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Web DashboardFiles5 min read

File Management in the Web Dashboard

Open any browser on the same Wi-Fi network and get a full desktop file manager for your Android phone — upload, download, rename, move, and delete with drag-and-drop ease.

View mobile version

The Files view in the web dashboard turns any laptop or desktop browser into a full file manager for your Android phone. Visit the URL shown in the PlainApp app (for example, https://192.168.1.50:8443/files) from any browser on the same Wi-Fi network, and you'll see every file on the phone laid out in a familiar two-pane layout.

Because the dashboard runs as a static web app served directly from the phone, there's no cloud relay in the middle. Your browser talks to the phone over an encrypted TLS connection — every byte, from a tiny text file to a 4 GB video, stays on your local network.

Screenshot: Files
Files

Key capabilities

  • Desktop-grade file table — Easily organize your files by clicking the sort button at the top right. Supports sorting by name, size, modified date.
  • Drag-and-drop upload — drop files from your computer directly into the browser window to upload them to the current folder.
  • Multi-select and bulk actions — Shift-click for range selection, Ctrl/Cmd-click for individual items. The selection toolbar appears at the top of the screen with Download, Copy, Cut, and Delete actions.
  • Built-in viewers — click a image, audio, or video file to open it in a modal viewer without leaving the Files page.
  • Path breadcrumbs — the breadcrumb at the top of the table shows your current location. Click any segment to navigate back.

Walkthrough

  1. Open the Files page from the left sidebar. The first time you visit, you'll land in Internal Storage with the root folders visible.
  2. Click a folder to enter it. The breadcrumb updates and the table refreshes with the folder's contents.
  3. Upload a file by dragging it from your computer into the browser window. A drop zone appears around the table; release the file to start the upload.
  4. Download files by selecting one or more items and clicking Download in the selection toolbar. A single file downloads directly; multiple files are zipped on the fly.
  5. Search the current folder using the search box in the top-right corner. The list filters as you type.

Tips & tricks

  • Keyboard shortcuts: / focuses the search box, Ctrl/Cmd+A selects all, Delete moves the selection to the trash.
  • Resume interrupted uploads by dragging the same file again — PlainApp detects the partial upload and continues from where it stopped.