FTP Folder Error, Windows cannot access this folder

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a standard network protocol used for accessing or transferring files between a client and a server over a computer network. However, some users have reported experiencing an FTP Folder Error with the following error message while accessing FTP:

Windows cannot access this folder. Make sure you typed the file name correctly and that you have permission to access the folder.

Details: The parameter is incorrect.

Another error message that you might get with this error is:

Windows cannot access this folder. Make sure you typed the file name correctly and that you have permission to access the folder.

Details: A connection with the server could not be established.

This error can occur in several scenarios, including incorrect username and password and lack of permissions. Besides that, if the FTP ports are closed in the Windows Firewall, you will likely experience this error.

If you’re among those experiencing this error, this post will show you all the working solutions to resolve the error. Let us have a look at the fixes.

FTP Folder Error, Windows cannot access this folder

If you are getting an FTP Folder Error saying Windows cannot access this folder on your PC, we suggest following the below methods to fix the error:

1. Perform these preliminary checks.
2. Add the network location shortcut in Windows.
3. Allow FTP port in Windows Firewall.
4. Delete or reset passwords for the problematic FTP site via the Registry.
5. Switch to another FTP client software.

1] Perform these preliminary checks

Before you proceed with the advanced fixes, you can perform the following preliminary checks to troubleshoot this FTP Folder Error on Windows:

First, ensure you have entered the correct FTP address to access files on the target FTP server. Some users have reported typing the FTP address incorrectly which causes the error. So, double-check the FTP address and make sure you have entered each character and symbol correctly.

Secondly, your username and password to access the FTP server should be correct to avoid such errors. So, check your credentials and ensure that you have entered the correct information.

Next, you need to ensure that your FTP user account has the appropriate permissions to access the FTP folder. Else, this error might be triggered.

Read: Error 0x80070043, Windows cannot access, Network name cannot be found.

2] Add the network location shortcut in Windows

You can try adding the FTP site with which you are experiencing this error as a network location in Windows Explorer and then try signing in again. This solution has been posted on the Microsoft forum and reportedly worked for many affected users. Here are the steps using which you can do that:

First, open the Windows Explorer using Win+E and go to This PC.

After that, right-click on the empty part of the window and choose the Add a network location option from the context menu.

Now, click on the Choose a custom network location option and then press the Next button.

Next, enter the address of the target FTP site in the Internet or network address box and click on the Next button.

After that, follow the instructions to complete the setup process, and it will create an FTP site shortcut in your This PC folder. If you wish, you can also drag it to your desktop to suit your convenience.

You can try connecting to this FTP site and see if the error is gone.

Read: How to update files on an FTP Server on a Windows computer?

3] Allow FTP port in Windows Firewall

It might be the case that your firewall is blocking the FTP port which is why this error is triggered. Hence, you can allow FTP ports in your firewall to fix the error. Here’s how:

First, open the Windows Defender Firewall using search and then click on the Advanced settings option from the left-side pane.

Now, click on Inbound Rules and then select the New Rule option.

After that, select Port as the rule type and hit the Next button.

Next, choose TCP and then enter “20, 21” in the Specified local ports box. These ports are used for FTP connection by default.

Now, press the Next button.

After that, choose the Allow the connection option and click on Next.

Next, tick the Domain, Private, and Public checkboxes to apply the newly created rule and tap on Next.

Now, enter the name of the rule e.g., FTP rule, FTP ports, etc. and hit the Finish button to complete the process.

This will open the FTP ports on Windows Firewall. You can now check if the error is fixed.

See: How to access FTP Server using Notepad++?

4] Delete or reset passwords for the problematic FTP site via the Registry

A few affected users have mentioned that deleting old passwords associated with the problematic FTP site helped them fix the error. You can also do that via Registry and see if it helps.

Note: Before moving forward, it’s strongly advised to take a backup of your Registry as a precautionary measure.

First, open Run using Win+I and enter regedit in the Open box to launch Registry Editor.

Now, move to the following location in the address bar:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\FTP\Accounts

Next, locate the FTP site with which you are getting this error, right-click on it, and select the Delete option.

Once done, close Registry Editor and restart Windows Explorer to check if the error is resolved.

Read: How to add specific users to access an FTP Server on Windows?

5] Switch to another FTP client software

You can try using an alternative FTP client to manage your files on a server. There are several good free FTP software like FileZilla, CyberDuck, and CoffeeCup Free FTP that you can use.

Read: FTP not working in Chrome, Firefox, or Edge browser.

Why is my FTP server not accessible?

There can be multiple reasons why your FTP server is inaccessible. It can be due to network issues, incorrect server configurations, or server maintenance issues. Besides that, incorrect login credentials will cause such issues. The problem can also occur when the FTP server is overloaded with too many processes. FTP client software issues and IP restrictions can be some other reasons causing this problem.

How do I enable FTP access on Windows?

To enable FTP on Windows, follow the below steps:

• First, type “Features” in the search box and click on Turn Windows features on or off.
• Now, expand the Internet Information Services option.
• Next, tick the FTP Server checkbox and press the OK button; you can also tick the FTP Extensibility checkbox.
• Once the feature is installed, you can use a FTP client to set up FTP sites to manage files on the FTP server.

I hope this post helps!