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Using the GUI

The File Mover Express graphical user interface provides an intuitive drag-and-drop experience for transferring files between your local system and Amazon S3.

Interface Overview​

The GUI consists of three main areas:

  1. Local File Browser (Left) - Browse your local file system
  2. S3 Bucket File Browser (Right) - Browse your S3 buckets
  3. Bottom Panel - Monitor jobs, view logs, and generate reports

File Browsers​

Local File Browser (Left Side)​

File System Dropdown Options:

  • Local file systems: Your computer's drives and mounted storage
  • Favorite paths: Bookmarked frequently-used directories
  • Remote daemons: Connect to File Mover Express running on other machines

Navigation:

  • Click folders to browse into them
  • Use breadcrumb navigation to go back to parent directories
  • Right-click for context menu options (favorites, hot folder configuration)

S3 Bucket File Browser (Right Side)​

Remote Configuration Dropdown:

  • Select from configured S3 destinations
  • Each configuration represents a specific bucket and settings
  • The Connected indicator reflects whether the selected Remote Configuration can actually reach S3. If you edit a configuration so it can no longer list the bucket (wrong bucket, region, or credentials), the indicator turns to Disconnected and the panel shows the listing error. While a listing is in progress it shows Connecting…

Authentication:

  • A Remote Configuration authenticates with either an AWS named profile / access keys or your organization's single sign-on. To use SSO, set the Authentication method to OIDC / SSO on the configuration's Authentication tab. See OIDC / SSO Authentication for setup.

Navigation:

  • Browse S3 objects and prefixes like folders
  • Navigate using breadcrumbs or double-clicking
  • View object metadata and properties

Uploading Files​

File Mover Express uploads to all S3 storage classes. We recommend disabling sleep mode on your computer to prevent transfer interruptions.

To start uploads using the GUI​

  1. Open File Mover Express

  2. Select source files:

    • In the Local file browser, navigate to your files
    • Select files/folders (they will appear highlighted)
    • Use Ctrl+click (Cmd+click on Mac) for multiple selections

  3. Choose destination:

    • In the S3 Bucket file browser, select your Remote Configuration
    • Navigate to the desired S3 location

  4. Start transfer:

    • Drag selected files from Local browser to S3 browser
    • Drop into specific S3 folder or bucket root
    • Transfer begins automatically

  5. Monitor progress:

    • View real-time progress in the Jobs tab
    • See transfer speed, ETA, and completion status

Uploading from Finder / File Explorer: You can also drag files and folders straight from your operating system's file manager onto the S3 Bucket browser. While a drag is over the window, the S3 panel highlights as a drop zone. Drop onto a specific folder to upload into it, or onto empty space to upload to the folder you're currently viewing. (The drop-zone highlight is shown on macOS.)

Downloading Files​

File Mover Express cannot download directly from Deep Archive or Glacier storage classes, as these require restoration first. For more information, see Restoring archived objects.

To start downloads using the GUI​

  1. Open File Mover Express

  2. Select source files:

    • In the S3 Bucket file browser, select your Remote Configuration
    • Navigate to and select files/folders to download

  3. Choose destination:

    • In the Local file browser, navigate to your destination
    • Select target directory or drive

  4. Start transfer:

    • Drag selected files from S3 browser to Local browser
    • Drop into specific local folder
    • Transfer begins automatically

  5. Monitor progress:

    • View real-time progress in the Jobs tab

Deleting Files and Objects​

You can delete items from either browser by right-clicking a selection and choosing Delete.

  • Multi-select delete: Select several files/folders (Ctrl/Cmd-click or Shift-click), then right-click one of them and choose Delete. The confirmation dialog lists every selected item in a scrollable list and reports how many folders and files will be removed, so you can confirm the full set before deleting.
  • Confirmation guard: Deletions are permanent. You must type permanently delete to enable the Delete button (pressing Enter then confirms). For S3, all versions of the object and any delete markers are removed.
  • Rename applies to a single item. When more than one item is selected, Rename is hidden from the context menu.

Hot Folders​

Hot Folders automatically monitor local directories and upload new or modified files to S3.

Configuring Hot Folders​

Method 1: Settings Menu​

  1. Select the dropdown menu (≡) and choose Settings
  2. In the Hot Folders section, choose Add Hot Folder

Method 2: Context Menu​

  1. Right-click on a Local folder
  2. Choose Configure Hot Folder

Configuration Options​

  • Name: Unique identifier for this hot folder
  • Remote Configuration Name: Target S3 configuration
  • Local Source Folder: Full path to monitor (e.g., /media/drive)
  • S3 Destination Folder: Target S3 prefix (leave blank for bucket root)

Multiple Destinations: Click the (+) icon to upload to multiple S3 buckets from the same local folder.

Hot Folder Behavior​

  • Recursively monitors all subdirectories
  • Automatically uploads new or modified files
  • Uses polling to detect file changes, so it works on network file systems (NFS, SMB)
  • Detection may be slightly delayed on slow network mounts

Jobs Tab​

The Jobs tab provides comprehensive transfer management:

Job Information Display​

  • Progress: Real-time percentage and progress bar
  • Remote Configuration: Destination bucket/configuration
  • Size: Total job size
  • ETA: Estimated completion time
  • Start Time: When the job began
  • Status: Current state with transfer speed (if active)

Job Controls (Action Button)​

Click the Action arrow button for each job to access:

  • Pause: Temporarily stop the transfer
    • Note: Actively transferring files will need to restart
  • Resume: Continue a paused transfer
  • Cancel: Stop and remove the job
  • Rename: Give the job a descriptive name
  • Generate Report: Create detailed transfer report
  • Job Details: View status of individual files/folders

Job Queue Management​

  • Jobs display in order of creation
  • Earlier jobs appear at the top
  • Filter by status to show specific job types
  • Overflow menu (⋯): Tray-wide actions live in the ⋯ button on the Jobs toolbar (you can also right-click empty space in the jobs list). Use it to Clear All Completed Jobs. Per-job actions (Details, Rename, Pause/Cancel, Resubmit, Generate Report) remain on each job's action menu.
  • Resubmit is available for completed, failed, and cancelled jobs.

Job Details​

Double-click a job (or choose Job Details) to open a detailed view with per-file progress and a job-scoped Logs view.

  • Copy S3 URI: For uploads, copies the object's s3://bucket/key URI to the clipboard.
  • Skipped jobs: A job that transferred nothing (for example, files already present in S3 or excluded by a filter) is shown as Skipped.

Logs Tab​

The Logs tab shows detailed application activity:

  • Transfer Information: Detailed file transfer progress and results
  • Application Events: GUI interactions and system messages
  • Error Messages: Troubleshooting information for failed operations
  • Performance Data: Transfer speeds and timing information

Use logs for:

  • Troubleshooting transfer issues
  • Monitoring application behavior
  • Generating support information

Bucket Reports Tab​

Generate and view detailed S3 bucket inventories:

Creating Bucket Reports​

  1. In the S3 Bucket file browser, select Bucket Report
  2. Choose your preferred:
    • Remote Configuration: Which S3 bucket to report on
    • Output Format: .xlsx, .json, or .csv
  3. Select Generate Report

Viewing Reports​

  • Progress Tracking: Monitor report generation progress
  • Report Access: View completed reports directly in the tab
  • Export Options: Download reports in various formats

Use Cases​

  • Inventory bucket contents without AWS Console access
  • Generate delivery confirmations
  • Audit file transfers and storage usage
  • Create project documentation

Settings and Configuration​

Access settings through the dropdown menu (≡):

General Settings​

  • Disable Sleep (macOS only): Prevent system sleep during transfers
  • API Server Configuration: GUI connectivity settings

Remote Configurations​

  • Add/Edit/Delete: Manage S3 connection configurations
  • Test Connections: Validate credentials and bucket access
  • Advanced Options: Storage classes, checksums, filtering

Hot Folders​

  • Manage Hot Folders: Add, edit, or remove monitored directories
  • Multiple Configurations: Set up complex monitoring scenarios

Favorites and Bookmarks​

Adding Favorites​

  1. Navigate to frequently-used directories
  2. Right-click and select Add to Favorites
  3. Access via File System dropdown

Managing Favorites​

  • Rename: Give favorites descriptive names
  • Remove: Delete unused bookmarks
  • Organize: Group related favorites

Remote Daemon Connection​

Connect to File Mover Express running on other machines:

Adding Remote Daemon​

  1. In Local file browser, select File System dropdown
  2. Choose Add Remote Daemon
  3. Configure:
    • Name: Descriptive identifier
    • Host: IP address or hostname
    • Port: Connection port (default: 50006)

Using Remote Daemon​

  • Appears in File System dropdown once configured
  • Browse remote file systems as if local
  • Transfer files using remote machine's resources
  • Add favorites on remote systems

Keyboard Shortcuts and Tips​

  • Double-click: Enter folders
  • Breadcrumbs: Click to navigate up directory tree
  • Ctrl+Click (Cmd+Click on Mac): Multi-select files
  • Enter / Return: In any dialog, submits the primary action (Save, Delete, etc.) when the form is valid — the same as clicking the primary button. Escape cancels.
  • Resizable bottom panel: Drag the top edge of the Jobs / Logs / Bucket Reports tray upward to enlarge it (useful for reading long logs). The height is remembered across restarts.

Transfer Tips​

  • Drag and Drop: Primary transfer method
  • Visual Feedback: Highlighted drop zones during drag operations
  • Batch Operations: Select multiple files for efficient transfers

Performance Monitoring​

  • Real-time Updates: Jobs tab shows live progress
  • Speed Indicators: Monitor network utilization
  • Queue Management: Prioritize important transfers

Troubleshooting GUI Issues​

Connection Problems​

  1. Check that daemon is running: filemoverexpress daemon
  2. Verify apiServer.enabled is true in configuration
  3. Restart File Mover Express if connection fails

Performance Issues​

  1. Monitor Jobs tab for bottlenecks
  2. Check Logs tab for error messages
  3. Adjust transfer settings in configuration

Interface Problems​

  1. Restart the GUI application
  2. Check for conflicting applications on API port
  3. Generate support file for detailed diagnostics

Next Steps​