FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is still commonly used to transfer files across TCP-based network such as Internet. While the main purpose of FTP is to perform two-way transfer of files, it has an annoyance – it prompts for confirmation to transfer the file for every files.

If you’re using the FTP mget or mput to download and upload many files from or to a directory, the requirement to type Y (for Yes) before each and every files get transfer can be tedious and tiring.

To use mget and mput in FTP without getting confirmation prompt, the trick is to turn off and disable the interactive mode. There are two methods to turn off interactive mode in FTP.

Method 1: Within FTP
Before starting mget or mput command, run:

prompt

FTP Interactive Mode Off

The command should return “Interactive mode Off”. Prompt command toggle interactive mode on and off.

Method 2: Before Open FTP Connection
Before using FTP to open connection to remote server, use the following command to start FTP connection instead:

ftp -i hostname

Replace hostname with actual host name or IP address of remote server. -i flag turns off the interactive mode which prompts for confirmation for every files.