Move files between your computer, the VMs and Chats

Your computer and each VM have their own files. You move them by hand (drag and drop, copy and paste, the Explorer) or you ask an agent. Wazza OS only reads your files, and on your computer it only ever adds new files: it never writes over one of yours.

WhatEvery way between your computer, the VMs and Chats, and where the files land

WhyGive an app or an agent your files; get the results back

WhoEveryone

WhereThe Explorer, any tab, your own file manager

Where files live (the VM's home, its wazza_os folder, company folders) and the Explorer itself: Files and sharing.

Which way#

You want to…	Do this	It lands in
put files of your computer into a VM	drag them onto a folder of the Explorer, or copy them in your file manager and Paste here in the Explorer	that folder
give a file of your computer to an agent	drop it on the Chat, or + › From this computer…	your message, as an attachment
give a VM file to an agent	type `@` in the message box and pick it; from the next release, also drag it from the Explorer onto the Chat	your message, by its path in the VM (nothing is copied)
open a file of your computer in an app of the VM	drop it on the app's window	the VM's `Downloads`, and the app opens it
get a VM file on your computer	in the Explorer, right-click it › Copy, then paste in your file manager; or › Download to this computer; or drag it out of the app's window	where you paste or drop; your `Downloads`
copy between two VMs	the Explorer's Copy, then Paste here in the other VM's Explorer	the folder you paste in
let an agent do it	ask a VM tab's Chat: "copy Documents/report.pdf from my computer into the VM", "put render.png on my computer"	the VM's `Downloads` or the folder you name; your `Downloads/From the VM` or the folder you name

Drag and drop#

Onto a folder of the Explorer#

The Wazza OS window with the Explorer open on the left and GIMP in its tab; the computer's own Files window at the bottom right shows report.txt selected, and its icon is being dragged onto the Explorer's Documents folder, which is outlined — report.txt dragged from the computer's Files (bottom right) onto the VM's Documents folder in the Explorer (left).

Open the Explorer: the button at the far left of the tab strip. It shows the VM of the tab you are on.
Drag files or folders from your file manager onto a folder of the Explorer: the folder lights up.
Let go. The line under the list follows the copy, with Cancel, then says where the files went: Dropped into /home/ubuntu/Documents: report.txt.

The Explorer's list with the Videos folder's details (VM path /home/ubuntu/Videos) and, at the bottom, the line Copying video-master.mov… 13% · 0 of 1 files · 223.3 MB of 1.60 GB, with Cancel — A 1.6 GB video dropped on the VM's Videos folder, on its way.

A name already there: the new file is report (2).txt, then report (3).txt… Nothing in the VM is overwritten.
Size: no limit; only the free space of the VM's disk counts. Folders come with everything in them.
No question: your own drop is your consent, whatever the file-copy settings say. Your files are only read.

Onto a Chat#

Two moments of the Chat's message box: first the line Copying and verifying 1 file(s)… with Cancel attachment, then photo.png attached above an empty message — photo.png dropped on a VM tab's Chat: copied and checked, then attached to the next message.

Drop files from your file manager onto a Chat. The message box says Copying and verifying 1 file(s)… (with Cancel attachment), then shows each file above your text. They go with your next message. + › From this computer… does the same with your computer's file chooser.

The agent gets its own copy in the VM (in the VM's wazza_os/chat folder). Your file is only read.
8 files at a time: the message box names the others; drop them again.
A folder is not attached: it is copied into the VM's Downloads, and the message box says where. Ask the agent to look there.
Size: no limit but the VM's free disk (Wazza OS keeps 256 MB of it free).
The Computer Control Chat takes no files: it reads your files where they are.

Onto an app's window#

Left: photo.png dragged from the computer's Files over GIMP's canvas in its tab. Right: GIMP shows photo.png, opened from the drop — photo.png dragged from the computer's Files onto GIMP's window (left): GIMP opened it (right).

Drag files from your file manager onto an app in a tab and let go where the app should take them. Wazza OS copies them into the VM, then drops them into the app at that spot, as a drop inside the VM would: GIMP opens a picture, a text editor opens a text. A notice follows the copy (Copying the dropped files into vm-1: 37%), then says Dropped into vm-1: photo.png. The app received them (they are in vm-1's Downloads).

Where they are: in the VM's Downloads. Dropped on the VM's desktop: on its Desktop. Dropped on a folder of the VM's own Files app: in that folder.
When the window under the pointer takes no drop, the files stay in the VM's Downloads and the notice says so.

From the Explorer onto a Chat#

Known issue in the published build (0.2.0, build 44c5d0ea07c1): a VM file dragged from the Explorer onto its Chat, or copied in the Explorer and pasted in the message box, is not attached (the message box says Not attached: …). Type @ in the message box and pick the file instead (Mention a file or an app). The next release attaches it as this section shows.

The Explorer over the Chat: the Pictures folder is open and its file hello-poster.png selected; below, the message box says Attached from vm-1 by its path (nothing copied): hello-poster.png and holds @file:///home/ubuntu/Pictures/hello-poster.png — The next release: hello-poster.png, a file of the VM's open Pictures folder, dropped on the Chat of a tab on that VM, attached by its path.

Drag files or folders of a VM from the Explorer onto the Chat of a tab on that same VM, or copy them in the Explorer (right-click › Copy) and paste them in the message box. They are attached by their path in the VM: the message box gets @file:///home/ubuntu/Documents/report.txt (a folder's path ends with /) and says Attached from vm-1 by its path (nothing copied): report.txt. Nothing is copied: the agent reads the file where it is. + › From the VM's files… opens the Explorer on the Chat's VM for this, and typing @ picks a file the same way (Mention a file or an app).

8 at a time, like a drop of your own files.
A file of another VM is not attached: the message box says so. Copy it into this Chat's VM first (the Explorer's Copy, then Paste here in one of its folders).
On the Computer Control Chat, a VM's files are not on your computer: download them or copy them to This computer in the Explorer first.
Files of This computer in the Explorer drop on a VM's Chat as your own files do (above).

Out of a VM, onto your computer#

Left: poster-brief.txt dragged from the VM's Files app (in its tab, right) over the computer's own Files window (top left). Right: the file is in the computer's Documents folder, and a notice at the bottom right says Dropped on this computer from vm-1: poster-brief.txt — poster-brief.txt dragged out of the VM's Files (left) and dropped in the computer's Documents (right).

Drag files in an app of the VM (its Files app, for instance) out of the VM's picture, and let go on a folder of your file manager or on your desktop. Wazza OS copies them out of the VM while you drag (Copying the dragged files from vm-1: 40%), and the app you let go on takes them (Dropped on this computer from vm-1: …).

Let go where nothing takes files: they are put on your clipboard (On the clipboard: … Nothing took the drop there. Paste with Ctrl+V in Files.). Paste them in any folder.
Back on the same VM's picture, the drop is refused: the files are already there.
With From a VM to this computer set to Off, drags out are refused.
From the Explorer, use Copy and paste or Download: on Ubuntu 24.04's desktop (GNOME on Wayland), a row of the Explorer dragged onto your file manager does not land in this version.

Copy and paste#

With the Explorer#

The Explorer's line at the bottom left says Copied poster-brief.txt: paste with Ctrl+V here, in another folder or VM, or in this computer's file manager; the computer's Files window at the bottom right shows poster-brief.txt pasted in its folder — A VM file copied in the Explorer (its line, bottom left), then pasted with Ctrl+V in the computer's Files (bottom right).

Right-click a file or folder in the Explorer › Copy. A VM file is first saved on your computer (Copying poster-brief.txt… saving 1 files), then the line says Copied poster-brief.txt: paste with Ctrl+V here, in another folder or VM, or in this computer's file manager.
Paste: Ctrl+V in a folder of your file manager (the file lands where you paste), or Paste here in the Explorer, in another folder, another VM or This computer. From the next release, a paste in the message box of a Chat on the same VM attaches it by its path (above).

The other way works too: copy files in your file manager, then Paste here in the Explorer (into the selected folder, else the folder shown). These are your own copies: no question, no size limit, new names only.

With the VM's Files app#

Left: the computer's own Files window in Downloads, with poster-brief.txt just pasted and selected. Right: the VM's Files app in its tab, its Home folder with poster-brief.txt selected, the file that was copied there — poster-brief.txt copied in the VM's Files (right, in its tab) and pasted in the computer's Files (left).

Out of the VM: copy files in the VM's Files (Ctrl+C). Wazza OS copies them out at once and puts them on your computer's clipboard: Ready to paste on this computer: poster-brief.txt. Paste them (Ctrl+V) in any folder of your file manager: they land where you paste. Your own copy asks nothing; with From a VM to this computer set to Off, nothing is copied.
Into the VM: copy files in your file manager, then paste them in a folder of the VM's Files. They are copied when you paste: Pasted in vm-1: 1 file (28 KB). This follows From this computer to a VM: Allow (the default) copies at once, Ask shows a question at the paste (Paste 1 item from this computer in vm-1?, with Allow), Off copies no files.
No limit of size or number: only the free disk where the files land counts.
Copied text goes both ways in every case.

The Explorer's Download#

Right-click a VM file or folder in the Explorer › Download to this computer (in an opened folder's list the item reads Download):

It is copied into your Downloads folder, whatever its size; a folder stays a folder. The line says Downloading hello-poster.png to Downloads…, then Downloaded to Downloads: hello-poster.png. A second download of it is hello-poster_copy1.png.
A file of 16 KB or less opens your computer's Save dialog instead: you choose its name and folder. Known issue in this version: the line may say not_ready, or the dialog may close without saving. Use Download zip, or the Explorer's Copy and paste it in your file manager.
Download zip makes one .zip in your Downloads: a folder's zip (Pictures.zip) holds the folder with everything in it.

Names, sizes and progress#

Into a VM, a name already taken gives report (2).txt, report (3).txt…
On your computer, it gives report_copy1.txt, report_copy2.txt… Wazza OS never writes over, deletes or renames a file of yours.
Size: your own copies (drops, drags out, the Explorer, copy and paste with the VM's apps) have no limit but the free disk where the files land, checked before the copy starts. An agent's copy takes 1 to 64 files or folders at a time, up to 4 GB, 4,096 files and folders and 32 levels of folders.
Progress: the Explorer's line (with Cancel), a notice for drops on an app's window, drags out and copies through the clipboard, and the message box for a Chat's attachments.
Your files are only read. Links are never followed, and agents leave hidden files (names starting with a dot) out.

What the file-copy settings cover#

Settings › Files & sharing › Between this computer and VMs has one setting each way: Ask, Allow or Off. From this computer to a VM is Allow by default, From a VM to this computer is Ask.

How the files move	What the setting does
Your own drag and drop; the Explorer's Copy, Paste and Download	Nothing to allow: your gesture is the consent. Off (from a VM) still stops drags out of a VM's window.
Copy in the VM's apps, paste on your computer	No question (your own copy). Off: nothing is copied.
Copy on your computer, paste in the VM's apps	Allow: copied at the paste. Ask: a question at the paste, with Allow. Off: no files (text still is).
An agent's copy, either way	Allow: at once. Ask: a question with Allow; after 2 minutes without it, nothing is copied. Off: refused, and the agent tells you. With the defaults: into a VM at once, to your computer after your Allow.

A question appears as a notice at the bottom right of the window and waits in Home › Notifications (Needs you), with its Allow, until it expires.

Agents#

A Chat in a VM tab#

The agent of a tab's Chat works in its VM's files directly: its commands and apps read and write them. For your computer's files (below your home folder) it has these tools:

Tool	What it does
`computer.files.search`	Finds files of your computer by name, below your home (hidden ones only when asked, never keys, keyrings or browser profiles).
`computer.files.read`	Reads one file below your home, up to 256 KB per read.
`computer.files.copy`	Copies 1 to 64 files or folders of your computer into its VM (its `~/Downloads`, or the folder named). A taken name becomes `report (2).txt`.
`computer.files.upload`	Copies 1 to 64 VM files or folders to your computer (your `Downloads/From the VM`, or a folder below your home), as new files only.
`computer.files.replace`	Replaces a file on your computer with a VM file, only a file Wazza OS itself made there (an upload) that nobody changed since; never one of yours.
`computer.files.transfer`	How far a copy, upload or replace went: waiting for your Allow, running, done or failed.

An example, on a VM tab's Chat with MiMo: "Copy Documents/route-tests/report.txt from my computer into this VM's Documents folder. Then make report-checked.txt from it in the VM, with a last line: Checked in the VM. Then put report-checked.txt on my computer."

The Chat's steps: computer_files_read of the computer's report.txt, computer_files_copy into /home/ubuntu/Documents, read_file of report (3).txt, Write of report-checked.txt, computer_files_upload to Documents/route-tests, then the agent waiting for the user's Allow — The agent's steps: the copy landed as report (3).txt (two report files were already there); its upload waits for your Allow.

Home, Notifications: vm-1's Chat asks to copy 1 item to this computer? report-checked.txt. Allow adds them to the computer's Documents/route-tests folder as new files; nothing on this computer is changed otherwise. Allow button. Below: vm-1's Chat copied 1 file (69 B) from this computer into /home/ubuntu/Documents — The upload's question (also shown as a notice at the bottom right), and the copy before it.

The copy into the VM ran at once (vm-1's Chat copied 1 file (69 B) from this computer into /home/ubuntu/Documents); the upload waited for Allow, then report-checked.txt was in the folder on the computer, and the agent read it back.

The Computer Control Chat#

The Computer Control Chat runs on your computer, not in a VM: it lists, searches, reads and opens your files (below your home). It copies nothing into a VM.

Agents outside Wazza OS#

An agent connected through wazza-os mcp moves files with the explorer tool, the same commands as the command line below:

Verb	What it does
`copy_to_vm`	Files of your computer into a VM (default `~/Downloads`), by the file-copy setting: `{"verb":"copy_to_vm","paths":["~/report.pdf"],"vm":"vm-1","folder":"~/Documents"}`
`upload`	VM files to your computer, as new files (default `Downloads/From the VM`), by the file-copy setting: `{"verb":"upload","vm_paths":["~/Pictures/poster.png"]}`
`copies`	How far a `copy_to_vm` or `upload` went: `{"verb":"copies","id":"…"}`
`transfer`	A copy as your own Paste (any size) between your computer and a VM, or two VMs, into a folder: `{"verb":"transfer","from":"host","to":"vm-1","folder":"~/Documents","paths":["~/a.pdf"]}`
`clipboard_copy`, `clipboard_paste`	Files put on, and pasted from, the file clipboard, as a file manager's Copy and Paste
`import`, `stage`	One file of your computer into the VM's `~/Downloads`; one VM file copied into Wazza OS's share to read it on your computer

From the command line#

$ wazza --gui explorer copy-to-vm ~/Documents/brief.txt --vm vm-1 --folder /home/ubuntu
$ wazza --gui explorer upload Pictures/hello-poster.png --vm vm-1
$ wazza --gui explorer transfer --from vm-1 --to host --folder ~/Documents Pictures/hello-poster.png
$ wazza --gui clipboard files

clipboard files prints the two file-copy settings and the copies waiting for your Allow. Every subcommand: The command line › Files.

Wazza OS user manual · written for Wazza OS 0.2.0 (build 44c5d0ea07c1) · screenshots from a test computer running Wazza OS 0.2.0.