Overview
This page collects the most common problems of DooFiles, by topic, with what to do and a link to the page that explains each one in detail.
If DooFiles shows a message, search this page for its first words with Ctrl+F, or Cmd+F on a Mac. DooFiles tells you what happened in almost every case, and what to do next.
First checks
- Update DooFiles. Many problems are already fixed in the latest version. See Releases.
- Reload the page. If DooFiles was open for a long time, your session may have expired.
- Read the whole message. It usually says what to do next.
- Open Activity. Actions that did not succeed show there with a label: Failed, Blocked or Denied. See Activity.
- Look for read-only mode. If DooFiles shows Read-only mode, you can browse, view and download, but not change files. See Read-only mode.
Installation and license
| Problem | What to do |
|---|
| The DooFiles menu does not appear | Sign in with an administrator account. On a multisite network, use a network administrator. See Installation |
| DooFiles only lets me browse the folders | Your license is not active. See License activation |
| This server cannot encrypt the license: the PHP OpenSSL extension is missing. | Ask your hosting provider to turn on the PHP OpenSSL extension. See Requirements |
| Could not reach the Doothemes license service. Check the connection of your server and try again. | Your server cannot connect to edge.wupdater.com. Ask your hosting provider to allow it. See Requirements |
| This license is already active on as many sites as it allows. Deactivate it on another site first. | Deactivate it on a site you no longer use, or upgrade your plan. See License activation |
| This license is activated for another domain. | The address of your site changed. Deactivate the license and activate it again. See License activation |
| This license has expired. | Renew it, then click Check now in the License card. See License activation |
| Updates do not appear | Check that your license is active, and that the plugin folder is named doofiles. See Installation |
| DooFiles could not create its private folder inside wp-content. Check the permissions. | The user that runs PHP cannot write in wp-content. Ask your hosting provider to fix it. See Requirements |
Opening DooFiles
| Problem | What to do |
|---|
| The page stays on Loading files… | DooFiles did not start in your browser. Reload the page. Use a current version of Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari. If it persists, turn off the plugins that combine, delay or minify JavaScript in the admin, and try again |
| DooFiles needs JavaScript to work. | Turn on JavaScript in your browser, or allow it for your site |
| Your session expired. Reload the page and try again. | Reload the page. If you were signed out, sign in again |
| Could not reach the server. Check your connection. | Your connection dropped, or your server did not answer. Check your connection, then try again |
| The server answered with an error (403). | A firewall on your server or a security plugin blocked DooFiles. Check the log of your security plugin, or ask your hosting provider to allow the requests of administrators to DooFiles |
| An administrator cannot open DooFiles | They need the Administrator role and the doofiles_manage capability. See Filters and constants |
| The right-click menu only shows Open | Your license is not active. See License activation |
| The menu has no Rename, Compress or Trash | DooFiles is in read-only mode. See Read-only mode |
| DooFiles is in English, but my site is in another language | Check the language of your profile in Users › Profile › Language. See Translations |
Browse and search
| Problem | What to do |
|---|
| A file I changed by FTP does not appear | Click the name of the open folder in the breadcrumbs to refresh it. See Browse and search |
| This folder is very large; only part of it is shown. | The folder has more than 5,000 items. Use the search to find what you need |
| A file I know exists does not appear in the search | It may be inside a private folder, which the search does not enter. Open that folder |
| An image or a video shows its icon instead of a thumbnail | Thumbnails may be off for the whole site, in Thumbnails, or only in this browser: see Thumbnails in Preferences. Very large images (over 50 megapixels or 50 MB), damaged files, SVG files, types your server cannot read and videos your browser cannot play keep their icon |
| The Size and Files columns are empty | DooFiles has not measured your folders yet. Open Space and click Scan now. See Space |
Editor
| Problem | What to do |
|---|
| This file is 3.4 MB. The editor opens files up to 2 MB; you can download it instead. | Download the file, or raise Largest file the editor opens. See Editor and uploads |
| This file is not UTF-8 text, so it cannot be edited safely here. You can download it. | Download the file, convert it to UTF-8 and upload it again. See Editor |
| The file was not saved. with a PHP error | Click Go to line, fix the syntax error and save again. See Editor |
| Saving fails with The server answered with an error (403) or (406) | Some firewalls and security plugins block requests that contain code. Check the log of your security plugin, or ask your hosting provider |
| The menu shows View instead of Edit | DooFiles is in read-only mode, or the server does not let PHP write that file. See Read-only mode and Server configuration |
| The file changed on the server | Someone saved the file after you opened it. Choose Save anyway to keep your version, or Cancel to keep theirs |
| I saved a change, but my site looks the same | DooFiles clears the PHP cache of the files you save. Clear the cache of your caching plugin, your CDN and your browser |
Uploads
| Problem | What to do |
|---|
| Uploads fail with The server answered with an error (502), (504) or (524) | Your server or a proxy, such as Cloudflare, cut a long request. DooFiles retries in smaller parts. If it keeps failing, see Server configuration |
| Larger than DooFiles allows (2 GB). | Raise Largest upload, or upload the file by FTP. See Editor and uploads |
| There is not enough free space on the server for this file. | Free space on your server, or ask your hosting provider for more. See Space |
| A file stays at Uploading · 100% for a while | The file arrived and the server is putting it in place. Large files take a few seconds more |
| Upload files does not appear | DooFiles is in read-only mode, or your license is not active. See Uploads |
Manage files
| Problem | What to do |
|---|
| Something with that name already exists here. | Choose another name, or rename the existing item first. See Manage files |
| Compress and Extract do not appear | Your server does not have the PHP zip extension. Ask your hosting provider to turn it on |
| The archive was not extracted because it contains an unsafe path. | The zip file is not safe. Do not use it, or ask its author for a new one |
| The archive has more than 20,000 files. | Extract it on your computer and upload the files. See Manage files |
Trash, backups, activity and space
| Problem | What to do |
|---|
| I deleted something and it is not in the Trash | It was deleted more than 30 days ago, or the days you set, or someone deleted it permanently. Check Activity. See Trash |
| I want an earlier version of a file back | Right-click the file and choose Versions…. See Backups |
| Versions… does not appear in the menu | The file has no saved versions yet, or they expired. See Backups |
| The Trash or the backups take too much space | Lower the days or the backups per file. See Trash, backups and activity |
| Old items are not deleted, or the folders are not measured every day | WordPress runs its scheduled tasks only when someone visits your site. Set up a server cron job. See Server configuration |
| The total in Space is different from the one in my hosting panel | DooFiles counts only the folder of WordPress. Your hosting may also count databases, emails and other sites. See Space |
Security
| Problem | What to do |
|---|
| It asks for my password too often | Raise Minutes the confirmation lasts in the Security card. See Password confirmation |
| Too many wrong attempts. Wait 15 minutes and try again. | Wait 15 minutes. If you forgot your password, reset it from the WordPress login page |
| The code is not correct. Use the one your authenticator app shows now. | Type the code the app shows right now, and check that the date and time of your phone are set automatically. See Second factor |
| I lost the phone with my authenticator app | Use a recovery code, or ask another administrator to reset your second factor. See Second factor |
| An administrator can only browse | Your site asks every administrator for a second factor, and they do not have one yet. See Second factor |
| This server ignores the rules DooFiles wrote, so the folder can still be opened by URL. Nothing was changed. Add the rule below to the server (nginx) and try again. | Add the rule that DooFiles shows to your server. See Server configuration |
| This folder is private and you are not on its list. | Ask an administrator on its list to add you. See Private folders |
| The Integrity tab of Space lists modified, missing or extra files | See what each one means and what to do in File integrity |
| My hosting warns about too many files | Thumbnails, the Trash and the backups use files. Lower Days to keep unused thumbnails in Thumbnails, or the days in Trash, backups and activity |
| I cannot turn off read-only mode | DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT or DISALLOW_FILE_MODS in wp-config.php, or a developer filter, keeps it on. The settings row says which one. See Read-only mode |
Cloudflare R2
| Problem | What to do |
|---|
| Cloudflare R2 did not accept the keys. Check the Access Key ID and the Secret Access Key. | The keys are wrong, or the token was deleted. Create a new R2 API token and click Edit keys in DooFiles › Storage. See Cloudflare R2 |
| A bucket shows a red icon and Not answering | Read the reason under the bucket, fix it in Cloudflare, and click Test connection. See Cloudflare R2 |
| Cloudflare R2 does not appear in the tree | Add at least one bucket in DooFiles › Storage, and check that your license is active |
| A bucket only lets me browse and download | The R2 API token can only read that bucket, or read-only mode is on. Give the token the Object Read & Write permission and click Test connection |
Mobile access
| Problem | What to do |
|---|
| The Your devices card does not appear in DooFiles › Mobile access | Mobile access is off. Turn on Let devices connect in the Mobile access card and save. See Mobile access |
| The app says Could not reach the site. Check your connection. | Check that the device is online and that your site uses HTTPS. A security plugin or a firewall can block the REST API of WordPress. See Mobile access |
| The app shows No private folders | The app only opens private folders that have you on their list. See Private folders |
| The app cannot rename, move or delete files | The site does not let devices organize files. Turn on Let devices organize files in DooFiles › Mobile access. See Mobile access |
| I lost my phone or tablet | Click Disconnect all in the Your devices card of DooFiles › Mobile access, or change your WordPress password. See Mobile access |
Before you open a ticket
Include these details, so we can help you faster:
- The version of DooFiles. It appears at the bottom of the settings, for example in DooFiles › License.
- Your server. In Tools › Site Health › Info, click Copy site info to clipboard and paste it in the ticket. It includes the versions of WordPress and PHP.
- Your web server and proxy, if you know them: Apache, nginx or LiteSpeed, and whether your site is behind Cloudflare or another proxy.
- The exact message, and what you did right before it.
- A screenshot, if it helps to show the problem.
Never send your password or the contents of wp-config.php in a ticket.
Getting help
- Support tickets: customers with an active license can open a ticket from their account.
- From DooFiles: go to DooFiles › License, open Feedback, choose what it is about and write your message. DooFiles opens a ticket in your account, even if your license has expired, and the answer reaches you by email. This needs DooFiles 1.0.10 or newer.
- Telegram group: join the Doothemes community on Telegram.
The product
DooFiles — Secure WordPress file manager plugin
The file manager WordPress should have shipped with: native, fast and secure by design.
Features and pricing