Westchase Products

Kulmen File Manager — Help

How to use Kulmen File Manager. The same help is in the app: menu → Settings → Help.

The basics

Working with files

Tools

Network locations

Appearance and your account

Getting around

The top of every folder: the menu, the folder name, and its tools.

Tap the menu button (☰) at the top left to open the menu. It lists every place Kulmen can open:

  • Storage — your phone’s memory, memory cards and USB drives.
  • Bookmarks — folders you have pinned.
  • Network — computers and servers you have added (Pro).
  • Collections — all your photos, videos, music or downloads, wherever they are stored.
  • Tools at the foot: Storage, Applications, Hidden folders and Trash.

The menu. Tap a section’s name to fold it away.

Along the top of the menu: Profile (your purchases and settings backup), Settings, and the ⋮ button for the bookmark and storage managers, Help and About.

The path

Where you are. Tap any folder in the path to go back to it.

Under the top bar is the path to the folder you are in. Tap any name in it to jump straight back there. When the path is too long to fit, the start becomes … — tap it to reach the folders hidden there.

The phone’s Back gesture or button goes up one folder at a time. When files are selected, Back clears the selection first.

The top bar

  • Search — Find files by name in this folder and every folder inside it.
  • Tabs — Open another tab (Pro). The number is how many are open.
  • Bookmark — Pin this folder to the menu. Tap again to remove it.
  • More — Share over Wi-Fi, Import from cloud, Analyze, Select all, Properties, View options, Filter, Folder options and Operations.

The round (+) button at the bottom right makes a new folder here.

Selecting files: long press

Tap a file to open it, or a folder to go into it. Long press — touch and hold — to select it instead.

A long press selects. The check mark shows what is selected.

  1. Long press the first file or folder. It gets a ✓ check mark, and the bar at the bottom changes to actions.
  2. Tap more files to add them. Tap a selected one to take it out.
  3. Choose an action from the bar at the bottom.
  4. To stop selecting, tap ✕ at the top left, or use Back.

What you can do with the selection, at the foot of the screen.

  • Cut — Pick up to move. See “Copying and moving”.
  • Copy — Pick up to copy.
  • Delete — To the trash where the drive allows it; the question before it says if it cannot be undone.
  • Share — Send files to another app.
  • Rename — One item: a new name. Several: batch rename (Pro).
  • More — Compress to zip, Open in new tab, Properties, Open with, Save to cloud and Delete permanently.

At the top, Select all selects everything in the folder and Invert selection swaps what is selected for what is not. The top bar shows how many are selected and their total size.

Tip: A long press selects in search results too.

Copying and moving: the tray

Kulmen copies and moves the way you would by hand: pick the files up, carry them to where they go, and put them down.

  1. Select the files (long press), then tap Copy, or Cut to move them.
  2. The tray appears at the foot of the screen, saying how many items you are carrying.
  3. Go to the folder they go to — in any storage, a USB drive or a network location.
  4. Tap Paste.

The tray holds what you picked up while you change folders.

  • You can pick up from several folders before pasting: the tray says “from 3 folders”.
  • Tap the tray to see what is in it and remove single items.
  • Tap ✕ on the tray to put everything down. Nothing has been copied or moved yet.
  • While it runs, a bar shows the progress, with Cancel. A copy carries on if you switch to another app; a notification shows its progress.
  • If a file of the same name is already there, Kulmen asks: Skip, Keep both, Replace or Stop — and Do this for the rest.

Tip: Files you share to Kulmen from another app (“Share” → Kulmen) land in the tray too. Open a folder and tap Paste to save them.

Operations, in the the ⋮ button menu, lists what has been copied, moved and deleted since Kulmen was last opened, with how each one ended.

Trash

Delete moves files to the trash, where they wait 30 days before being deleted for good. You can change how long in Settings → Trash.

  1. Open the menu the menu button (☰) and tap Trash.
  2. Tap what you want back to select it — each row says where it came from.
  3. Tap Restore at the top. It goes back to the folder it came from.

Careful: Some places have no trash: a network location, a USB drive that is full or read-only, and Delete permanently in the More menu. The question before deleting always says when a delete cannot be undone.

Search looks at names in the folder you are in and every folder inside it. Results appear as they are found; tap one to open the folder it is in.

To search the whole phone, start from the top of Internal Memory.

Filter, in the the ⋮ button menu, narrows the folder you are looking at to names containing what you type. Quicker than a search for a long folder.

Bookmarks

In a folder you use often, tap the bookmark button at the top. It is added to Bookmarks in the menu. Tap the bookmark button again to remove it.

To rename or reorder bookmarks: menu → the ⋮ button → Bookmark manager.

Tabs

Part of Pro.

Tap the tabs button (a square with a number) at the top to open the folder you are in as a new tab. Each tab keeps its own folder and its own Back.

With two or more tabs, a strip of tabs appears under the top bar.

  • Tap a tab to switch to it; tap its ✕ to close it.
  • To open a folder straight into a new tab: long press it, then More → Open in new tab.
  • The tray stays the same across tabs: copy in one tab, paste in another.

Views, sorting and hidden files

the ⋮ button → View options sets how this folder looks: list, grid, gallery or compact; sort by name, date, size or type; and the size of the icons. Each folder remembers its own layout.

the ⋮ button → Folder options: Show hidden files (names that start with a dot), Folders first, and Show folder sizes (slower: each folder is measured).

Tip: Hidden is not private. Any file manager, and any computer the phone is plugged into, shows hidden files.

Zip files

Tap a zip file to look inside it like a folder. Copy single files out of it with the tray, or tap Extract everything at the top to extract everything.

To make a zip: select the files, then More → Compress to zip.

USB drives and memory cards

A USB drive or memory card shows in the menu under Storage as soon as it is connected. The first time, it says Tap to allow access.

  1. Tap the drive in the menu.
  2. Android opens its own folder picker at the top of the drive. Tap Use this folder, then Allow.

Tip: This is Android’s rule, not Kulmen’s: access to a drive ends when it is unplugged, so Android asks again each time it is connected.

Cloud apps

Kulmen works with the cloud apps installed on your phone.

  • To bring files in: open the folder they go to, then the ⋮ button → Import from cloud. Choose the app, then the files.
  • To send a file out: long press it, then More → Save to cloud.

Properties and checksums

Long press a file, then More → Properties: its size, dates and location; for a photo, the camera and where it was taken; for a folder, what it contains.

Checksums (MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256) are in Properties too — to confirm a download or a copy is identical to the original.

Storage analyzer

Menu → Storage, or the ⋮ button → Analyze in any folder. Kulmen measures everything and shows each kind of file — pictures, videos, music, documents, apps — as a block: the bigger the block, the more space.

  • Tap a block to list the largest files of that kind.
  • Duplicate files lists files that are exactly the same, so you can keep one.
  • The least used apps are listed too, to uninstall what you no longer need.

Applications

Menu → Applications lists the apps on your phone with their size. To see when each was last used, Android asks you to allow Usage access once.

Uninstall from here: Android asks you to confirm every time.

Hidden folders

Menu → Hidden folders finds every hidden folder and file on a storage — apps leave many of them. To see hidden files only in the folder you are in, use the ⋮ button → Folder options → Show hidden files.

Network locations: start here

Part of Pro.

A network location lets Kulmen open the files on a computer, a NAS box or a server, and copy to and from it like any other folder. Kulmen connects straight from your phone to that computer; nothing goes through us.

1. Which kind is yours?

The four kinds, at the top of the Add network location page.

  • SMB — Windows shared folders, and most NAS boxes (Synology, QNAP, WD, a router’s USB port). Start here if you are not sure.
  • SFTP — A Mac, a Linux computer, a Raspberry Pi, a web host, or Windows with OpenSSH. Always encrypted.
  • WebDAV — Nextcloud, ownCloud, Synology’s WebDAV Server, Koofr and other online storage.
  • FTP — Older servers, routers and web hosts. Use FTPS (encrypted) when the server offers it.

2. What you need before you start

  • The address of the computer: a number like 192.168.1.20, or a name like nas.local or files.example.com. Each kind’s topic shows where to find it.
  • A user name and password that can sign in to it.
  • For SMB, the name of the shared folder (the “share”).
  • The phone on the same Wi-Fi as the computer — unless the server is on the internet.

3. Add it

  1. Open the menu the menu button (☰). Under Network, tap Add network location.
  2. Tap the kind at the top: SFTP, SMB, WebDAV or FTP. The port fills in for you.
  3. Fill in Server, User name and Password, and for SMB the share in Start in folder.
  4. Tap Test connection. A green check means it worked; otherwise the message says what went wrong.
  5. Tap Save.

4. Use it

Saved locations, in the menu under Network. Red means unencrypted.

  • Tap the location in the menu to open it. It works like any folder: browse, open, select, and copy or move with the tray in either direction.
  • Long press the location in the menu to change it or remove it.
  • Pictures on a network location show thumbnails on Wi-Fi. On mobile data they do not, unless you turn on Settings → Network locations → Thumbnails on mobile data (each one downloads the picture).

Careful: A server has no trash. Deleting a file on a network location deletes it for good, and Kulmen says so before it does.

Your password is kept in Android’s encrypted storage on this phone, and is sent only to that server. It is never included in a settings backup.

A Windows PC (SMB)

Part of Pro.

On the PC: share a folder

  1. In Settings → Network & internet, open your Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection and set the network profile to Private. Windows does not share files on a Public network.
  2. In File Explorer, right-click the folder → Properties → Sharing tab → Advanced Sharing.
  3. Tick Share this folder. The Share name is what you will type in Kulmen — note it (for example Photos).
  4. To change files from the phone, not only read them: Permissions → select your account (or Everyone) → tick Change → OK.
  5. OK, then Close.

On the PC: find its address

  1. Settings → Network & internet → your Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection → Properties (or Hardware properties).
  2. Note the IPv4 address, such as 192.168.1.20.

Tip: Or press Windows + R, type cmd, press Enter, then type ipconfig and press Enter: the IPv4 Address line.

In Kulmen

An SMB location for a shared folder named Photos on a PC.

  • Server — The IPv4 address, e.g. 192.168.1.20. An address works more reliably than the PC’s name.
  • Port — 445. Leave it.
  • User name — How you sign in to Windows. With a Microsoft account, that is your full email address. With a local account, its user name.
  • Password — Your Windows account password — not the PIN you type at the lock screen.
  • Domain — Leave empty, unless the PC is on a company domain.
  • Start in folder — The share name: Photos. Not C:\Photos — that is where the folder is on the PC, not its name on the network. To start deeper: Photos/2026.
  • Name in the drawer — Optional: what the menu calls it, e.g. Office PC.

Tip: Each share is its own location. To reach two shared folders on the same PC, add two locations.

If it does not connect, see “When a connection fails”.

A NAS or router (SMB)

Part of Pro.

  1. In the NAS’s settings, make sure SMB (sometimes “Windows file service”) is turned on. On a Synology: Control Panel → File Services → SMB.
  2. Find the NAS’s address. Its own app or web page shows it, and so does your router’s list of connected devices.
  3. Note the name of the shared folder you want, as the NAS lists it (for example photo, home or Public).
  4. In Kulmen: SMB, Server = the address, your NAS user name and password, Start in folder = the shared folder’s name.

Tip: For a public folder with no sign-in, leave User name empty: Kulmen connects as a guest.

Careful: Kulmen speaks SMB 2 and 3, which every NAS sold in the last ten years supports. A very old device that only speaks SMB 1 will not connect; turning on SMB 2 in its settings, where offered, fixes it.

A Mac, Linux or server (SFTP)

Part of Pro.

Turn it on

  • Mac — System Settings → General → Sharing → turn on Remote Login. The address is shown there; the user name is your Mac account’s short name.
  • Linux or Raspberry Pi — Install and start the OpenSSH server (on Debian, Ubuntu and Raspberry Pi OS: the openssh-server package).
  • Windows — Settings → System → Optional features → add OpenSSH Server, then start the OpenSSH SSH Server service.
  • Web host or NAS — Look for SSH or SFTP in its control panel.

In Kulmen

An SFTP location that signs in with a key file.

  • Server — The address or name.
  • Port — 22, unless your host says otherwise.
  • User name — Your account on that computer.
  • Password or Key file — Most people use Password. Key file is for a private key (OpenSSH format) copied onto the phone: tap Choose key file, and fill in Key passphrase only if the key has one.
  • Start in folder — Optional, e.g. /home/neil.

The first connection

Asked once: is this the computer you meant?

The first time, Kulmen shows the server’s fingerprint — a long code that identifies it — and asks whether to trust it. On your own computer at home, tap Trust and connect.

Kulmen remembers it. If a server later shows a different fingerprint, Kulmen refuses to connect and warns you, because that is what a server pretending to be yours looks like. If you have reinstalled the computer, open the location (long press in the menu) and tap Forget beside Trusted server identity; you are asked again on the next connection.

Nextcloud and other WebDAV

Part of Pro.

  • Server — The address you use in a browser, without https:// — e.g. cloud.example.com.
  • HTTPS — On. Off only for a server on your own network that has no certificate; the page then warns in red.
  • Port — 443 with HTTPS, 80 without. A Synology WebDAV Server uses 5006 (HTTPS) or 5005.
  • User name and Password — Your account. If the service uses two-step sign-in, make an app password in its security settings and use that.
  • Start in folder — Where the service keeps your files.

Nextcloud

  • Start in folder: /remote.php/dav/files/ followed by your user name — /remote.php/dav/files/neil.
  • App password: in Nextcloud, your picture → Settings → Security → Devices & sessions → Create new app password.

A NAS with its own certificate, which Android does not recognize, is asked about once, the same way as an SFTP server’s fingerprint.

FTP and FTPS

Part of Pro.

  • FTPS — On if the server supports it: the password and files are encrypted. Off is plain FTP, marked in red.
  • Implicit TLS — Only for an older server on port 990. Most use the standard: leave it off.
  • Port — 21 (990 with Implicit TLS).
  • User name — Leave empty to sign in anonymously, where the server allows it.

Careful: Plain FTP sends the password and the files across the network unencrypted. Use it only on your own network, and use SFTP or FTPS wherever you can.

When a connection fails

Part of Pro.

Test connection says what went wrong. The usual causes, most common first:

  • Cannot reach the server — Is the phone on the same Wi-Fi as the computer? An address like 192.168.x.x only works at home — not on mobile data. Is the computer on and awake? Is the address still right? (A router can give a computer a new address; reserving one in the router stops that.)
  • A VPN on the phone — A VPN or a private DNS app can block devices on your home network. Turn it off and test again.
  • Wrong user name or password — For a Windows PC with a Microsoft account: the full email address and the account password, not the PIN.
  • No answer from the server — A firewall on the computer may be blocking it, or the port is wrong. On Windows, File and Printer Sharing must be allowed on the Private network.
  • The share does not exist — For SMB, check Start in folder is the share’s name exactly as shared, not its path on the PC.
  • Not allowed — The account can sign in but has no permission for that folder: on Windows, the share’s Permissions; on a NAS, the shared folder’s permissions for that user.

Still stuck? Write to us from Help → Contact support, with the message Test connection showed. Never send your password.

Sharing over Wi-Fi

Part of Pro.

No cable and no app on the computer: the phone shares its files to any web browser on the same Wi-Fi.

  1. In any folder: the ⋮ button → Share over Wi-Fi.
  2. Tap Start sharing.
  3. On the computer, type the address shown (such as http://192.168.1.20:8080) into a browser.
  4. Sign in with the user name and password shown on the phone.
  5. Download or upload files in the browser.
  6. When you are done, tap Stop sharing or leave the screen.

What the computer needs, shown on the phone while sharing.

  • A new password every time you start.
  • Only on this Wi-Fi network; not reachable from the internet.
  • Sharing runs only while this screen is open, and the screen stays on meanwhile.

Careful: The connection is not encrypted. Use it on networks you trust, such as your own, not on public Wi-Fi.

Appearance

Settings → Appearance: light, dark or follow the phone; Colors (your wallpaper’s colors and several schemes — more with Pro); and Icon style for the file icons.

Settings → File lists → where Kulmen opens: where you left off, Internal Memory or Downloads.

Pro and purchases

Everything in Kulmen is shown to everyone. Features marked PRO need Pro; tapping one shows what Pro includes.

  • Pro — every feature, and no ads. As a subscription or a single lifetime purchase.
  • Remove ads — no ads, without the Pro features.

Purchases belong to your Google account. On a new phone, or after reinstalling: menu → Profile → Restore purchases. To cancel a subscription, use Manage subscription on the same page; it opens Google Play.

Settings backup

Part of Pro.

Keep your settings and bookmarks safe in your own Google Drive, in a hidden folder only Kulmen can see.

  1. Menu → Profile → Sign in with Google, and allow Kulmen to use its own folder in your Drive.
  2. Tap Back up now.
  3. On a new phone, sign in the same way and tap Restore.

Backed up: appearance, view and sort choices, file list and trash settings, and bookmarks. Never backed up: your files, passwords and network locations.

Delete backup removes it from your Drive and signs out.

Still need help?

Write to us at contactus@westchaseproducts.com, with your phone model and the message the app showed. Never send a password.