How to Transfer Files To Fire Stick – Easily, in a Few Simple Steps

Check out this guide that shows you how to transfer files to Firestick.

We show you the step-by-step process for the easiest way, then we show you a handful of alternate File Transfer methods to get files onto your FireStick.

Transfer Files Directly To Your Amazon Fire TV Stick From Your Android, PC, or iOS

1. Install ES File Explorer on FireStick to give your FireStick or Fire TV the ability to run an FTP Server (for non-techies, “FTP” means “File Transfer Protocol”)
2. Start ES File Explorer’s built-in “Remote Manager” (this is actually easier to set up than ES File Explorer’s “FTP server” function
3. Install an FTP Client on another device (Android, PC, iOS.)
4. Connect to the FTP Server using your FTP Client app/program you just installed on your other device
5. Transfer your files (upload AND download) from your other device to your FireStick

Transfer Files to Fire Stick (Detailed Walk-Through)

1. Install ES File Explorer on FireStick to give your FireStick or Fire TV the ability to run an FTP Server (for non-techies, “FTP” means “File Transfer Protocol”).  You can install ES File Explorer by Searching for it (using the “magnifying glass icon” on the Fire TV home screen).  Then select ES File Explorer from the search results and select “Get”.
2. Launch ES File Explorer
3. Now start ES File Explorer’s built-in Remote Manager (which is short for “Remote file manager”). This is basically a simplified, automated FTP server that you can access using any device’s browser.  We start ES File Explorer’s Remote Manager server by first selecting “Network” from the ES File Explorer main menu.  Then select “Remote Manager” under the Network menu.  After Remote Manager is selected, use the Fire TV remote to move the cursor to the big blue “Turn On” button in the center of the ES File Explorer screen.
4. Using a device other than your Firestick / Fire TV, open the second device’s web browser.
5. Then enter the exact address displayed on your Firestick / Fire TV screen into the web browser’s address bar.  For me, it was ftp://192.168.0.10:3721/, but yours will be different.
6. Enter your Firestick’s IP address into the FTP Client app.  Then press “Connect”.  This will connect to the FTP Server using your FTP Client app/program you just installed on your other device
7. Add Roms to Fire TV Stick / Fire TV (or whatever other files you want to transfer).

How to Connect a FireStick to A PC

The Amazon FireStick is a great, versatile entertainment streaming stick that serves many purposes—but sometimes, you’ll have media content stored on other devices that you just can’t get as easily on the FireStick.

If you have a FireStick, you may want to connect it to your PC. There are so many entertainment options that become available when you have an open connection between a computer and your FireStick. 

You might have a lot of great media content on your computer and want it to be ready for use on your FireStick, you’ll need to know a bit about how to do so safely. You want to make sure that when you connect a FireStick to a PC, you’re not going to compromise either device or the files themselves. 

Originally, the FireStick was never meant to be connected to a PC, so there isn’t a super straightforward method to do so. Instead, you’ll need to follow specific methods to get all your PC files onto your FireStick, or vice versa.

So today, we will get into the easiest methods you can use to connect FireStick to your PC and start transferring files between the two! 

How to Transfer Files from A PC to A FireStick

In this section, we’re going to relay the best ways to connect your two devices and start sharing files between them. 

Here are the complete steps to transfer files from PC to FireStick using X-plore File Manager:

1. Go to the App Store on your Fire TV interface and search for X-plore File Manager. 
2. Download and install the app, and when prompted allow it to access your FireStick’s media. 
3. Open the app. It may seem a bit overwhelming due to the many options and folders on the screen, but we’ll help you through it. It gets simple with practice!
4. You’ll see a panel on the right-hand side. Scroll down until you see Wi-Fi File Sharing.
5. Click on this, and then select the Wi-Fi Server option. 
6. Next, a Start button will appear. Click on the button to enable the Wi-Fi Server, and it will display an IP address and a confirmation message in the next popup. 

Follow the next steps by using the computer you want to transfer files from. 

1. On your computer, open up your preferred web browser. Type in the IP you saw in Step 6 in the search bar, where you would normally type in a web address.
2. Now, you’ll see the X-plore manager interface on your computer screen. 
3. Click the Download icon in the interface to make a .zip file of whatever you want to share.
4. Alternatively, you can open a file and upload it with the blue arrow icon next to the Download one. 
5. When you open a new file or your .zip file, it will be uploaded to your FireStick!

Once you complete the process, you can view your transferred files in the X-plore file manager on your FireStick. From there, you can open and use them as well.

Creating a Connection Between your FireStick and your PC 

So, now you know a little more about using file-sharing methods. Sometimes, though, you’ll find that the Wi-Fi File Sharing option isn’t the fastest or most streamlined option. It will work for some, but there are other methods out there. 

To create the best connection between your FireStick and your PC, you can also go through the Android App Package (APK) route. This can be a great idea, as not every good app to connect a FireStick to a PC can be found directly in the Amazon App Store on your Fire TV. 

So, in this section, we’ll describe how you can create a connection between the two devices by downloading the ES File Explorer APK onto your FireStick. Downloading this APK can make the process a lot smoother as it lets you open up an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server.

Here is the complete list of steps to use an FTP on FireStick:

1. First, make sure you start on your Fire TV interface’s home screen.
2. Click the search bar in the top-right corner of the screen, and type “ES File Explorer.”
3. Click the first option, which should have info about the app and a button to download it. 
4. Select Download, and the app will start installing onto your FireStick. It sometimes takes a while, so make sure to be patient in this step. 

When you’re done installing ES File Explorer on your FireStick, you can continue with the next steps below to start setting up your FTP.

1. Click Open to start up the app. In rare cases, it won’t show up as an option so you could also navigate to Apps & Channels to open the app manually. 
2. It will ask you if the app can store files and data. This is just what you want to do, so click Agree and/or Allow when prompted for confirmation.

Now, you’ll find yourself on the home screen of the ES File Explorer app. This app has a bit better user-friendliness in its interface, so this method is better for those that like to keep it uncluttered. We’ll mention below how to complete the setup. You’re almost there!

1. On the main screen, you should be able to see an icon called View on PC. If you don’t see this, click the Network menu and it should pop up. Click on this icon when you see it.
2. On the next screen, you’ll need to make sure that the network name that pops up matches the network of your PC. The two devices must be on the same network.
3. Scroll down until you see the Turn On button. Click this to enable the FTP server IP. 
4. Write down or keep open the IP address it gives you, you’ll need it in the next section where we’ll show you how to transfer files from your PC. 

Great! Now your FTP is enabled and you’re one step closer to transferring files between your PC and FireStick. Continue reading down below to complete the PC part without a hitch.

Using your PC to Transfer Files 

Now, you’re almost done with the entire process, but you need to do a couple of things on your PC first. Here, we’re going to show you the steps to take on your PC once you’ve completed the previous steps. 

Here’s the final process to transfer files from your PC:

1. Type in the IP address you saved in Step 10. Enter it in the search bar of your PC’s browser. Here, you’ll be taken to a screen with ES File Explorer’s interface. 
2. Now, copy and paste any files you want to transfer from your PC to FireStick. Choose whichever folder you want to store things in. 
3. Keep an eye on storage space, but you should be able to complete many transfers quickly. 
4. Open ES on your FireStick and confirm that the transfer is complete.

There! You should now have successfully shared files between your PC and FireStick.

2 Ways to Find Firestick IP Address

1. Use the free “MyNetlyzer” app in the Amazon app store to find the Firestick IP address.  This free app has a “Scan Network” option that shows you all the devices connected to your WiFI network.  The one labeled “Amazon” is your Firestick.
2. Or, get the Firestick IP Address from the Fire TV stick “Settings” menu.  First, go to the Fire TV home screen.  Then go to Settings.  Select “Device”.  Then select “About”, then “Network”.  Your Firestick IP address is displayed on the screen, and usually is something similar to “192.168.0.11” or “192.168.1.23”, where the second to last number is typically a 1 or a 0, and the last number is between 1 and 255.

FireStick File Transfer: Process Explained

Using the steps above, the idea is to set up an FTP server on your Fire Stick using the ES File Explorer app’s built-in FTP server functionality.  After the FTP server is set up on your FireStick, you can use an FTP Client program for Windows or an app for Android/iPhone to connect to your Fire Stick’s FTP server.  From that point, we simply identify the files we need to transfer using our FTP client (which has the same display as a slimmed-down File Browser) to transfer files to Fire Stick.  Then we select individual files or folders to transfer and wait for the files to finish copying.  We can use this same process to transfer files FROM Fire Stick onto another location.

Links to Help Transfer Files to Fire Stick

• The best free FTP Client for Windows is FileZilla
• For Android, try this highly-rated free FTP Client apps:  AndFTP
• Yes, there is a Free FTP Client app for iOS:  FTPManager Free
• Download ES File Explorer (free, Amazon DL) to start your FTP server on FireStick, or download ES File Explorer from Google Play Store

Alternate Methods to Transfer Files To and From FireStick

• Bluetooth file transfer apps for tablets, phones, and Android TV Boxes
• WiFi file transfer apps for your phone / tablet / TV Box
• USB thumb drive (for Fire TV only – not FireStick)
• ADBLink program for PC, Mac, and Linux (free)
• Dropbox via ES File Explorer

What is an FTP Server?

An FTP Server, or File Transfer Protocol server, is an app or program that allows a device to “serve” files to other devices, allowing other devices to download files from the device on which the FTP Server app/program is installed.

What is an FTP Client?

An FTP Client is an app/program that allows a device to connect to an FTP Server.  This allows the device that’s running the FTP Client to download files from the FTP Server.

What is FTP?

FTP is one of the oldest protocols still in use on the Internet (it’s in the same boat as HyperText Transfer Protocol or HTTP) because it’s reliable and has withstood the tests of time.  Various secure versions of FTP have been developed, such as SFTP, which have enhanced FTP security significantly over the years.  I’ve been using FTP since the early 90s – yes, it’s that old (and it’s even older than that, in fact)!

Wrap Up

For most of the methods above, you need to make sure both your FireStick and whatever device you’re transferring files from are on the same WiFi network.  So make sure they’re both on the same WiFi network before you attempt to transfer files to FireStick or Fire TV.

If you have questions, ask on the KFire YouTube Channel.