File Manager — User Guide | YoBench

What the File Manager module does

The File Manager is a single browser for files on your computer and in cloud storage. Instead of juggling Finder/Explorer, an FTP client, an S3 console and WinSCP, you get one window where you can open up to four folders side by side, drag files between them and keep an eye on long copies through the transfer queue.

What you get:

• Four connection types — local disk, FTP, SFTP and S3-compatible storage (Amazon S3, MinIO, Yandex Cloud, Backblaze B2, Cloudflare R2 and others).
• Up to four folders side by side — a two-, three- or four-pane browser with independent navigation, sorting and filters per column.
• Transfer queue — copies and moves are visible in a separate panel with progress per file and bytes, with pause, resume and cancel.
• Resumable uploads — large files in S3 are split into 8 MB parts; if the connection drops, the transfer continues from the last successful part.
• Conflict resolution — when names collide you can skip, overwrite or auto-rename, with an "apply to all" option.
• Inspector — preview for images, text, PDFs, video and audio, plus file properties and SHA256 hash on demand.
• ZIP archives — create and extract right inside the browser.
• Session restore — open folders and panes come back after restarting the app.
• Encrypted credentials — FTP passwords, SSH keys and cloud access keys are stored encrypted.

Supported connections and their parameters

Local

• Folder — path to the folder. The Choose button opens the system picker.

FTP

• Host — server address.
• Port — defaults to 21.
• Username and Password.
• Root path — used as the connection's "root", defaults to /.
• Use TLS — checkbox for FTPS, off by default.
• The connection runs in passive mode.

SFTP

• Host and Port (defaults to 22).
• Username.
• Password — for password authentication (optional).
• Private Key — the private SSH key text (-----BEGIN OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY-----…). Optional.
• Passphrase — if the key is protected with a passphrase.
• Host Fingerprint — server fingerprint as SHA256:… for trust-on-first-use validation. Optional.
• Root path — defaults to /.

You can use a password, a key or both at the same time.

S3-compatible storage

• S3 Endpoint — provider URL. Leave empty for AWS S3. Examples: https://storage.yandexcloud.net, https://s3.us-west-002.backblazeb2.com, https://<account>.r2.cloudflarestorage.com, http://localhost:9000 for MinIO.
• S3 Region — defaults to us-east-1.
• S3 Bucket — required.
• S3 Prefix — optional prefix inside the bucket, used as the connection's "root".
• S3 Access Key and S3 Secret Key.
• Force Path Style — checkbox for providers that require path-style URLs instead of virtual-hosted (such as MinIO). Off by default.

For large files, multipart upload kicks in automatically with an 8 MB part size.

How the window is laid out

The File Manager has up to four columns at once. Each column shows:

• Address bar — the current path; click to edit (or press Cmd/Ctrl+L).
• File list — sortable by name, size, modification time or type.
• Search / filter input — filter the list by substring.
• Hidden files toggle — show or hide dotfiles.

Columns can be added and removed. When fewer than four are open, an + Add column button appears on the right. Switch between columns with Tab / Shift+Tab or jump directly with Cmd/Ctrl+1..4.

On the right you can open the inspector — a side panel with three tabs:

• Preview — preview of the selected file. Supports images, text (up to 100,000 characters), PDFs, video and audio. For archives and binaries, only metadata is shown.
• Properties — size, modification date, full path.
• Hash — SHA256 computed on demand.

The inspector width is adjustable with the mouse (between 280 and 720 pixels).

Transfer queue

All long-running operations (copy, move, upload, download) land in the transfer panel at the bottom of the window. You can hide and show it again.

Each task shows:

• Operation type (copy, move, upload).
• Progress — files done out of the total.
• State — running, paused, completed, cancelled or failed.
• Byte progress.

Available actions:

• Pause (‖) — pause a running task.
• Resume (▶) — continue a paused or failed task.
• Cancel (×) — cancel a task in any state.
• Clear finished — remove completed tasks from the list.

If a file with the same name already exists in the destination, the conflict resolution dialog opens:

• Skip — skip this file.
• Overwrite — replace the existing one.
• Rename — append (1), (2) and so on.
• Apply to all remaining conflicts — apply your choice to all remaining conflicts in this task.
• Cancel job — cancel the whole operation.

Archives

The context menu of a file or folder has Create archive and Extract archive items:

• Supported format: ZIP.
• Archives can be built from files selected in any column (for example, pack a local folder and upload the ZIP straight to S3).
• Archives can be extracted into any folder of any connection.
• Zip-bomb protection: extraction is capped at 10 GB of unpacked data.

Session restore

After restarting the app the following is restored:

• Which columns were open and their widths.
• The connection and current folder for every column.
• Sorting, filter and the hidden-files toggle.
• The active column and the inspector width.

The connection itself is stored separately and never lost. The session is saved automatically with a 0.5-second debounce after changes.

Live folder updates

For local folders the File Manager watches the file system and refreshes the list itself — add or delete a file in Finder/Explorer and the column updates immediately. For remote connections (FTP, SFTP, S3) automatic refresh is not available — press Cmd/Ctrl+R or the Refresh button to re-read the folder.

Security

• FTP passwords, SSH keys, passphrases and S3 credentials are stored encrypted in the local app database.
• The renderer (UI process) never sees raw secrets — only "password set" / "key set" flags.
• The Show password button is rate-limited to five reveals per hour per process.
• For SFTP you can pin a server fingerprint (SHA256:…); the next time you connect, the app will verify it — protecting you from server impersonation on the network.

Keyboard shortcuts

Settings

The File Manager settings have four sections:

• Sources — full CRUD for saved connections, with Test, hide and remove buttons.
• Behaviour — defaults: whether to show hidden files, drag-and-drop behaviour, etc.
• Hotkeys — reference table of keyboard shortcuts.
• About — module information.

Walkthrough

1. Connect to a local folder

1. Open File Manager in the sidebar.
2. Settings → Sources → New source.
3. Type — Local.
4. Name (e.g. "Documents") and the path.
5. Save.
6. In the browser, click + Add column and pick the new connection.

2. Connect to S3

1. Settings → Sources → New source → type S3.
2. Fill in Endpoint (or leave empty for AWS), Region, Bucket, Access Key, Secret Key.
3. If your provider needs path-style URLs (such as MinIO), enable Force Path Style.
4. Test — the connection should successfully list objects.
5. Save.

3. Copy files between providers

1. Open two columns — one with the local folder, the other with S3 (or FTP).
2. Select files in the source column (Cmd/Ctrl+A, Shift+click, Cmd/Ctrl+click).
3. Drag the selection into the destination column — or press F5 (copy) / F6 (move).
4. The transfer appears in the bottom transfer panel. If files already exist, the conflict dialog opens.
5. Close the window or keep working — the transfer runs in the background. You can pause and resume later, including across app restarts.

4. Extract a cloud archive onto your computer

1. Open two columns: S3 (or FTP) and a local folder.
2. Find the ZIP archive in the remote column.
3. Right-click the archive → Extract archive.
4. Pick the destination folder — even directly in the local column.
5. Extraction runs in the background like any other transfer — with progress and pause support.

What's next

• DB Manager — schedule database backups straight to S3 or an FTP server.
• Scenarios — automate recurring file moves and reuse the same connections.
• Settings — configure a master password to protect every saved connection.

Help and feedback

Something not working or a feature missing? Reach out via the feedback form.