SFTP client for DevOps, system administrators, and IT teams managing multiple servers.

Contact for pricing & free 30-day trial
  • Everything in Free Edition, plus:
  • Multi-tab session management — unlimited concurrent connections
  • Saved connection profiles — one-click server access
  • Dark & light theme — switchable at runtime
  • In-panel file search (Ctrl+F) across both panes
  • Symbolic link navigation with visual indicator
  • File properties dialog (size, permissions, dates)
  • Asynchronous transfers — UI always responsive
  • Priority support — <4 hour response
  • Single-user, Team (25 seats), & Enterprise licenses
Start Free 30-Day Trial Full Product Details
Feature Overview

Everything You Need for Secure File Transfer

Purpose-built for professionals who demand reliability, speed, and security.

Dual-Pane File Browser

Side-by-side local and remote file panels give you an at-a-glance view of both filesystems. Resize panels to match your workflow. Navigate, compare, and transfer without ever losing context between local and remote directories.

Drag & Drop Transfer

Drop files from Windows Explorer or Mac Finder directly onto the remote panel. Drag between panels within the app. Supports multi-selection and entire directories.

Real-Time Progress

Persistent progress bar shows filename, transfer speed, bytes transferred, and percentage — updated every 100 ms. Never wonder if your upload is still running.

Recursive Directory Transfer

Upload or download entire folder trees in one operation. The engine automatically traverses sub-folders, preserves directory structure, and logs each file's progress individually.

Timestamped Activity Log

Every connection, transfer, rename, and error is logged with HH:MM:SS timestamps. Export or clear the log at any time — perfect for auditing and compliance.

SSH-2 / SFTP Encryption

All transfers are encrypted end-to-end using SFTP over SSH-2 via the battle-tested JSch (Java Secure Channel) library. Supports AES & ChaCha20 ciphers plus HMAC integrity checking. Your data is never exposed in transit — making it a secure, enterprise-grade alternative to plain FTP or unencrypted file sharing.

No Persistent Passwords

Saved connection profiles (Pro) store host, port, and username — but never passwords. Credentials are entered fresh each session, reducing credential-leak risk.

Symlink Resolution (Pro)

The remote browser transparently resolves symlinked directories with a clear visual indicator, letting you navigate complex server structures safely and accurately.

SSH Key Auth — Coming in v1.1

Public-key authentication is currently in active development. Fingerprint validation is also planned, ensuring you always connect to the correct server.

Dark & Light Theme (Pro)

Switch between crisp light and modern dark (Navy/Slate) themes at runtime — no restart required. All panels, tables, and the log area update instantly.

In-Panel File Search (Pro)

Press Ctrl+F to open the search bar. Results are highlighted across both panels simultaneously. Navigate hits with ↑/↓ and a live result counter.

Multi-Tab Sessions (Pro)

Open unlimited connection tabs (Ctrl+T) to manage several servers at once. Each tab maintains its own independent state, paths, and session data.

Saved Profiles (Pro)

Save host, port, and username as named profiles in ~/.sftp_profiles.dat. Load any profile in a single click. Passwords are never persisted.

File Properties Dialog

Right-click any file to open the Properties dialog — inspect name, type, size, modification date, full path, and read/write permissions without leaving the app.

Full Keyboard Navigation

Power-user friendly from the ground up. Every action is reachable without touching the mouse — making bulk operations dramatically faster.

F5 — Refresh F2 — Rename Del — Delete Enter — Open Backspace — Parent Dir Ctrl+F — Search Ctrl+T — New Tab Ctrl+W — Close Tab Ctrl+Click — Multi-select Shift+Click — Range Select Double-click — Navigate In

Right-Click Context Menu

A rich context menu exposes Upload, Download, Delete, Rename, New Folder, Properties, and Refresh — without leaving the keyboard or reaching for the toolbar.

Inline Rename (F2)

Press F2 to rename any local or remote file or folder directly inside the panel — no downloading or extra dialogs required.

Side-by-Side

How We Stack Up Against the Competition

See why developers choose Secure SFTP over generic FTP clients and the command line.

Feature Free Edition Pro Edition Generic FTP Client CLI sftp
Encrypted Transfer (SFTP)Sometimes
Dual-Pane Browser
Drag & Drop (Internal + External)Limited
Multi-Tab SessionsRarely
Saved Connection Profiles
Dark / Light ThemeRarely
Recursive Directory TransferSometimes
Real-Time Progress Bar
File Search (Ctrl+F)Rarely
Symlink NavigationSometimes
Java / Cross-Platform
Free to UseVaries

Who Uses Secure SFTP?

From solo web developers to enterprise IT teams — Secure SFTP fits every workflow.

Web Developers

Push code, media assets, and static content directly to web server directories — no command-line SSH session required.

DevOps & SysAdmins

Deploy builds, configs, and scripts to remote servers in seconds. Multi-tab Pro sessions keep staging, production, and DR open simultaneously.

Data Scientists

Transfer large datasets and model artefacts to HPC clusters or cloud storage nodes. Recursive transfers preserve full project directory structures.

IT Support & MSPs

Access client servers quickly using saved Pro profiles. The activity log provides a full audit trail of every file touched during a support session.

Enterprise File Exchange

Provide a standardised, auditable SFTP tool for inter-department transfers — replacing ad-hoc FTP clients or insecure email attachments.

Release Managers

Upload build artefacts to distribution servers, download releases for QA sign-off, and organise directories — all from one interface.

Quick Start

Up and Running in Minutes

Requires Java — the only dependency. No installer needed.

  1. 1

    Install Java Runtime

    Free Edition requires JRE 8+. Pro Edition requires JDK 11+. Download OpenJDK from adoptium.net.

  2. 2

    Download Secure SFTP

    Download the .zip package — it contains the .jar and the JSch dependency. No install wizard, no registry changes.

  3. 3

    Launch the Application

    Run java -jar secure-sftp.jar or double-click the launcher script. The app starts instantly.

  4. 4

    Enter Your Server Details

    Host, port (default 22), username, and password. Click Connect. You're in.

  5. 5

    Transfer Files

    Use drag & drop, the toolbar buttons, or keyboard shortcuts. For Pro: save your profile for one-click future access.

Terminal
# 1. Verify Java is installed
java -version
 
# 2. (Pro) Build from source with Maven
mvn clean package
 
# 3. Launch Free Edition
java -jar secure-sftp-free.jar
 
# 4. Launch Pro Edition
java -jar secure-sftp-pro.jar
 
# Test connection (public Rebex server)
Host: test.rebex.net
User: demo Pass: password
Roadmap

What's Coming Next

We're actively building the future of Secure SFTP. Here's what's on the horizon.

v1.1

Security Hardening

  • SSH Public-Key Auth
  • Server Fingerprint Validation
In Development
v1.2

Navigation & Integrity

  • Bookmark / Favourite Paths
  • File Integrity Checksum (SHA-256)
Planned
v1.3

Automation

  • Scheduled / Automated Transfers
  • Transfer Queue with Retry Logic
Planned
v2.0

Protocol Expansion

  • SCP & FTPS Protocol Support
  • Plugin API for Extensions
Researching
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about Secure SFTP.

Yes. Secure SFTP Free Edition is completely free to download and use — forever. It provides professional-grade SFTP capabilities at no cost, including the dual-pane interface, drag & drop transfers, and full SSH encryption.
Both Free and Pro editions support Windows, macOS, and Linux. You need Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 8+ for Free, or JDK 11+ for Pro. Any machine with a JVM 11+ works.
Secure SFTP is a Java-based cross-platform client inspired by WinSCP's dual-pane interface. Unlike WinSCP (Windows only), it runs natively on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The Pro Edition adds multi-tab sessions, dark/light themes, saved profiles, and priority enterprise support — features not available in free alternatives.
The current v1.0 release supports username/password authentication over SSH-2. SSH public-key authentication is in active development and will be available in the upcoming v1.1 Pro Edition release.
All transfers use SFTP over SSH-2 via the JSch (Java Secure Channel) library. This supports AES and ChaCha20 ciphers, SSH-2 key exchange, and HMAC integrity checking — providing end-to-end encryption for every file transfer.
The Pro Edition is available as a Single-User license, Team license (up to 25 seats), and Enterprise license (unlimited seats). Volume discounts apply to orders of 10+ seats. Contact our sales team for pricing and to start your free 30-day trial.
Yes. Use the public Rebex SFTP test server: host test.rebex.net, port 22, username demo, password password. This lets you explore all features before connecting to your own infrastructure.
All v1.x minor and patch releases are included with your Pro license at no extra cost. Major version upgrades (e.g. v2.0) are available at a discounted upgrade price for existing license holders.
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Join developers, sysadmins, and enterprises who trust Secure SFTP for reliable, encrypted file transfers.

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