FTP to Google Drive: deliver camera files without a laptop

Professional cameras from Canon, Nikon, and Sony have supported FTP transfers over Wi-Fi for years. The challenge has always been the receiving end: cameras push to an FTP server, and Google Drive is not an FTP server. ZenTransfer bridges that gap — it is the FTP endpoint your camera talks to, and it forwards every file on to your Google Drive folder as soon as it arrives.

What you need

• A camera with built-in FTP support (Canon R-series, Nikon Z-series, Sony Alpha series, and others)
• A ZenTransfer account
• A Google account with Drive access
• Wi-Fi or a mobile hotspot at the shooting location

Setting up

Step 1: Connect Google Drive to ZenTransfer

Log into your ZenTransfer dashboard, navigate to Destinations, and select Google Drive. You will be prompted to authorise ZenTransfer with your Google account. ZenTransfer only requests write access to the ZenTransfer folder — it cannot read any of your other Drive content.

Step 2: Get your FTP credentials

ZenTransfer provides a hostname, username, and temporary FTP password from your dashboard. These are the values you enter into your camera's FTP profile.

Step 3: Configure FTP on your camera

The menu path varies by manufacturer, but the steps are consistent:

1. Open network or transfer settings on the camera
2. Select FTP transfer mode
3. Enter the ZenTransfer hostname, username, and password
4. Set passive mode (PASV) if the option is available
5. Save the profile

Step 4: Connect to Wi-Fi and start shooting

Use your phone as a hotspot, connect to venue Wi-Fi, or use a dedicated mobile hotspot. Once the camera connects, it begins transmitting automatically as you shoot. Files appear in your ZenTransfer folder in Drive within seconds.

What it looks like in practice

A corporate event photographer arrives at the venue, enables their phone hotspot, and switches their camera to the saved ZenTransfer FTP profile. As they shoot, each frame goes from camera to ZenTransfer to Google Drive — automatically, with no card reader or USB cable.

The client has been given access to the shared Drive folder before the event. They can watch the folder fill up in real time. By the time the event ends, the full shoot is already in Drive and accessible to everyone who needs it.

If you shoot RAW plus JPEG, ZenTransfer handles both. You can configure it to forward only specific file types — JPEGs to Drive for immediate client access, for example, while RAW files go somewhere else.

Sending to multiple destinations at once

Google Drive does not have to be the only destination. ZenTransfer lets you configure as many active destinations as you need, and every file hits all of them simultaneously. A typical multi-destination setup for a photojournalist might be:

• Google Drive for client or personal access
• A newsroom FTP server for editorial delivery
• Amazon S3 for long-term archive

All three receive the same file in parallel from the single FTP upload your camera sends. Configure destinations once; control which are active from your phone.

Tips for reliable transfers

• Use a dedicated 5G hotspot device if you are somewhere without reliable Wi-Fi — it typically has longer battery life than a phone and can handle multiple cameras at once
• Set your camera to transfer in the background while you continue shooting; most cameras queue files and transmit without interrupting the shooting workflow
• Run a test shot before any important job to confirm the FTP connection is established and files appear in Drive as expected