Transfers
Queue and background transfers
Run transfers in the background, several at once, and control them from the queue list.
A normal transfer keeps the main window busy until it ends. A background transfer goes into the queue instead: linscp opens extra connections to the server and runs it there while you keep browsing, editing and starting more transfers.
Send a transfer to the queue
Section titled “Send a transfer to the queue”Any of these works:
- Tick Transfer in background (add to transfer queue) in the copy dialog.
- Use Files › Upload in Background… or Download in Background….
- Click Proceed in Background in the progress window of a transfer that is already running.
- Make it the default: tick Transfer in background by default in Options › Preferences › Transfer › Background.
Each queued job is one line in the list, however many files it holds.
How many run at once
Section titled “How many run at once”The Background page sets the largest number of jobs that run in parallel (two by default); the rest wait their turn. Each running job uses its own connection, opened with the same site settings. Connections are reused for the next job.
Use multiple connections for single transfer splits a job with many files across several connections. With SFTP, Use multiple connections for single files above also splits one large file into parts that travel in parallel.
The queue list
Section titled “The queue list”The list sits at the bottom of the window. Options › Queue chooses whether it is shown, hidden, or shown only while there is work (Hide when Empty, the default). In the same menu, Toolbar adds buttons to the list and File List shows every file of the selected job.
The columns are Operation, Source, Destination, Transferred, Speed and Progress. A running job with several files has an extra line for the file in progress. Finished jobs stay in the list for the time set in Display completed transfers in queue for.
Control the jobs
Section titled “Control the jobs”Right-click a job, or use the queue toolbar:
| Command | Effect |
|---|---|
| Execute Now | Start a waiting job now, even past the parallel limit. |
| Suspend / Resume | Pause a running job and continue it later. |
| Cancel | Remove a waiting job or stop a running one. |
| Move Up / Move Down | Change the order of waiting jobs. |
| Suspend All, Resume All, Cancel All (in the All submenu) | The same, for every job. |
| Delete All Completed (also under All) | Clear finished jobs from the list. |
Ctrl+Q (Commands › Queue › Go To) moves the keyboard focus to the list.
Questions from background jobs
Section titled “Questions from background jobs”A job may need an answer: an overwrite prompt, an error, a password. By default the question pops up as soon as the main window is free. You can turn that off on the Background page; the job then shows that it is waiting, and you open the question with Show Query, Show Error or Show Prompt.
To keep jobs from asking about overwrites at all, tick No confirmations for background transfers on the Background page.
Hold the queue
Section titled “Hold the queue”Untick Enable queue processing by default to collect jobs without starting them. Commands › Queue › Process Queue (Ctrl+Shift+Q) starts and stops processing for the current session.
When the queue is empty
Section titled “When the queue is empty”Options › Queue › Once Empty picks what happens after the last job: Stay Idle, Disconnect Session, Sleep Computer or Shut Down Computer. The choice falls back to Stay Idle once the queue empties. If the main window is busy with another operation at that moment, the action is skipped.