---
title: "Transferring data"
description: "Move data to and from CARC systems with scp, rsync, sftp, and Globus."
type: Guide
tags:
  - Data
  - Storage
generated:
  by: "claude/fable-5"
  at: "2026-08-29T00:00:00Z"
sources:
  - id: quickbytes
    resource: "https://github.com/UNM-CARC/QuickBytes/blob/master/transfer_data.md"
    title: "UNM-CARC QuickBytes: transfer_data.md"
    author: "team:unm-carc"
    last_modified: "2026-06-22T11:18:55-06:00"
---

# Transferring data

### Where is your data?

Your home directory, `/users/your-user-name/`, is shared across all CARC machines, meaning that once your data has been uploaded to your home directory, it is accessible regardless of which machine you are logged in to. Refer to our [CARC Systems documentation page](#) for details on CARC systems.

### Graphical User Interface (GUI) options

There are several options available for data transfer that employ a GUI for ease of use. Several options are listed below, linked to the homepage for each piece of software, with documentation on how to use it.

* [FileZilla](https://filezilla-project.org/){target=_blank}
* [WinSCP](https://winscp.net/eng/index.php){target=_blank}
* [Fetch](https://fetchsoftworks.com/){target=_blank}
* [CyberDuck](https://cyberduck.io/){target=_blank}

FileZilla is available for both Windows and Unix systems, whereas WinSCP is Windows-only and Fetch is macOS-only. GUI-based programs are very user-friendly and well-suited to those who are less comfortable with the Linux command-line interface. Unfortunately, the programs listed above, and other GUI-based programs, use File Transfer Protocol (FTP), which has a relatively low transfer speed and is best suited to smaller file sizes.

### Command-line interface (CLI) options

For larger files, it is recommended that you use one of several programs implemented as a command-line interface. These programs have several benefits over their GUI-based counterparts, including higher transfer speeds and the ability to resume a transfer if it is interrupted, without having to restart from the beginning. Below are two popular options with example commands and links for more advanced usage.

#### Secure Copy (SCP)

Transfer from local machine to CARC:
```bash
scp /your-file your-username@easley.alliance.unm.edu:target-directory/
```

Transfer from CARC to local machine:
```bash
scp your-username@easley.alliance.unm.edu:your-file /target-directory/
```

#### Remote Sync (RSYNC)

Transfer from local machine to CARC:
```bash
rsync -vhatP /your-file your-username@easley.alliance.unm.edu:target-directory
```

Transfer from CARC to local machine:
```bash
rsync -vhatP your-username@easley.alliance.unm.edu:your-file /target-directory/
```

The `-vhatP` flags instruct rsync to print the progress of the transfer verbosely and in a human-readable format.

!!! tip "Large transfer keeps hanging or timing out?"

    A single huge `rsync` that repeatedly stalls usually points to network
    stability on the client side (wireless, VPN, off-campus path) rather than
    a problem at CARC:

    - **Chunk the transfer** — loop over subdirectories with separate `rsync`
      calls instead of one massive invocation. Since `rsync` skips files that
      have already arrived, re-running after a failure resumes where it left off.
    - Note whether it dies at the same file each run or at random, your client
      OS, wired vs. wireless, and on- vs. off-campus. Those details make a
      [support ticket](../support/help.md) much faster to resolve — support can
      also try reproducing the transfer to rule out a CARC-side issue.
    - Increase verbosity (`-v`/`-vv`) only on a **small subset** of the data
      while diagnosing, not on the full transfer.

As you can see, the syntax for these two programs is very similar; however, the options for advanced usage are unique to each one. The examples above cover only basic data transfers — refer to the links provided, or use `man programname` for the CLI options, to optimize each tool for maximum data transfer efficiency and speed.

*This quickbyte was validated on 6/22/2026*

## Video walkthrough

**Transferring data** — from the [CARC video tutorials](../training/videos.md):

<iframe class="carc-video" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/2UphEzHOHGM" title="Transferring data" loading="lazy" allow="accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<p class="carc-provenance" markdown>Migrated from [UNM-CARC QuickBytes](https://github.com/UNM-CARC/QuickBytes/blob/master/transfer_data.md){target=_blank} (last source update 2026-06-22). Spotted a problem? [Open an issue or pull request](https://github.com/UNM-CARC/QuickBytes){target=_blank}.</p>