In March 2025, we introduced major updates across the Files.com ecosystem, including better access controls for child sites and automatic drive mapping for the Desktop v6 App. We also made many smaller improvements, such as a new force-download option for public hosting, clearer GPG key error messages, speeding up page loads, improving navigation, and expanding access to key features.

Delegate Permissions for Child Sites

You can now grant users and groups access to specific paths within child sites, all managed from the parent site. This simplifies identity management by enabling you to use a single SSO identity provider across all of your sites. By consolidating user accounts within the parent site, you no longer need to manage identities separately for each child site.

It also centralizes permissions, making it much easier to track who has access to what across your environment. With a single point of control, you gain clearer visibility and improved governance.

This feature allows you to delegate site administrator or read-only administrator access to specific users or groups, giving you more flexibility in managing access and responsibilities.

This update streamlines access management across your sites while enhancing security, scalability, and administrative efficiency.

Learn more about Child-Site Specific Permissions.

Mapped Drives with Desktop v6 for Windows

The Files.com Desktop App v6 for Windows now supports automatic drive letter mapping, starting with version 6.0.1518. Your Files.com site can appear as a local drive on your computer, making it even easier to access and work with your files.

You have full control over this feature—you can choose whether the drive gets mapped automatically, and you can specify which drive letter to use.

Drive mapping is available now for Windows. Support for other platforms is coming soon.

To get started, download and install the latest version using the EXE installer from the Desktop v6 download page.

Learn more about the Desktop v6 App.

Other Minor Updates

This section highlights minor updates that reduce frustration, improve error clarity, and make it easier to reach important features.

Public Hosting Option to Force Downloads

We added a new Public Hosting setting to force visitors to download files instead of opening them online. Even files like images, audio, and video will always download rather than opening in the browser. This is designed for use cases where humans need to download the published content directly rather than view it in the browser.

Folder admins and site administrators can enable the Force download option on any of their public hosting URLs.

Learn more about Public Hosting Default Download Behavior.

GPG Key Manager Improvements

We improved the GPG key manager by making error messages clearer and more helpful when attempting to import public and private keys which do not match. The system automatically checks for matching key pairs, and it explains exactly what is wrong so you can fix the issue quickly. This check runs instantly when you attempt to import your own key pair.

Learn more about Troubleshooting GPG Key Mismatch.

On-Premise Agent Windows Installer Updates

We updated the Windows version of the on-premise agent so that when you install it as a service, the service will automatically restart as needed. This keeps your critical file transfers running without delay and eliminates the need for manual restarts, saving time and effort for system administrators.

Installing the latest version of the agent on Windows will enable this behavior, whether you use the EXE or the MSI installer.

Learn more about Installing the Agent as a System Service.

Faster, Cleaner and Easier to Use Web Interface

We made several updates to our web interface to improve navigation and consistency, speed up the load time of our log pages, make some previously hard-to-access features easier to reach, and to better support users whose browser language differs from the site's default.

We improved navigation by adding folder breadcrumbs to the full-page preview, so you always know which folder you are working in. We also made our form layouts more consistent across pages, with the same buttons and page controls on each data table.

To improve performance, we made all logging pages load faster the first time you visit them, so you can get information without delay.

We added new tools and improved access where needed. Read-only administrators can now view folder permissions directly in the file manager. Users who can manage custom forms or public hosting can now access their standalone pages, which were previously unavailable to some users.

Finally, we updated the login page to detect your browser language and adjust automatically, making it easier to get started in your preferred language.