You should use rsync over ssh The key option is -P, which is the same as –partial –progress By default, rsync will delete any partially transferred file if the transfer is interrupted. In some circumstances it is more desirable to keep partially transferred files. Using the –partial option tells rsync to keep the partial file which should make a subsequent transfer of the rest of the file much faster. Other options, such -a (for archive mode), and -z (to enable compression) can also be used. The manual: https://download.samba.org/pub/rsync/rsync.html An alternative to rsync: Use sftp with option -r (recursively copy entire directories) and option -a of sftp‘s get command “resume partial transfers of existing files.” Prerequisite: Your sftp implementation has already a get with -a option. Example: Copy directory /foo/bar from remote server to your local current directory. Directory bar will be created in your local current directory.