FileZilla Client Silent Install (How-To Guide)

FileZilla is a cross-platform FTP application used for transferring files over the Internet. This article will serve as an informative guide and give you a clear understanding of how to perform a silent installation of the FileZilla Client from the command line using the EXE installer.

How to Install the FileZilla Client Silently

FileZilla FTP Client (32-bit) Silent Install (EXE)

  1. Navigate to: https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?show_all=1
  2. Select the Windows (32bit x86) EXE
  3. Download the FileZilla_x.x.x_win32-setup.exe to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
  4. Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
  5. Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
  6. Enter the following command: FileZilla_x.x.x_win32-setup.exe /S
  7. Press Enter

After a few moments you should see the FileZilla shortcut in the Start Menu, Installation Directory, and Programs and Features in the Control Panel.

Software Title:FileZilla Client (32-bit)
Vendor:Tim Kosse
Architecture:32-bit
Installer Type:EXE
Silent Install Switch:FileZilla_x.x.x_win32-setup.exe /S
Silent Uninstall Switch (32-bit System)"%ProgramFiles%\FileZilla FTP Client\uninstall.exe" /S
Silent Uninstall Switch (64-bit System)"%ProgramFiles(x86)%\FileZilla FTP Client\uninstall.exe" /S
Download Link:https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?show_all=1
PowerShell Script:https://silentinstallhq.com/filezilla-client-install-and-uninstall-powershell/
Detection Script:https://silentinstallhq.com/create-a-custom-detection-script-for-the-filezilla-client-powershell/

FileZilla FTP Client (64-bit) Silent Install (EXE)

  1. Navigate to: https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?show_all=1
  2. Select the Windows (64bit x86) EXE
  3. Download the FileZilla_x.x.x_win64-setup.exe to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
  4. Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
  5. Navigate to the C:\Downloads folder
  6. Enter the following command: FileZilla_x.x.x_win64-setup.exe /S
  7. Press Enter

After a few moments you should see the FileZilla shortcut in the Start Menu, Installation Directory, and Programs and Features in the Control Panel.

Software Title:FileZilla Client (64-bit)
Vendor:Tim Kosse
Architecture:64-bit
Installer Type:EXE
Silent Install Switch:FileZilla_x.x.x_win64-setup.exe /S
Silent Uninstall Switch:"%ProgramFiles%\FileZilla FTP Client\uninstall.exe" /S
Download Link:https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?show_all=1
PowerShell Script:https://silentinstallhq.com/filezilla-client-install-and-uninstall-powershell/
Detection Script:https://silentinstallhq.com/create-a-custom-detection-script-for-the-filezilla-client-powershell/

The information above provides a quick overview of the software title, vendor, silent install, and silent uninstall switches. The download link provided take you directly to the vendors website. Continue reading if you are interested in additional details and configurations.


Additional Configurations

Change the FileZilla Default Installation Directory

You can also change the default installation directory by using the following command line parameters. In this example, I’m installing FileZilla to “C:\FileZilla”

FileZilla Client (32-bit) EXE

FileZilla_x.x.x_win32-setup.exe /S /D=C:\FileZilla

FileZilla Client (64-bit) EXE

FileZilla_x.x.x_win64-setup.exe /S /D=C:\FileZilla

Disable FileZilla Welcome Dialog Popup

The FileZilla Client installer presents the user with a Welcome Screen popup after launching the application for the first time. You can suppress the Welcome Dialog popup by performing the following steps.

  • Open Notepad or your favorite text editor
  • Add the following lines:
<FileZilla3>
  <Settings>
   <Setting name="Config Location">$APPDATA/FileZilla/</Setting>
   <Setting name="Greeting version">9.9.9</Setting>
  </Settings>
</FileZilla3>
  • Save the file and name it: fzdefaults.xml
  • Follow the “How to Install the FileZilla Client Silently” steps mentioned earlier in the article and then copy the fzdefaults.xml file to the “%ProgramFiles%\FileZilla FTP Client\” directory or “%ProgramFiles(x86)%\FileZilla FTP Client\” directory depending on what version (32-bit or 64-bit) of the FileZilla Client you have installed

Now when you launch the FileZilla Client for the first time, the Welcome Dialog popup is suppressed.


Disable FileZilla Update Check

The FileZilla Client has “Check for FileZilla Updates Automatically” enabled by default. You can disable the automatic check for updates by performing the following steps.

  • Open Notepad or your favorite text editor
  • Add the following lines:
<FileZilla3>
  <Settings>
   <Setting name="Config Location">$APPDATA/FileZilla/</Setting>
   <Setting name="Disable update check">1</Setting>
  </Settings>
</FileZilla3>
  • Save the file and name it: fzdefaults.xml
  • Follow the “How to Install the FileZilla Client Silently” steps mentioned earlier in the article and then copy the fzdefaults.xml file to the “%ProgramFiles%\FileZilla FTP Client\” directory or “%ProgramFiles(x86)%\FileZilla FTP Client\” directory depending on what version (32-bit or 64-bit) of the FileZilla Client you have installed

The FileZilla Client will now have the automatic check for updates disabled.


How to Uninstall the FileZilla Client Silently

Check out the following posts for a scripted solution:

FileZilla Client Install and Uninstall (PowerShell)
FileZilla Client Silent Uninstall (PowerShell)
  1. Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
  2. Enter one of the following commands:

FileZilla Client (32-bit) EXE Silent Uninstall on 32-bit System

"%ProgramFiles%\FileZilla FTP Client\uninstall.exe" /S

FileZilla Client (32-bit) EXE Silent Uninstall on 64-bit System

"%ProgramFiles(x86)%\FileZilla FTP Client\uninstall.exe" /S

FileZilla Client (64-bit) EXE Silent Uninstall on 64-bit System

"%ProgramFiles%\FileZilla FTP Client\uninstall.exe" /S

Always make sure to test everything in a development environment prior to implementing anything into production. The information in this article is provided “As Is” without warranty of any kind.