File Station 5 Quick Start Guide

File Station 5 is a comprehensive file management application for QNAP operating systems that allows you to access and manage files on your QNAP NAS and connected storage spaces. File Station 5 is similar to File Explorer on Windows or Finder on macOS. You can browse, open, search, upload, download, organize, securely share files and folders and more with File Station 5. You can also create snapshots of your files and folders. File Station 5 is an essential app in administering and performing daily tasks on your NAS.

You can connect external storage spaces to File Station 5, including myQNAPcloud storage, multiple Google Drives, other NAS devices, USB drives, and more, allowing you to centrally access files from various devices and storage solutions directly within File Station 5.

Supported NAS operating systems:

• QTS 5.0 or later
• QuTS hero h5.0 or later

Before you begin managing files in File Station 5, configure local storage spaces on your NAS with the following steps:

1. Create a storage pool.
2. Create a volume (QTS only).
3. Create a shared folder (QuTS hero only).
   For details, see "Storing data" in the QTS User Guide or the QuTS hero User Guide.

 For details on creating and managing local storage spaces on your NAS, see "Storage & Snapshots" in the QTS User Guide or QuTS hero User Guide.

Files and folders stored on your NAS and connected storage spaces are accessible in the File Station 5 interface.

File Station 5 User Interface

Configure the main panel display

To change how files and folders are displayed in the main panel:

1. Open File Station 5.
2. Click .
3. Click a display option.
   

The List display option displays files/folders in a multicolumn list. With the List display option, you can sort files/folders by clicking on the column header and you can configure which columns are displayed by doing the following:

1. Click .
2. Click a column name to hide/show the column.
   

Connect external storage spaces to File Station 5

The QNAP NAS operating system can connect to a wide variety of storage types. Connected external storage spaces will appear as shared folders in the left navigation menu of File Station 5. Supported external storage spaces include:

• USB and eSATA storage devices, such as flash drives, portable hard drives, and storage enclosures
• Cloud storage services, including myQNAPcloud Storage and other NAS devices
  For details on connecting your NAS to cloud storage services and remote NAS devices, see HybridMount.

You can manage your files and folders by performing file and folder actions from the Action bar or the context menu. File and folder actions apply to all selected files/folders.

Perform basic file and folder actions from the context menu

To open the context menu:

• Right-click a file or folder (this also selects the file/folder).
• Select one or more files or folders, and right-click anywhere in the Main panel.

The file and folder operations available in the context menu vary based on the types of files and folders you select. However, essential actions such as renaming, copying, and deleting files and folders are always available, and are familiar to users of both Windows and macOS.  For details on file and folder actions, see "File and folder operations" in the QTS User Guide  or the QuTS hero User Guide.

Create new folders

To create a new folder:

1. Open File Station 5.
2. Click  in the action bar.
3. Click one of the following:
   • Folder: Create a regular folder.
   • Shared folder: Create a shared folder. A shared folder is a type of folder that has additional settings and features that allow other users and applications to access the folder. For more details on shared folders, see "Shared folders" in the QTS User Guide  or the QuTS hero User Guide.

Upload files

You can upload files with the following methods.

• Manually select files or folders to upload:
  1. Open File Station 5.
  2. Click  in the action bar.
  3. Click File or Folder.
  4. Select a file or folder, and then click Open or Upload.
  5. Choose how to handle duplicate files and click OK.
• Drag and drop files from your computer:
  1. Open your computer's file management application.
  2. Select one or more files/folders.
  3. Open File Station 5.
  4. Press and hold the left mouse button, then drag the selected files or folders into the File Station 5 main panel.

File Station 5 offers features and settings for multimedia files, including images, audio files, and videos. For details on the multimedia services available on your NAS system, see "Multimedia" in the QTS User Guide or the QuTS hero User Guide. 

Enable multimedia support in File Station 5

To enable multimedia features in File Station 5, including thumbnail display and media playback, follow these steps:

1. Open File Station 5.
2. Go to (More) > Settings.
   The Options window opens.
3. Go to the Multimedia tab.
4. Select Support multimedia playback, streaming, and thumbnail display.

Open media files

To open a media file in the main panel, double-click the file. File Station 5 handles each file type differently, as described in the table below.

Allow multimedia apps to access your media files

Certain multimedia apps, such as QuMagie or Music Station, can only access your media files if they are in a content source folder. You can either put your media files into existing content source folders, or configure your media folder to be a content source folder. For more details on content source folders, see "Editing content sources" in the QTS User Guide  or the QuTS hero User Guide.

You can search for files and folders anywhere on your NAS by specifying keywords and various search criteria.

Additionally, you can use Qsirch to perform AI-based semantic searches. For example, you can search for images that match a description, such as "dogs running in a field", and files whose contents contain certain keywords. For more details see How to search for files using Qsirch.

Search for files and folders

1. Open File Station 5.
2. Click the search bar.
3. Enter keywords.
4. Optional: Specify additional search criteria.
   1. Click  to open the drop-down search menu.
   2. Specify additional options, for example, file size or file type.
5. Press Enter.
   File Station 5 displays all files whose contents contain the specified keywords and match any additional criteria.

Search for files that contain keywords

1. Open File Station 5.
2. Click   to open the drop-down search menu.
3. Click the Qsirch toggle to enable Qsirch.
4. Enter keywords in the Keyword field.
5. Optional: Specify additional search criteria.
6. Press Enter.
   File Station 5 displays all the files whose contents contain the specified keywords and that match any additional specified criteria. 

You can share files and folders with NAS users and others using various methods, including email and share links.

Share files and folders with share links

Share links are URLs that allow access to selected files on your QNAP NAS. You can configure options, such as password protection or expiration dates, to enhance security.

To share files and folders with share links:

1. Open File Station 5.
2. Select one or more files or folders.
3. Right-click to open the context menu.
4. Hover the mouse cursor over Share.
   The share methods menu appears.
5. Click Create share link only.
6. Follow the remaining steps to share the selected files/folders. For more details, see the "Share" operations section of "File and folder operations" topic of the QTS User Guide  or the QuTS hero User Guide.

Access files and folders shared with you

You access files and folders that have been shared with you using the following methods:

• Open the share link URL in the browser.
  Tip

  A NAS user account is not required to open share links in the browser.
• In the left navigation menu, go to Shared with me.
  All files and folders shared with you are displayed in the main panel.
  

When deleting a file or folder in File Station 5, you can either delete it permanently or move it to the Recycle Bin.

Empty the Recycle Bin

To permanently delete all files and folders in the Recycle Bin:

1. Open File Station 5.
2. In the left navigation menu, go to Recycle Bin.
3. Click .
4. Click Empty All.

Recover files and folders from the Recycle Bin

Files and folders in the Recycle Bin can be restored to their original location by doing the following:

1. Open File Station 5.
2. In the left navigation menu, go to Recyle Bin.
3. Select one or more files or folders.
4. Right-click to open the context menu.
5. Click Recover, and then confirm by clicking Yes on the confirmation message window.
   File Station 5 restores the deleted file. For more details, see "Restore a deleted file" in the QTS User Guide or the QuTS hero User Guide.

You can use File Station 5 to access and manage files and folders on your QNAP NAS and connected storage spaces from your desktop computer, and you can also manage them from your mobile device using Qfile Pro. Qfile Pro is available for download on Google Play for Android devices and Apple Store for iOS devices. With Qfile Pro you can:

1. Browse and manage files and folders on multiple NAS devices.
2. Access and manage any cloud or remote storage space connected to your NAS.
3. Manually upload and download files and folders to and from your NAS.
4. Automatically synchronize files and folders between your mobile device and NAS.

For more details, see the Qfile Pro User Guide.

• File Station: QNAP web page for File Station 5
• Qfile Pro: QNAP web page for QNAP mobile apps
• Qsirch: QNAP web page for Qsirch
• Knowledge Base: Searchable database of FAQs, tutorials, and web helps
• QNAP College: Instructional video tutorials
• QTS User Guide: Web help for the latest version of QTS
• QuTS hero User Guide: Web help for the latest version of QuTS hero