Using an FTP Server for 3CX Backups - Windows

This guide presents the supported FTP solutions available for 3CX Backup and Restore on Windows.

Important Note

The FTP servers tested by 3CX on Windows are FileΖilla and Synology FTP. An FTP server runs independently of your 3CX PBX and is not required to be installed on the same machine. The FTP server software mentioned in this guide is FileZilla.

Install FileZilla FTP Server for Windows

  1. Use an account with administrative privileges to log on to your Windows Server and download FileZilla Server.
  2. If needed, allow the installer to run.

  1. Run the downloaded install package and follow the installation wizard prompts to install FileZilla Server with the default options.


  1. Once the installation completes, click on “Close”.

  1. Open the FileZilla Server and connect with the default options to configure.

Configure the FileZilla FTP Service

If your server is not running behind a NAT device, proceed to add a user. Otherwise, proceed to configure the FileZilla passive mode options.

FileZilla Passive Mode Options

Launch the FileZilla configurator via “Server” > “Configure”. Navigate to “Protocol Settings” > “FTP and FTP over TLS (SFTP)” > “Passive Mode” and configure passive FTP connection options to suit your network environment:

  1. “Use custom port range” -  enable and set the port range to use, e.g. the port range
    10100
    to
    10199
    is recommended.
  2. “External Server IP Address” > “Use the following IP” - select and replace the “X.X.X.X” to match your public IP address.
  3. “Don’t use external IP for local connections” - enable to use the local server IP for LAN connections.
  4. Click on “OK” to save the configuration.

Add an FTP User account

        

  1. In the FileZilla configurator, navigate to “Users”.
  2. In the “Available Users” window, click on the “Add” button and enter the username, e.g.
    3cxftpuser
    .
  3. Make sure “Require a password to log in” is selected, and enter a password in the password field.
  4. On the “Mount points” section:
  1. Click on “Add” and set a directory for the new FTP user to store 3CX backups into in the “Native path”.
  2. Set the virtual path as “/”.
  3. In the “Mount options”, enable the permissions to assign to the new user. Select all options for full compatibility with the 3CX Backup and Restore function, or set according to your security policy.
  4. Click “OK” to save the new FTP user configuration.
  1. Proceed to use the configured FTP service and user for the Backup and Restore function in the 3CX Admin Console.

See More

Last Updated

This document was last updated on 27 May 2026

https://www.3cx.com/docs/ftp-server-pbx-backups-windows/ 

Discuss this article