How to download and install Cyberduck on Mac
Cyberduck is a free app for FTP, SFTP, WebDAV and cloud storage such as Amazon S3, Google Drive and Dropbox. Here is where to get it, how to install it and how to open your first connection.
Cyberduck
- macOS 10.13 or later
- One file for Apple Silicon and Intel
- Free. Donations welcome
Or the installer straight from the developer’s server:
The links go to the developer’s website (cyberduck.io, update.cyberduck.io). MacWashing is not affiliated with the developer and keeps no installers.
Open Terminal (Applications › Utilities) and run:
brew install --cask cyberduckHomebrew downloads the app from the developer’s server, checks the file and puts the app in Applications.
No Homebrew yet? How to install Homebrew: one command from brew.sh.
Website or App Store version
Cyberduck is one file for Macs with Apple Silicon and Intel, and it needs macOS 10.13 or later. There are two ways to get it:
- Website version: free software that updates itself. After installing or updating, it asks for a donation. A donation gets you a registration key that turns the request off.
- App Store version: paid. It supports the developer and updates through the App Store.
Download Cyberduck only from cyberduck.io or the App Store. The website’s macOS download is a .zip with the app inside, not an installer.
How to install Cyberduck
- On Cyberduck’s download page, click the
Cyberduck-….ziplink under Cyberduck for macOS. - Open the downloaded
.zipin Downloads: macOS unpacks Cyberduck next to it. - Drag Cyberduck to the Applications folder.
- Open Cyberduck from Applications and click Open when macOS asks about an app downloaded from the internet.
- Click Open Connection, choose the protocol, such as SFTP, FTP or Amazon S3, enter the server and your login, and click Connect.
What to set up after the first launch
- Bookmarks. Save servers you use often as bookmarks so you don’t type their details every time.
- Passwords. Cyberduck can keep server passwords in your Mac’s keychain. Let it do so only on a Mac you don’t share.
- Access to your folders. The first time Cyberduck opens Desktop, Documents or Downloads, macOS asks for permission. Click Allow, or change it later in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Files and Folders.
- The archive. Move the
.zipfrom Downloads to the Trash once Cyberduck runs.
If Cyberduck won’t install or open
- «Cyberduck is damaged and can’t be opened». The download was incomplete. Delete the
.zipand the unpacked app, then download it again from Cyberduck’s website. - Cyberduck doesn’t start. Check your macOS version in Apple menu › About This Mac: Cyberduck needs macOS 10.13 or later.
- Cyberduck can’t read a local folder. Allow it in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Files and Folders or Full Disk Access, then restart Cyberduck.
Alternatives to Cyberduck
Keep your Mac tidy
System Junk in MacWashing finds the caches and logs apps build up, Cyberduck’s included, and shows how much space they take. And if you decide to remove Cyberduck, the Uninstaller takes its files with it.
Free trial · macOS 14 or later
Questions and answers
Is Cyberduck free?
Yes. Cyberduck is free software and works fully without paying. It only asks for a donation. A donation of at least $10 gets a registration key that stops the request.
Should I take Cyberduck from the App Store or the website?
The website version is free. The App Store version is paid and supports the developer, with updates through the App Store.
Can Cyberduck show a server as a disk in the Finder?
Not by itself: Cyberduck works in its own window. Mounting servers in the Finder is what Mountain Duck, a separate paid app from the same developer, does.