File management

Managing files on your desktop#

The built-in file manager lets you upload files to your desktop, download files from it, and browse the file system, all from the dashboard.

How file transfer works#

Transfers use SFTP under the hood, connecting securely to the VM. Uploaded files land in ~/Desktop/ by default, so they show up immediately in the XFCE file manager and on the desktop wallpaper.

Uploading files#

1. Open your desktop in the dashboard.
2. Click the Files tab in the viewer panel.
3. Click Upload or drag and drop files into the upload area.
4. Files appear in ~/Desktop/ on the VM.

Limits: 10 MB per file. You can upload multiple files at once.

For larger files, use the terminal to download them directly with wget or curl.

Downloading files#

1. In the Files tab, browse to the file you want.
2. Click the download icon next to the file name.
3. The file downloads to your local machine through your browser.

Browsing the file system#

The file browser shows ~/Desktop/ by default. You can navigate to other directories within the agent user's home folder.

The interface shows file and folder names, sizes, and last modified timestamps.

Working with files via terminal#

For anything more advanced, use the terminal:

# List files
ls -la ~/Desktop/

# Move a file
mv ~/Desktop/report.pdf ~/Documents/

# Create a directory
mkdir -p ~/projects/my-app

# Download a file from the internet
wget https://example.com/data.csv -O ~/Desktop/data.csv

# Check available disk space
df -h

Tips#

• ~/Desktop/ is the easiest place to work with files. It is accessible from the file browser, the XFCE desktop, and the terminal.
• Agent output files (reports, screenshots, code) often end up in ~/Desktop/ or the agent's working directory.
• Installed packages and system files persist across reboots. Only destroying the desktop removes them.
• On Free tier desktops, storage is limited. Check with df -h in the terminal.