Articles on: SimplyPrint features

The file manager: your 3D printing file library in the cloud

The file manager is where every model and sliced file you use in SimplyPrint lives. Think of it as a Dropbox or Google Drive built specifically for 3D printing - it stores your files, shows a 3D preview and print details for each one, and lets you start a print on any of your printers in a couple of clicks, from anywhere.

This guide is the overview of how the file manager works. It links out to deeper guides on folders, uploading, and the per-file detail panel.

What the file manager is

SimplyPrint keeps all your 3D-print-related files in one place, in the cloud, accessible from the web panel and the mobile app. Because the whole platform is built around 3D printing, the file manager knows much more about your files than a generic cloud drive does. For a printable file it can show you the 3D model, a thumbnail pulled from inside the gcode, the physical print size, print time, material usage, cost estimate and which of your printers can run it.

Your files live in the same platform as your printers, so starting a print is never more than a few clicks away, wherever you are.

You are never forced to store files in SimplyPrint. You can use the platform to track and control printers without uploading a single file, and you can also use it as a gateway: send a file straight through to a printer, after which it is deleted from our servers. For the full picture on cloud storage, backups and how space is shared, see Files and cloud storage.

Opening the file manager

Go to the Files page in the left menu, or visit simplyprint.io/panel/files directly.

The page has three main parts, stacked top to bottom:

a storage bar across the top, showing how much space you have used (with a Buy storage button if you own the account)
a toolbar with search, filters, upload, create-folder, sort and view controls
the file browser, showing the folders and files in the folder you are currently in - folders appear first, then files

You move around by clicking a folder to open it and using the breadcrumb across the top to step back up. When you select one or more files, a detail panel slides in on the right.

The file manager with the storage bar, toolbar and file grid

Grid and list views

The toolbar in the top right lets you switch how files are displayed.

Grid view shows each file as a card with its thumbnail or 3D preview, name, upload date, times printed and size.
List view shows the same files in rows with those same columns, plus any custom-field columns you have turned on. Full print time and cost for a file live in its detail panel.

Use the view toggle button (the grid / list icon) to switch between them. You can also use the two toolbar buttons to show or hide folders and show or hide files independently, which is handy when you only want to see one or the other.

List view showing files in columns

Searching, filtering and sorting

The search box at the top searches your filenames. By default it searches the folder you are in; tick Search all folders in the filter dropdown to search your whole file tree at once.

Click the filter icon in the search box to narrow the list down by:

File type - GCODE, STL, 3MF, OBJ or STEP
Printer - files assigned to specific printers
Material - files tagged with a given filament type
Slicer - files sliced with a particular slicer
User - on multi-user accounts, files owned by specific people

Sorting is in the toolbar too. Open the sort dropdown to order files by name, date, times printed, size, print time, cost, material, layer height, filament usage, or any custom field. The arrow button next to it flips between ascending and descending.

The filter dropdown with file type, printer and material options

Selecting and acting on files

Right-click any file or folder to open its context menu. Depending on the item and your permissions, you can:

Rename a file or edit a folder
Move it to another folder
Download it
Delete it
Add to print queue
Queue all files in folder (for a folder)
Remove thumbnail (if the file has a custom thumbnail)

You can also select several files at once and act on them together - move them to a folder, delete them, or apply tags in bulk.

To rearrange files quickly, drag a file or folder straight onto another folder (or onto a breadcrumb level) to move it there.

Storage space

The storage bar at the top of the Files page shows how much of your space you have used out of your total. The bar fills and changes colour as you get closer to your limit. If you own the account, a Buy storage button sits next to it, linking to your subscription settings.

Each plan includes a different amount of cloud storage, and some plans let you buy more. On multi-user accounts, each user gets their own individual storage allowance rather than sharing one pool. The full breakdown - what counts against your space, how shared folders are billed, and backup details - is in Files and cloud storage.

Storage indicator showing used and total space

Starter files

New accounts come with a set of starter files - example models you can print to get going. They live in a virtual folder. If you do not need them, right-click the folder and choose Hide starter files. Account owners hide them for the whole organization; everyone else hides them just for themselves.

Updated on: 25/06/2026

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