Schedule file transfers (or synchronization) to FTP/SFTP server

This guide contains simplified description of scheduling operations on FTP/SFTP server with WinSCP.

To schedule an operation on FTP/SFTP server you can combine scripting/automation functionality of WinSCP with Windows scheduling capability.

Before starting you should:

Instructions for setting up scheduling vary with the operating system.

Scheduling on Windows 7 and Windows 8
Scheduling on Windows XP and Earlier
Scheduling on Microsoft Azure WebSite with Azure WebJobs
Further Reading

Scheduling on Windows 7 and Windows 8

To add new scheduled task:

Go to Control Panel:
- Windows 8: While on desktop, go to the charms (press Win+C or move mouse cursor to either right screen corner) and select Settings > Control Panel.
- Windows 7: Go to Windows Start Menu > Control Panel.
In Control Panel, go to System and Security > Administrative Tools > Schedule Tasks.
In the Task Scheduler menu go to Action > Create Basic Task.
Give your task a name and click Next.
Choose when the task should be run and click Next.
For task action, select Start a program and click Next.
Browse for WinSCP.exe executable.
In Add arguments add appropriate WinSCP command-line parameters to execute the scripting commands you need (typically you will use /script or /command parameters).
The resulting arguments may look like:
/command "option batch abort" "option confirm off" "open sftp://user:password@example.com/" "put d:\examplefile.txt /home/user/" "exit"
Note that the command-line parameter /console was not specified, what makes WinSCP.exe not show the console window, not to disturb you while you are using your workstation.
You may want to use /log parameter to turn on session logging to file.
If your script uses local paths relative to the script path or WinSCP executable path, specify the respective path in Start in field.
When done, click Next, review your options and confirm with Finish.

Scheduling on Windows XP and Earlier

To add new scheduled task:

Go to Windows Start Menu > Settings > Control Panel > Scheduled Tasks > Add Scheduled Task.
Browse for WinSCP.exe executable, and setup other task properties (like period of execution).
In advanced properties add appropriate WinSCP command-line parameters to execute the scripting commands you need (typically you will use /script or /command parameters).
The resulting command may look like:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\WinSCP\WinSCP.exe" /command "option batch abort" "option confirm off" "open sftp://user:password@example.com/" "put d:\examplefile.txt /home/user/" "exit"
Note that the command-line parameter /console was not specified, what makes WinSCP.exe not show the console window, not to disturb you while you are using your workstation.
You may want to use /log parameter to turn on session logging to file.
If your script uses local paths relative to the script path or WinSCP executable path, specify the respective path in Start in field.

Scheduling on Microsoft Azure WebSite with Azure WebJobs

If you need to schedule a file transfer/synchronization task on Azure WebSite, you can use WinSCP from a WebJob. You can also use the WebJob without having an actual web site as a cloud-hosted scheduled task.