MEGA
Plan snapshot
MEGA
- Free storage / trial
- 20 GB free encrypted cloud storage.
- Separate limits
- Transfer quota is separate from storage and can vary by region/load/account state.
- Billing trigger
- Free plan is available; Pro plans add storage and transfer quota.
- Best fit
- End-to-end encrypted personal cloud storage with a large permanent free quota.
Checked 2026-05-13: MEGA app listing
AeroFTP provides comprehensive MEGA integration through three distinct connection modes, covering MEGA's entire product range from personal encrypted cloud storage to enterprise S3-compatible object storage.
MEGA provides 20 GB of free encrypted storage. All files are encrypted client-side with AES-128 before upload - MEGA cannot read your data.
Three Ways to Connect
| Mode | Protocol | Auth | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native API (recommended) | MEGA JSON-RPC | Email + Password | Daily use, maximum privacy, no dependencies |
| MEGAcmd (legacy) | MEGAcmd CLI bridge | Email + Password | Users who already have MEGAcmd installed |
| S4 Object Storage | S3-compatible API | Access Key + Secret | Programmatic workflows, CI/CD, S3 tooling |
Native API (Recommended)
Since v3.2.0, AeroFTP connects directly to MEGA's servers using the native JSON-RPC protocol. No external software is required.
How It Works
- Key derivation: PBKDF2-SHA512 (v2 accounts) or 65536-round AES-ECB (v1 legacy accounts)
- Session authentication: RSA-encrypted session IDs with automatic resume via OS keyring
- File encryption: AES-128-CTR with per-file random keys and nonces - all performed locally
- Metadata encryption: AES-128-CBC encrypted filenames and attributes
- Integrity verification: Per-chunk MAC computation and meta-MAC validation
Connection Settings
| Field | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Your MEGA account email | ||
| Password | Your MEGA password | Used locally to derive the AES master key - never sent in plaintext |
| Connection Backend | Native API / MEGAcmd | Select in the connection form |
| Remember session (24h) | Checkbox (default: on) | Encrypted session keys stored in OS keyring |
Features
| Feature | Native API | MEGAcmd |
|---|---|---|
| Upload / Download | Yes | Yes |
| Delete / Rename / Move / Mkdir | Yes | Yes |
| Share Links | Yes | Yes |
| Trash Management (list, restore, permanent delete) | Yes | Yes |
| Storage Quota | Yes | Yes |
| Search / Find | Yes | Yes |
| Session Resume (OS keyring) | Yes | No |
| External dependency | None | Requires MEGAcmd installed |
MEGAcmd (Legacy)
The MEGAcmd mode uses MEGA's official CLI tool as a bridge. It was the original MEGA backend in AeroFTP and remains available for users who already rely on MEGAcmd for other workflows.
Setup
- Install MEGAcmd for your platform.
- Log in once from a terminal:
mega-login your@email.com. - In AeroFTP, switch the Connection Backend to MEGAcmd.
MEGAcmd-Specific Options
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Logout on disconnect | Terminates the MEGAcmd daemon session when you disconnect from AeroFTP |
MEGA S4 Object Storage
MEGA S4 is MEGA's S3-compatible object storage platform. It is a separate product from MEGA's encrypted cloud drive, designed for programmatic access using standard S3 tools and SDKs.
S4 requires a MEGA Pro plan.
S4 Regions
| Region | Endpoint | Location |
|---|---|---|
eu-central-1 | s3.eu-central-1.s4.mega.io | Amsterdam |
eu-central-2 | s3.eu-central-2.s4.mega.io | Luxembourg |
ca-central-1 | s3.ca-central-1.s4.mega.io | Montreal |
ca-west-1 | s3.ca-west-1.s4.mega.io | Vancouver |
Unlike standard S3, MEGA S4 allows cross-region object access: objects uploaded in one region can be retrieved from any other S4 region.
S4 Setup
- Enable S4 at mega.nz/fm/s4.
- Create an access key pair from the S4 dashboard.
- Create a bucket.
- In AeroFTP, choose New Connection > S3 Compatible > MEGA S4 Object Storage.
- Enter your access key, secret key, bucket name, and region.
S4 vs MEGA Cloud
| Feature | MEGA Cloud | MEGA S4 |
|---|---|---|
| Protocol | MEGA JSON-RPC | S3-compatible (AWS Signature V4) |
| Authentication | Email + Password | Access Key + Secret Key |
| Encryption | Client-side AES-128 (zero-knowledge) | Standard HTTPS (server-managed) |
| Free tier | 20 GB | None (Pro plan required) |
| File versioning | Planned | Not supported |
| Object tagging | Not applicable | Not supported |
| Share links | Encrypted link with key fragment | S3 presigned URLs (max 7 days) |
| Best for | Personal files, privacy | S3 tooling, automation, CI/CD |
For full S4 setup details and S3 compatibility notes, see the S3-Compatible Storage page.
Share Links
All three MEGA modes support share link creation:
- Native API / MEGAcmd: Creates an encrypted MEGA link (
https://mega.nz/file/...#key). The decryption key is embedded in the URL fragment and never sent to MEGA's servers. - S4: Creates a standard S3 presigned URL with configurable expiration (default 1 hour, maximum 7 days).
Share links can be created via right-click context menu or the CLI:
# MEGA Cloud (encrypted link)
aeroftp-cli link --profile "My MEGA" /path/to/file.pdf
# S4 (presigned URL with 7-day expiry)
aeroftp-cli link --profile "Mega S3" /file.pdf --expires 7dTips
- MEGA's encryption means that rename and move operations require re-encrypting metadata. AeroFTP handles this transparently.
- If 2FA is enabled, you will be prompted for the TOTP code during login.
- MEGA free accounts have bandwidth quotas. If you hit the transfer limit, wait or upgrade to Pro.
- For AeroSync with MEGA, use the size compare mode since MEGA does not expose reliable file modification times.
- On Windows, the Native API mode avoids the console window flash that occurs with MEGAcmd operations.
- MEGA Pro plans unlock password-protected and expiring share links on the MEGA web interface. AeroFTP support for these Pro features via the native API is on the roadmap.