File Manager Pro – Filester

Description

Filester is a WP File Manager Pro plugin, but you can download and use it completely for free. It comes with all the premium features of other WordPress advanced file manager plugins out there.

Filester helps you manage WordPress file directory and edit your website’s base configuration details, while FileBird allows you to manage/upload/download media library folders.

With this File Manager Pro, you can copy, paste, create an archive, download, upload, edit, delete, preview, duplicate, and get info of the WordPress configuration and directory files without FTP access.

This file manager plugin is dedicated to boosting your productivity in managing WordPress. All necessary file operations are fully provided and tested on a variety of servers and browsers.

Another thing you will appreciate about it is the clean and compact UI/UX, which makes editing and transferring directory files and folders extra fast.

Did you know?
More than 700,000 WordPress websites were attacked during September 2020.
Malicious bots are looking to exploit vulnerable versions of WP file manager plugins.
Fortunately, Filester comes with this vulnerability fixed!
Filester poses no risk to you, so rest assured! 🤗

⚡️ FEATURES

  • Drag & drop interface: Easily move and arrange files
  • Smart context menu: Right-click on any files to make operations
  • Manage files and folders: Copy, move, upload, create folder/file, rename, duplicate, etc.
  • Built-in advanced code editor: Integrated development environment ACE Editor, CodeMirror, CKEditor, TinyMCE, and others
  • Flexible configuration: Access rights, uploadable file types/extensions, maximum file size limit, and more
  • Create/extract archives: .zip, .rar, .xz, .tar, .gzip
  • Great UI/UX design: Clean, high-quality & productivity-driven
  • User authority settings: File extensions to be locked, file visibility, root path access, .htaccess file
  • Edit media files: Using Photopea & TUI Image Editor
  • Multiple languages supported: English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Japanese, etc.
  • RTL supported: Hebrew, Arabic, Persian, Kurdish, etc.

🙌 OTHER FEATURES

  • Local file system
  • Simple client-server API based on JSON
  • List and icon view
  • Multi-root support
  • Hidden files/folders options
  • Set hidden files for other users
  • Root path for each user role
  • Easy to navigate
  • 6 themes for your preferred interface

🔑 HOW IT WORKS

Filester plugin helps you easily manage WordPress files so that you don’t have to access directories via FTP or cPanel.

This plugin creates a new menu File Manager in your WordPress dashboard. From then on, you can view all server files, configuration, and media files on your current WordPress website.

You can edit, copy, upload/download files/folders to your server from File Manager section. This toolbar is similar to the settings in an FTP client. It allows you to preview, edit, upload, download, duplicate and delete files or folders.

With Filester, it’s easy to modify the auto-update mechanism with each new version of WordPress. You can quickly search for specific text or code within your WordPress files and replace it efficiently.

With built-in code editors, you can edit code files with syntax highlighting and code completion features for themes, plugins, and custom code snippets. It takes one click to download a plugin’s ZIP file to your local storage. It helps track changes made to files and revert to previous versions if needed.

All webmasters can also download WordPress media library using Filester download options as well. Yet the media files are organized in month- and year-based folders.

🎏 COMPATIBILITY

Filester works seamlessly with all major WordPress themes, page builders, and website builders.

💙 Like Filester? Write us a review here

👉 Explore recommended plugins and themes:

  • Brandy – WooCommerce theme, sales-first design.
  • Shadcn – Minimal. Clean code. Beautiful blocks. Zero clutter.
  • FastDup – Fastest WordPress migration & duplicator plugin.

CREDIT

Big thanks to elFinder – Open-source file manager for web.

Screenshots

  • WP file manager for WordPress directory
  • Filester general settings
  • Filester user role restriction settings
  • Top free file manager plugins comparison chart

Installation

Manual installation is easy and takes less than one minute.

  1. Download the plugin from wordpress.org, unpack it and upload the [Filester] folder to your wp-content/plugins/ directory.
  2. Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins‘ menu in WordPress.
  3. Go to your main WordPress menu > File Manager to use.

You’re done. Enjoy.

FAQ

Is Filester really free? Are there hidden upsells?

Yes, Filester is completely free and comes with all the premium features built in. There is no paid tier, no upgrade prompts, and no feature locked behind a paywall.

Can I control which users have access to the File Manager?

Yes. Filester includes user authority settings that let you define access rights per user role. You can restrict which file extensions are visible or locked, set root path access, control file visibility, and limit uploadable file types and maximum file sizes. This keeps sensitive files protected from unauthorized users.

Can I use Filester to manage my WordPress media library?

No, Filester lets you browse, upload/download/edit and manage your WordPress file directory.

To manage WordPress media library or download entire media folders with your organized structure, you’ll need the FileBird plugin.

How can I get support if I encounter issues with Filester?

You can create a new public topic, and we’ll come back shortly for a quick fix.
Otherwise, feel free to chat or email us.

Reviews

24. Februar 2026.
Так как я занимаюсь поддержкой сайта и вход на хостинг затруднителен – надо ждать смс владельцу, работа с файлами сайта из админки – отличное решение. Спасибо за удобство
8. Februar 2026. 1 reply
Filester has become one of the few plugins I install almost by default. It provides a full graphical file management interface right inside the WordPress dashboard, so I can work with my site’s files without needing FTP, cPanel, or an external file manager. The interface is clean, responsive, and intuitive, and everyday tasks like creating, renaming, moving, uploading, downloading, editing, and deleting files and folders feel natural and efficient. One of the most valuable capabilities for me is the built‑in archive handling. Being able to create and extract archives (.zip, .rar, .xz, .tar, .gzip) directly from within WordPress lets me work around PHP or web server upload limitations when installing or updating plugins and themes. I can upload a compressed archive by whatever method works, then unzip it in place, or quickly zip up a plugin directory for backup, migration, or debugging. Beyond the core functionality, thoughtful touches like flexible configuration, user permissions, and multiple code editor options make it suitable for both solo site owners and more complex environments where different roles need different levels of access. For anyone who regularly manages WordPress infrastructure, Filester turns the dashboard into a practical operations console instead of just an admin panel. I’m happy to recommend it to other site owners, developers, and admins who want more direct, reliable control over their WordPress files.
25. Decembar 2025.
It has all the features you’d come to expect from a premium file manager and, guess what? Without a paywall! Kudos to the developers for empowering open source 👏
Read all 147 reviews

Contributors & Developers

“File Manager Pro – Filester” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Contributors

“File Manager Pro – Filester” has been translated into 10 locales. Thank you to the translators for their contributions.

Translate “File Manager Pro – Filester” into your language.

Interested in development?

Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.

Changelog

Apr 20, 2026 – Version 2.1.0

  • Added: Recommended plugins
  • Improved: Error logs

Dec 17, 2025 – Version 2.0.2

  • Added: Implement validation and auto-correction for the root folder path and URL
  • Fixed: Occasionally, „/s/“ is included in the link path on the file info

Oct 29, 2025 – Version 2.0.1

  • Fixed: Display notice
  • Fixed: Miss Themes folder

Sep 12, 2025 – Version 2.0

  • Updated: Elfinder library ver 2.1.66
  • Added: Icon Refresh folder

Jun 28, 2025 – Version 1.9

  • Fixed: Authenticated (Subscriber+) Directory Traversal to Arbitrary File Deletion

Jun 11, 2025 – Version 1.8.9

  • Fixed: Patchstack security report

May 15, 2025 – Version 1.8.8

  • Improved: Prevent abuse via modified .htaccess file
  • Fixed: A vulnerability due to missing file type validation

Dec 17, 2024 – Version 1.8.7

  • Fixed: Security (CVE ID: CVE-2024-8066)

Nov 25, 2024 – Version 1.8.6

  • Fixed: Security

Nov 12, 2024 – Version 1.8.5

  • Fixed: Security

Aug 7, 2024 – Version 1.8.4

  • Fixed: Plugin missing .js / 403 error query

Aug 1, 2024 – Version 1.8.3

  • Fixed: Unauthorized modification of data due to a missing capability check

Dec 18, 2023 – Version 1.8.2

  • Updated: Elfinder library to version 2.1.62

Sep 12, 2023 – Version 1.8.1

  • Fixed: Security for multisite

Sep 8, 2023 – Version 1.8

  • Fixed: Security issue

Jun 27, 2022 – Version 1.7.6

  • Added: Recommend plugins

Jun 20, 2022 – Version 1.7.5

  • Added: Recommend plugins

Dec 2, 2021 – Version 1.7.4

  • Fixed: Conflict with plugin Nested Pages

Jul 8, 2021 – Version 1.7.3

  • Fixed: User role restrictions
  • Fixed: Image notification

Mar 25, 2021 – Version 1.7.2

  • Fixed: Small bug

Mar 25, 2021 – Version 1.7.1

  • Fixed: Small bug

Mar 25, 2021 – Version 1.7

  • Improved: UI
  • Fixed: Small bug

Mar 15, 2021 – Version 1.6.1

  • Fixed: Small bug

Feb 3, 2021 – Version 1.6

  • Added: MIME type logic for user roles
  • Added: URL field
  • Fixed: Image and PDF preview
  • Fixed: Some small bugs

Jan 11, 2021 – Version 1.5.2

  • Added: MIME type support for .xlsb and .xlsm files
  • Fixed: Compatibility with older WordPress versions
  • Fixed: CSV file upload

Dec 17, 2020 – Version 1.5.1

  • Updated: jQuery UI to latest version

Dec 10, 2020 – Version 1.5

  • Updated: Elfinder to latest version
  • Improved: Compatibility with WordPress 5.6

Aug 7, 2020 – Version 1.4.1

  • Fixed: Display issue in WordPress multisite menu
  • Fixed: Windows 10 theme not working on Linux servers

Jul 2, 2020 – Version 1.4

  • Improved: Double-click to open or preview file
  • Fixed: Some small bugs

Jun 24, 2020 – Version 1.3

  • Improved: Icon styling
  • Fixed: Language selection
  • Fixed: Private CSS/JS handling
  • Fixed: Some small bugs

Jun 16, 2020 – Version 1.2

  • Fixed: Trash issue
  • Fixed: Some small bugs

May 29, 2020 – Version 1.1

  • Fixed: Some small bugs
  • Improved: UI

May 8, 2020 – Version 1.0

  • Initial release