Modern SSH client family for Android, Linux, macOS, Windows, and BSD. Open-source and privacy-focused.

SFTP File Manager 📱 Mobile

A real two-pane file manager — local on one side, remote on the other — with the conveniences you'd expect from a desktop SFTP client.

This guide describes the mobile (Android) client. The dual-pane UX carries over to desktop, but the desktop equivalent is in development — see Desktop SFTP Manager.

📁 Dual-Pane Layout

  • Left pane: your device's local filesystem (with permission-bound paths Android allows).
  • Right pane: the remote server's filesystem.
  • Per-pane address bar with current path; up-arrow button to ascend.
  • Tap a directory to descend; tap a file to act on it (open / download / edit).
  • Pane state remembers the last path per connection — return to where you were.

📤 Upload & Download

  • Multi-select in either pane: long-press to start a selection, tap more files to add.
  • Batch transfers — select N files, hit upload/download once.
  • Recursive folder transfer — picking a directory transfers all of it.
  • Resume — interrupted transfers can be resumed.
  • Per-transfer notifications — Android system notifications show progress, percentage, and human-readable byte counts (e.g. "45% complete (2.3 MB / 5.1 MB)"). Tap to cancel.

📝 In-App Text Editor (Wave 1.7)

Tap a remote text file → it downloads to a temp location → opens in RemoteFileEditorActivity — a minimal monospace editor.

  • Edit, save, and the file is pushed back via SFTP.
  • Files capped at 1 MiB (configs and scripts, not video).
  • Read as UTF-8; non-UTF-8 bytes use Java's replacement character.
  • No syntax highlighting (yet).
  • Useful for quick config tweaks without leaving the SFTP browser.

🔐 chmod Editor (Wave 1.8)

  • Long-press a remote file → Permissions.
  • Toggle the 9 standard rwx bits with checkboxes.
  • Octal preview updates live.
  • Save sends a real chmod over SFTP.
  • Existing chmod bits are read on open so you don't have to remember the current state.

🔁 SCP Fallback (Wave 1.9)

  • Some servers disable SFTP but still allow SCP. TabSSH detects this and falls back automatically.
  • Same upload / download UX, no extra config from you.
  • Some advanced features (chmod editor, in-app editor) require SFTP — they're hidden in SCP-only mode.

📂 Other File Operations

  • Create folder — toolbar action in either pane.
  • Rename — long-press → Rename.
  • Delete — long-press → Delete (asks for confirmation).
  • Sort — name / size / modified, ascending or descending.
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