How to Use a FileZilla Password Decoder to Recover Saved FTP Credentials

Password format

• Passwords in these XML files are stored in plain text by default for FTP/SFTP entries created with the site manager — not encrypted — so they can be read directly from the XML.
• Some older or alternate clients/plugins may base64-encode or obfuscate stored values; base64 is not encryption and is easily decoded.

Step-by-step recovery

1. Locate the FileZilla configuration folder for your OS and open sitemanager.xml or recentservers.xml.
2. Search for , , and tags inside each entry.
3. If contains readable text, that is the password. If it looks like base64 (letters, numbers, +, /, =), decode it with a base64 decoder.
4. If the value is empty, the entry may use a keyfile or external auth (no stored password).
5. After recovery, update or export entries as needed</li></ol><p>Security and best practices</p><ul><li>Treat recovered passwords as sensitive. Do not share them.</li><li>Remove or protect configuration files if others can access your account.</li><li>Prefer using key-based authentication for SFTP and a password manager for site credentials.</li><li>If you find unexpected credentials, rotate those passwords and audit accounts for unauthorized access.</li></ul><p>When decoding isn’t possible</p><ul><li>If FileZilla was configured to use external authentication (OS keyring) or a plugin that encrypts data with a master password, the master secret is required and the guide cannot bypass that encryption.</li></ul><p>Short actionable checklist</p><ul><li>Locate config folder → open XML files → find tags → read or base64-decode → secure/rotate credentials.</li></ul><p>If you want, I can give exact file paths per operating system, a short command to decode base64, or a safe script to extract passwords from the XML. Which would you like?