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User Guide SFTP

github-actions[bot] edited this page Jun 13, 2026 · 5 revisions

SFTP

The dual-panel SFTP screen lets you browse and transfer files between local and remote filesystems side-by-side.

Opening SFTP

Click the SFTP tab in the top bar or select SFTP from the sidebar. Each panel has a source chip in its header — click it to switch that panel between your Local filesystem and any saved host, so you can go local ↔ remote or even remote ↔ remote. Connections, paths and in-flight transfers survive switching to other tabs; coming back to SFTP resumes where you left off.

You can also open SFTP for a specific session from the session toolbar.

Navigation

  • Click a folder to open it.
  • Click the breadcrumb trail to jump up.
  • Go to path: click the edit icon next to the breadcrumb (or its tooltip "Go to path"), type or paste any path, and press Enter to jump straight there — Esc cancels. Works on both the remote and local panels.
  • Press Backspace or the button to go up one level.

Transferring Files

Action How
Select Per-row checkboxes on both panels, or click / cmd-click rows; the header checkbox selects everything matching the current filter
Upload Select local file(s) → click (or drag to the remote panel)
Download Select remote file(s) → click (or drag to the local panel)
Progress A panel docked at the bottom shows per-file progress

Transfers run in the background — the panels stay fully usable while a batch runs, and starting another transfer queues it onto the same panel. Use the button to minimize the panel to a slim progress strip (and ˄ to expand it back). Successful batches dismiss themselves after a few seconds; batches with errors stay until you close them. Cancel stops everything still pending.

File Operations

Right-click any file or folder for the context menu (shared by the remote and local panels):

Operation Description
Open Open the file (built-in editor / OS default app) or enter the folder
View Read-only preview (lock icon in the title bar, no save) — safe for logs and configs
Edit Open in the built-in editor (Monaco; plain-text fallback where the webview is unavailable)
Open with ▶ Hover submenu listing every installed app that can open the file's type, plus Choose… for any app. While the file is open externally, YourSSH watches the local copy and re-uploads it on every save
Copy to target directory Send the entry to the folder shown in the other panel. Disabled with a reason when it can't run (no target panel, folders between two remote hosts, or both panels showing the same folder)
Refresh Re-list the current directory
New folder Create a directory
Permissions Edit Unix permissions — see below (local panel: macOS/Linux only)
Rename Rename in place
Delete Permanently delete (no trash)

Permissions (chmod)

Permissions opens a chmod dialog with a 9-checkbox rwx grid (owner / group / others) kept in sync with an octal field (644, 0755, 4755 — special bits survive checkbox-only edits). The field only accepts 3–4 octal digits; Apply stays disabled while the value is incomplete or invalid, so a half-typed mode can never be submitted.

  • Directories get an Apply recursively option (chmod -R). The walk never follows symlinks (so a link can't change files outside the tree) and applies a directory's own mode after its contents.
  • If the server doesn't report the current permissions, YourSSH stats the entry; when that also fails, the dialog warns "Current permissions unknown" and keeps Apply disabled until you set a mode explicitly.
  • On the local panel, chmod uses the system chmod and is hidden on Windows.

Sudo SFTP (root file transfers)

Each host has an SFTP Mode setting (host detail panel): Default, Sudo (root), or Custom command. In Sudo mode the whole SFTP session — browse, upload, download, rename, delete — runs as root: YourSSH starts the remote sftp-server through sudo (WinSCP-style), auto-detecting its path across distros. NOPASSWD sudoers entries work silently; otherwise you are prompted for the sudo password (optionally remembered in the system keychain). Elevated panels show a root badge. Failures explain exactly what to fix, including a ready-to-paste NOPASSWD line.

Tips

  • Use Cmd/Ctrl+Click to select multiple files before transferring.
  • The breadcrumb on both panels is clickable — click any segment to jump directly.
  • Large transfers run in the background; you can switch to the terminal while waiting.

Related Pages

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