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 |
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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
Before you open a ticket
Include these details, so we can help you faster:
- The version of DooFiles. It appears at the bottom of DooFiles › Settings.
- 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