Using a ssh key file to connect to your server with FileZilla sftp is easy once you have generated a key file (tutorial). Once you have a id_rsa file in the .ssh folder in you profile folder (users/your-name) you can use that directly in Filezilla.

on Windows

1. Download Puttygen link
2. Click: conversions -> import key
3. Import id_rsa from your /.ssh folder (in your user folder after generating the keys)
4. Click file save privat key to save your pkk file
5. in FileZilla set an  SFTP connection with keyfile connection to zelect the key instead of a password

on Mac

To do this follow these steps:

1. In FileZilla->Settings.. select Connection->SFTP
2. Press the Add key file… button
3. Navigate to users/yourname/.ssh/
4. Select the “id_rsa” key file and click Open (this imports the key)
5. Click OK to close the Settings dialog
6. Open File->Site Manager…
7. Select the site with which you want to use the key
8. Choose Protocol “SFTP” and select Logon Type “Normal”. Leave the password option empty
9. Click Connect and you’ll see your files

You can generate a pkk file as wel,. but the above has the same result.

To generate a pkk file you need to download puttygen.exe from putty, you can then import the same id_rsa file and export it to *.pkk. If you want to use the key file method in FileZilla in step 8 you do have to select key file, and select the generated file instead of username and password.

• Post on how to generate a key local: link
• Post on how to generate one on an external server: link