Uploading files
Uploading requires files.upload, including drag-and-drop, screenshot tools, and chunked uploads. Role changes apply on the next request; an existing upload credential cannot bypass them. Sharing changes use files.share. Without that permission, new uploads are private even if a profile or request selected public visibility; you can still upload when files.upload is granted. Existing public links stay public until explicitly changed. If Upload is unavailable, ask the instance administrator to review your roles.
Use Upload when you want to review settings before sending files. For quick uploads with your saved defaults, drop files onto another dashboard page or use a screenshot tool.
Upload from your browser
- Open Upload.
- Click the file-selection area or drag files into it. You can select several files and add more to the queue before starting.
- Review filenames and sizes. Remove an individual file, or clear the queue if you want to start again.
- If you have folders, choose Save to. Unfiled leaves the upload outside a folder.
- Choose an upload profile and any one-time sharing options.
- Start the upload. Wait for the completion links before closing the tab.
The same selected options apply to the queued files. To give different files different passwords or destinations, upload them in separate batches. The open form keeps its chosen settings after a successful batch, including the password and visibility override. Review or reset them before uploading something different.
Uploading a ZIP, TAR, TAR.GZ/TGZ, or GZIP stores it as one file. It does not automatically extract or publish its members. Open Browse archive from its library menu to inspect it, or extract into a new folder. Archive operations have additional format and resource limits; an upload succeeding does not mean the archive can be inspected.
Anyone who can access a supported archive's share page can browse and download its entries under the file's visibility/password rules. This does not create separate library files. Review the archive's contents before making it public.
Choose your upload settings
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Save to | Puts the file in one of your folders. A public file placed directly in a shared folder also appears on that folder's share page. |
| Upload profile | Applies a saved collection of upload choices. Use account settings directly to bypass the default profile. |
| Visibility | Inherit from the selected/default profile, or explicitly choose public or private. |
| Password protection | Requires recipients of a public file to enter the password before opening it. Eligible owners and accounts with content.read retain access. |
| File expiration | Inherit the profile's expiration, choose a time and action, or explicitly select no expiration. |
Choosing From upload profile also includes the account defaults that the profile inherits. If you have not configured a default profile, account and instance settings supply the starting values. See upload profiles for the exact order.
Passwords are specific to these uploads. They are never saved in upload profiles or exported profile recipes. Flare accepts file passwords up to 72 bytes; accented characters and emoji can use more than one byte each.
Set an expiration
An upload with a Delete file expiration requires files.delete; Set to private requires files.share. This also applies when expiration comes from a saved profile or account default. If the upload is rejected after a role change, choose no expiration (or a permitted action), update the profile/default, or ask the administrator for the required permission.
Open File expiration and choose what should happen:
- Delete file: remove the file and its stored contents.
- Set to private: keep the file in your account and stop public access. The file still uses storage.
Use the one-hour, one-day, one-week, or one-month shortcuts, or choose a custom date and time. Confirm the choice before starting the upload. No expiration explicitly turns an inherited expiration off for this upload; Use profile expiration returns to the saved behavior.
Expiration is processed by the server's scheduled worker. Allow for its processing interval; it is not a promise that access changes at an exact second. You can change or remove an existing file's schedule with Files → file menu → Manage expiration.
Quick drag-and-drop
When you drop files onto a dashboard page outside Upload, the overlay starts uploading with your default profile and account settings. It does not pause for the full upload form.
If you are viewing a folder in Files, the dropped files go into that folder. In All files, Unfiled, or other dashboard pages, they are unfiled. An active tag filter does not automatically tag new uploads: use a profile's tag selection or an automatic tag rule for that.
Use the finished links
The completion section gives each successful upload an open action and Copy link. With multiple results, Copy all links copies one share-page URL per line. You can also find every completed file in Files.
These controls always copy the plain share-page URL. They do not include a password or grant access to a private file. If the browser refuses clipboard access, select the displayed link and copy it manually.
Size limits and larger files
The selection area shows the maximum allowed file size. Your account may also have a total storage quota, visible under Profile → Your data. A file can fit the per-file limit and still exceed your remaining quota.
The browser automatically uses chunked transfers for files larger than 10 MiB. You do not need to split files yourself. Keep the tab open: this uploader does not offer a resume-after-browser-restart interface.
File types may be restricted by the administrator, and the server checks file contents as well as the reported type. Renaming a blocked file's extension does not make it an allowed file.
Fix an upload problem
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| File rejected before upload | Compare its size with the displayed maximum. Remove the oversized file and upload the others. |
| Storage quota exceeded | Check Profile → Your data, delete files you no longer need, or ask your administrator about the quota. Making files private does not free space. |
| A batch stops partway through | Keep the successful links. Completed files leave the queue; retry uploads for the files still waiting. |
| Folder unavailable | Choose another destination. Flare will not silently move the upload somewhere else if its destination was deleted. |
Storage changed during this upload (409) | Start the affected file again. A backend change or an upgrade from older chunk-session metadata prevents reusing that upload session; completed files remain available. |
| Network error | Check your connection and sign-in session, then retry the remaining files. If the outcome is uncertain, check Files before submitting again. |
| Progress reaches 100% but no link appears | File transfer has finished, but finalization may still be running. Wait for the completion result. |
| Small files work, large files fail | Give your administrator the approximate size and error message so they can check storage, proxy limits, and chunked uploads. |
An administrator with audit.read can investigate Audit log using the filename, account, time, and available request context. Upload/finalization records retain the file ID and name when the server can identify them, including useful context for some failures; they do not contain file bytes or submitted passwords. An early proxy rejection or interrupted request may not reach Flare at all, so provide the visible error and approximate time rather than assuming every failed transfer has an audit event. OCR and later background work have separate outcomes after upload acceptance.
For repeatable upload choices, continue with upload profiles. For what recipients can see, read sharing and privacy.