Copy and paste over RDP
The simplest method for a one-off transfer: the clipboard is shared between your local machine and the VPS during an active RDP session. Copy a file locally (Ctrl+C in Explorer), then paste it (Ctrl+V) into an Explorer window open on the VPS.
Sharing a local drive over RDP
The Remote Desktop client lets you make a local drive on your machine directly accessible from the VPS, like a network disk:
- In the RDP client, before connecting, open the advanced options.
- The Local Resources tab, Drives section.
- Tick the drive or drives you want to share.
- Connect: the drive appears in the VPS Explorer under "This PC".
This is the most practical method for transferring files regularly during a working session, without going back to a manual copy and paste every time.
Transferring over FTP
For larger or automatable transfers, an FTP server can be installed on the VPS (through IIS, or dedicated FTP software) — useful in particular if the transfer has to happen without an active RDP session.
Transferring through the browser
For a single file of reasonable size, downloading it directly from a browser opened inside the RDP session (from a download link, or a cloud storage space) is often still the fastest answer, with no extra configuration.