Fetch Help > Commands > Enable Encryption / Disable Encryption

The Enable Encryption / Disable Encryption commands turn encryption on or off during an FTP session that is using FTP with TLS/SSL security.

This command is available as:

- The Enable Encryption / Disable Encryption commands in the Remote menu

When you use FTP with TLS/SSL to connect to a server, by default all data you exchange between your Macintosh and the server is encrypted. This means the information exchanged is scrambled so that it can only be unscrambled with a secret key, which is only known by your Macintosh and the server. This scrambling process takes some time, and may slow down sessions depending on the speed of your Macintosh and the load on the server.

For that reason, Fetch makes it possible to turn encryption off when using FTP with TLS/SSL, in case speed is a higher priority than privacy. For example, you might disable encryption for a large download that does not need to be protected.

Note that passwords are always exchanged securely in order to keep them from being captured on the network, regardless of whether encryption is on or off.

Some FTP with TLS/SSL servers do not support encrypting transfers; you will get an error if you try to enable encryption when communicating with them.

SFTP connections also encrypt the data, but you cannot disable encryption for SFTP.

You can choose the initial state of encryption when connecting using the New Connection dialog or when creating a shortcut by checking the Enable Encryption checkbox in the dialog.

Related topics:

- Security
- FTP with TLS/SSL
- SFTP
- New Connection dialog
- Security Preferences