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Mount your SFTP files as a drive on Windows or Linux

You can make your server files appear in Windows File Explorer or in a regular Linux folder. This lets you open, drag, and edit them with programs on your computer without manually downloading and uploading every file.

The drive is not a copy: it shows what is on the server right now. If you delete a file from the drive, you also delete it from the server.

Back up important files before changing them

Do not edit worlds, databases, or other files while the server is writing to them. For those changes, stop the server from the dashboard first and wait until it shows as offline. Losing your Internet connection while saving can also leave a file incomplete.

Before you start: get the four connection details

  1. Open your server's page in the Zaroz Cloud dashboard.
  2. Open the Data volume tab.
  3. Find the SFTP section and keep that page open.

SFTP connection details in the Data volume tab

You will need these four exact values:

In this guide Copy it from Made-up example
USERNAME Username zaroz
HOST Host sftp.example.net
PORT Port 2022
Password Password Do not paste it into any command

Your regular server files are in the /server/ directory. This path matters too: connecting only to / leaves you one level above them.

Do not share the password

Anyone with these details can read, change, or delete your server files. Do not include them in screenshots, public messages, or commands you plan to share.

Choose your operating system:

Windows 10 or 11

Windows needs two free components to understand an SFTP drive: WinFsp and SSHFS-Win. You only install them once.

Step 1: install SSHFS-Win

The easiest option is winget, which is included with current Windows 10 and 11 installations:

  1. Open the Start menu.
  2. Type Terminal.
  3. Open Terminal or Windows PowerShell. You do not need to run it as administrator.
  4. Paste this command and press Enter:
winget install SSHFS-Win.SSHFS-Win
  1. Accept any installer prompts and wait for it to finish.
  2. Close every File Explorer window, then open it again.

If Windows says it cannot find winget, install the components manually:

  1. Download and run the latest WinFsp installer with its default options.
  2. Download the latest SSHFS-Win installer. Choose the x64 file on almost every current computer.
  3. Install it with the default options.

If the path is not recognized in the next step

Restart Windows after installing both components. Reopening File Explorer is normally enough, but restarting ensures that the WinFsp service is running.

Step 2: build the drive path

Windows does not use the sftp://... URL shown in the dashboard here. It needs a special SSHFS-Win path:

\\sshfs.r\USERNAME@HOST!PORT\server

Replace USERNAME, HOST, and PORT with the dashboard values without changing any other characters. With the made-up details in the table, for example, it would be:

\\sshfs.r\[email protected]!2022\server

Pay attention to these details:

  • It starts with two backslashes: \\.
  • There is .r after sshfs. The r makes /server relative to the remote root.
  • Use !, not :, between the host and port.
  • The end is \server, with no / or extra trailing slash.
  • Do not put the password in the path.

Step 3: assign a drive letter

The dialog should look like this, with your own details in the Folder field:

  1. Open File Explorer.
  2. Select This PC in the left sidebar.
  3. Open the three-dot menu in the toolbar and select Map network drive. On some versions it appears directly under the Computer tab.
  4. Choose an unused letter, such as Z:.
  5. Paste the path you just built into Folder.
  6. Enable Reconnect at sign-in if you want Windows to remember the drive.
  7. Select Finish.
  8. When the credential window appears, enter the SFTP USERNAME and password from the dashboard. Do not use your email address or Microsoft account password.
  9. Enable Remember my credentials only on your own trusted computer.
  10. Select OK.

The first connection can take a few seconds. The new drive will then appear under This PC. Open it: you should see your server's folders and files, not an empty folder.

A red X does not always mean it is broken

If Windows starts before Internet access is available, a remembered drive can appear with a red X. Double-click it after you are online; it will normally reconnect. Enter the SFTP password again if prompted.

Alternative: connect the drive with a command

You can do the same thing from Terminal. Replace the letter and path with your own:

net use Z: \\sshfs.r\USERNAME@HOST!PORT\server /persistent:yes

Windows asks for the password, so you do not have to put it in the command. /persistent:yes remembers the drive for later sign-ins.

Disconnect the drive on Windows

First close every editor, terminal, or window using files on the drive. Then right-click the drive under This PC and select Disconnect.

You can also disconnect it from Terminal:

net use Z: /delete

This only removes the drive from your computer. It does not delete the remote files.

Linux with a graphical file manager: the easiest option

If you only want to drag files occasionally, your file manager probably already supports SFTP and you do not need to install SSHFS. The connection appears in the sidebar as a network location, although it does not provide a normal local path that every program can use.

GNOME Files / Nautilus

  1. Open Files.
  2. Select Other Locations.
  3. Find Connect to Server.
  4. Enter this address after replacing the three uppercase values:
sftp://USERNAME@HOST:PORT/server/
  1. Select Connect.
  2. Enter the SFTP password when prompted.
  3. Save the password only if you trust this computer's user account and keyring.

KDE Dolphin

  1. Open Dolphin.
  2. Press Ctrl+L to edit the location bar.
  3. Paste the same sftp://USERNAME@HOST:PORT/server/ address and press Enter.
  4. Enter the username and password if Dolphin asks for them again.
  5. Right-click the sidebar and add the location to Places if you want to keep a shortcut.

To disconnect, select the eject icon beside the location. Merely closing the file-manager window may leave the connection active. Disconnecting does not delete anything from the server.

Linux with SSHFS: a normal mount folder

Use this method if you want the connection to have a path such as /home/your-user/Zaroz that programs outside the file manager can open.

Step 1: install SSHFS

Open a terminal and install the package for your distribution:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install sshfs

sudo dnf install fuse-sshfs

sudo pacman -S sshfs

If sudo asks for a password, it wants your computer's password, not the Zaroz SFTP password.

Step 2: create the folder where the drive will appear

This command creates a folder named Zaroz inside your home folder:

mkdir -p "$HOME/Zaroz"

You may give it another name, but then you must change $HOME/Zaroz in every command below.

Step 3: mount /server

Paste the following command after replacing USERNAME, HOST, and PORT. Keep the separate lines as shown; the \ characters at the end mean that the command continues:

sshfs USERNAME@HOST:/server "$HOME/Zaroz" \
  -o port=PORT \
  -o reconnect,ServerAliveInterval=15,ServerAliveCountMax=3

The first connection may show a question like this:

Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no/[fingerprint])?

Type the full word yes and press Enter. Then paste the SFTP password from the dashboard and press Enter again.

Nothing appears while you type a password

This is normal: the terminal does not show dots, asterisks, or letters while you enter a password. Paste it once and press Enter.

Now open the Zaroz folder in your file manager. You can also check it from the terminal:

ls "$HOME/Zaroz"

The ServerAliveInterval and reconnect options help detect a lost connection and reconnect it. Even so, if your Internet connection drops while a file is open, close that file and reopen it after the connection returns.

Unmount the folder on Linux

Do not delete the folder to disconnect it. First close programs using its files, then run:

fusermount3 -u "$HOME/Zaroz"

If your distribution says that fusermount3 does not exist, use the older command name:

fusermount -u "$HOME/Zaroz"

The local folder remains in place, empty and ready for the next mount. To reconnect after restarting your computer, repeat the sshfs command from the previous step.

Fix the most common problems

Connection timed out or Connection refused

  • Copy the SFTP host and port again from Data volume.
  • Do not use the game, web, or RCON port.
  • Check that your computer is online and that a firewall or workplace network is not blocking that port.

Permission denied or repeated password prompts

  • Copy the username and password again; they are case-sensitive.
  • Make sure you are using the SFTP credentials from Data volume, not your dashboard login.
  • If Windows saved an old password, open Credential Manager → Windows Credentials, remove the SFTP host entry, and connect again.

The drive is empty or does not contain the expected files

The correct remote path is /server/.

  • On Windows, confirm that the path starts with \\sshfs.r\ and ends with \server.
  • On Linux, confirm that the command's source contains :/server.
  • In a Linux file manager, confirm that the URL ends with /server/.

Windows cannot find the network name

  • Confirm that WinFsp and SSHFS-Win are installed.
  • Restart Windows once.
  • Check the two opening \ characters, .r, the ! before the port, and the final \server.
  • Do not paste an address beginning with sftp:// into Map network drive.

Linux says mountpoint is not empty

Unmount any previous connection before mounting again. Do not keep local files inside $HOME/Zaroz: they are hidden while SFTP is mounted and reappear after it is unmounted.

Linux says target is busy while unmounting

A program is still using the folder. Close editors and file-manager windows, and make sure no terminal is currently inside it:

cd "$HOME"
fusermount3 -u "$HOME/Zaroz"

The drive freezes after losing Internet access

Close programs trying to access it, unmount or disconnect the drive, and reconnect it. A write in progress when the network went down may have failed, so inspect that file before you continue working.

WARNING: REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED!

Do not bypass this warning or blindly delete the saved key. First check that you copied the correct SFTP host from Data volume. If the host is correct and the warning remains, contact Zaroz support before entering your password: the server key may have legitimately changed, but the warning exists to protect you from connecting to an impostor.

Frequently asked questions

Do the files also take up space on my computer?

Not as a complete copy. Programs read and write the data over the Internet when they need it. Individual applications may create their own local caches or temporary files.

Can I work without an Internet connection?

No. This is a remote drive, not a synchronization tool. To work offline, download a copy first and upload it again when finished, taking care not to overwrite newer changes.

Does the game server have to be running?

The SFTP connection belongs to the data volume and normally works while the game process is stopped. In fact, you should stop the server before changing worlds, databases, or many files at once.

Why is it slower than my normal drive?

Every operation travels to the server over an encrypted connection. Opening a folder containing thousands of small files can be much slower than opening a local folder. A dedicated SFTP client such as WinSCP or FileZilla may be more convenient for a very large one-time transfer.

Does disconnecting or unmounting delete anything?

No. It only removes the shortcut from your computer. Deleting files inside the drive while it is connected does delete them from the server.