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File Manager

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Mehdi edited this page Sep 2, 2026 · 3 revisions

File Manager

SSH Pilot includes a built-in dual-pane SFTP file manager and quick SCP transfers, so you can move files without leaving the app.

Dual-pane SFTP file manager

Opening the File Manager

There are several ways to open it:

  • Keyboard shortcut -- Press Ctrl+Shift+O (Cmd+Shift+O on macOS) while a connection is selected or focused
  • Right-click -- Right-click a server in the sidebar and select Manage Files
  • Context menu -- Right-click a terminal tab and select Manage Files
  • Hover -- Hover a connection in the sidebar and click the folder icon

The Dual-Pane Layout

The file manager shows two side-by-side panes:

Pane What it shows
Left pane Your local filesystem (e.g., Home folder)
Right pane The remote server's filesystem

You can browse each pane independently.

Navigating

Browsing directories

  • Double-click a folder to open it
  • Use the path bar at the top to type a path directly (press Ctrl+L / Cmd+L to focus it)
  • Click the breadcrumb buttons in the path bar to jump to a parent directory

Switching panes

  • Press Tab to switch focus between the left and right pane

Refreshing

  • Press F5 or Ctrl+R (Cmd+R on macOS) to refresh the current directory

Transferring Files

Upload (local to remote)

  1. In the left pane (local), navigate to the file you want to upload
  2. Select the file
  3. Press Ctrl+C to copy, then switch to the right pane (Tab) and press Ctrl+V to paste
  4. Or simply drag the file from the left pane to the right pane

Download (remote to local)

  1. In the right pane (remote), navigate to the file you want to download
  2. Select the file
  3. Press Ctrl+C to copy, then switch to the left pane (Tab) and press Ctrl+V to paste
  4. Or simply drag the file from the right pane to the left pane

Moving files

  1. Select the file
  2. Press Ctrl+X to cut
  3. Switch to the destination pane
  4. Press Ctrl+V to paste

File Operations

Right-click any file or folder to access these options:

Action What it does
Open Open the file with the default editor
Rename Rename the file or folder
Delete Remove the file (press Delete or Shift+Delete)
Create Directory Create a new folder
Permissions Change file permissions (chmod)
Properties View file size, permissions, and dates

Viewing and Editing Remote Files

You can open remote files directly in SSH Pilot's built-in text editor:

  1. Right-click a file in the remote pane
  2. Select Open or Edit
  3. The file opens in an editor with syntax highlighting (when GtkSourceView is available)
  4. Make your changes and save

This is great for quickly editing config files without downloading them first.

Viewing File Properties

To see details about a file:

  1. Right-click the file
  2. Select Properties
  3. You will see the file size, permissions, owner, and modification date

Quick SCP Transfers

For quick one-off transfers without opening the full file manager, SSH Pilot includes a legacy SCP transfer dialog.

How to open it

  • Select a connection, then click the SCP toolbar button (tooltip: Legacy: Transfer files with scp)
  • Or open Omni-search (Shift+Shift) and type scp, then choose Transfer Files with SCP and a connection

Upload or download

  1. Pick the server if needed
  2. Choose Upload or Download
  3. Select the local or remote path and start the transfer

Prefer the dual-pane file manager for browsing and drag-and-drop. SCP remains available for simple single-file transfers.

File Manager Settings

You can customize file manager behavior in Settings > File Management:

Setting What it does
Open in separate window Open the file manager in its own window instead of a tab
SFTP keepalive interval How often to send keepalive packets (prevents timeout)
SFTP keepalive retry limit How many keepalive failures before disconnecting
SFTP connection timeout How long to wait for the SFTP connection

Permissions Note

The file manager operates with the permissions of the user you connected as. If you connect as a standard user, you cannot modify files in /etc/ or other system directories through the file manager. Use the terminal instead for operations requiring sudo.

Next Steps

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