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FAQ

Files and Folders

What file format does Wuala accept?

The file format does not matter. Wuala accepts any file format.

What file size does Wuala accept?

Up to 8 GB.

How do I upload a file?

Define the destination folder. Double click on the folder. If the folder is empty you will see the message “Add local files and folders to Wuala”, where you can click on “files” Choose your files upload them. Alternatively, you can drag and drop your files to the folder or you can click on the action menu in the toolbar. Here you will find the action “Add files…”.

How do I upload a folder?

Define the destination folder. Double click on the folder. If the folder is empty you will see the message “Add local files and folders to Wuala”, where you can click on “folders”. Choose your folder and upload them. Alternatively, you can drag and drop folders or you can click on the action menu in the toolbar. Here you will find the action “Add files…”.

How do I create a new folder?

Define where you want to create a new folder. Click on the action menu in the toolbar and choose “New Folder”. You may now define the name of the new folder.

How do I set a thumbnail?

Go to View > Show Details. Click on the file where you want to set a thumbnail. At the bottom the details of the file will be displayed. Click on “Set Image”. A new window will open where you can click on “Open Image”. Choose the desired image. Adjust the size of the image with the drawer and choose the right section by clicking and dragging the picture. Finally click on “OK”.

How do I rename my file?

Go to details of a file, go to View > Show Details. Click on the file you want to rename. At the bottom the details of the file will be displayed. Click on the title of the file to rename it. Rename the file. Do not forget to save the changes by either pressing enter or clicking on “Save”.

How do I add tags to my file?

In order to activate the details of a file, go to View > Show Details. Click on the file. At the bottom the details of the file will be displayed. Click on “Click here to add tags” to add tags to your file. Do not forget to save the changes by either pressing enter or clicking on “Save”.

How do I add a description to my file?

Go to View > Show Details. Click on the file. At the bottom the details of the file will be displayed. Click on “Click here to add a description” to add your description. Do not forget to save the changes by either pressing enter or clicking on “Save”.

How do I add a comment to a file?

Go to View > Show Comments. Click on the file. Add your comment to the write of the file.

How do I delete a file or folder?

Click on the file or folder you want to delete. Click on the action menu in the toolbar and choose “Delete”.

How do I keep my files private?

As long as your files are in a folder that is kept private (i.e. is yellow) your files will stay private. Note: the folder “Group postings” under “My Files” contains files that you have posted to a group. These files are not private as they are shared with a group.

How do I open a file?

Double-click on the file. Alternatively you can also choose the file and right click to choose the action “Open”. In order to open the file with a specific program, just choose „Open with“.

How do I download a file?

Right click „Download“. In order to define the target folder for downloads, go to Tools > Options > Advanced (Win/Linux) or Wuala > Preferences > Advanced (Mac) and choose the option „Ask for target folder for downloads“.

How do I know when a file has finished uploading?

Each file that is being uploaded has a progress bar on the right. Furthermore you can see the file details where it says how much it has uploaded. Alternatively you can click on View > Uploads (Win/Linux) or Windows > Show Uploads (Mac). An upload window will appear showing you the progress of your uploads.

What do the colors of the folders mean?

The colors of the folders tell you about the visibility of the folders. A yellow folder is private (i.e. only you have access to it), a red folder is a folder shared with friends (i.e. specified friends or all friends) and/or per password, while a blue folder is public (i.e. everyone can see the files).

How do I share folders and files with friends?

Click on the folder or file you want to share. Go to the share button in the toolbar. A new window will open.

Visibility: Here you can set the visibility of the folder.

Private: If the folder is private, only you have access to it.
Shared: If the folder is shared, the folder is shared with selected friends in Wuala or shared by a secret link (a web link that carries a secret key) with friends who are not yet in Wuala.
Public: If the folder is public, everyone can see the files.

Email: Share your folder by sending an email to your friends who are not yet in Wuala or who already are in Wuala.

Private: If your folder is private (cf. Visibility), Wuala will automatically share the folder by creating a secret link. Type in your friends' email addresses by separating them with a comma, or add friends who already are in Wuala by clicking on "Add". The email will contain the secret link. By clicking on the link your friend will be able to directly access the files in the browser.
Shared: If your folder is shared (cf. Visibility) with selected friends or by a secret link Wuala will automatically add the email address of your selected friends. Click on "Send".

Link: Get a link to send it to your friends.

Private: If you your folder is private (cf. Visibility), you need to create a secret link or make the folder public. Click on "Publish" to make your folder public or click on "Create a secret link" to a create a secret link.
Shared: If your folder is shared (cf. Visibility) with selected friends or by a secret link, you can simply copy the link. Just click on "copy".
Public: If your folder is public (cf. Visibility), you can simply copy the link. Just click on "copy".

Please note:

Those granted always get to access the whole folder. You cannot just share a single file in one folder.
Subfolders automatically have the visibility of the parent folder.
Public links and secret links can be accessed directly in the browser.

I want to share a file with a friend who is not yet in Wuala. How can I do this?

Simply create a secret link. By clicking on the secret link, your friend can directly access the files in the browser. Cf. How do I share files and folders with friends? or What are secret links?.

How do I share files with a specific group?

Under “My Groups” you will see all of your groups. In order to share a file with a group you need to add or upload the file to the specific group folder. Double click on the group icon. You will now see the folders of the group. Choose your destination folder and upload your files. Either drag or drop your files or go to the action menu and click on “Add Files…”.

In order for you to have an overview of all the files you have posted to a group, you can look at the folder “Group Postings” under “My Files”. This is a special folder containing all items you have added to groups. If you have stored the same file multiple times, its storage usage is only counted once. Hence, you can post the same file to multiple groups without worrying about your storage space.

How can I make my files or folders public?

Click on the file you want to share. Go to the share button in the toolbar. A new window will open.

Visibility: Here you can set the visibility of the folder.

Private: If the folder is private, only you have access to it.
Shared: If the folder is shared, the folder is shared with selected friends in Wuala or shared by password with friends who are not yet in Wuala.
Public: If the folder is public, everyone can see the files.

In order to make the folder public, i.e. give everyone access the folder, choose "Public".

Please note:

Those granted always get to access the whole folder. You cannot just share a single file in one folder.
Subfolders automatically have the visibility of the parent folder.
Public links can be accessed directly in the browser.

What happens when I share or publish a file?

When publishing a file, the encryption key of that file is revealed to the public. Similarly, when sharing files, the keys of these files is securely revealed to the friends and groups you share the file with.

How do I stream my files?

When downloading a large file, you can start watching or listening right away. You do not need to wait until Wuala has finished downloading the file. Wuala will start streaming the file by itself.

How do I copy a file?

Click on the file. Click on the action menu and click “Copy File”. Alternatively, you can also click on “Copy Link”.

How do I paste a file?

After having copied a file (cf. How do I copy a file?) go to the folder where you want to paste the file. Go to the action menu in the toolbar and click “Paste”.

How do I add a file to my favorites?

Click on the file you want to add to your favorites. Click on the star that appears to the left of the file. The file has now been added to your Favorites folder under "My Files".

Can I edit files directly?

Yes, you can. Edit the file and save. The file will be uploaded to Wuala automatically.

How can I search files?

There is a search box on the right in the toolbar. This search box only considers files that are in the area you are currently in. Let’s say you are in the area “My Files”. Here only your files will be searched.

How are files encrypted in Wuala?

When you store a file in Wuala, the file and its metadata (e.g. name, description, tags, etc.) gets encrypted before it leaves your computer. Every file is encrypted with a different key. The list of these keys is encrypted with your password and stored on our server. Your own password is very important here: it never leaves your computer, so we do not know it. Hence, not even we can access your data. Read more about our technology and encryption.

Where are my files stored in the Wuala network?

Your files are stored in two places:

Spread across the Wuala network
On our servers

Our servers provide additional availability and storage.

Please note that all your data is encrypted on your computer. No one unauthorized (this also includes us) has access to it.

Can my files get lost?

All your data is stored redundantly on our servers. It is highly unlikely that your data gets lost. However, there is a residual risk. There could be bugs that lead to data loss, our main datacenter could burn down, a hardware error on your local computer could corrupt a file during insertion, you could accidentally delete data, etc. If your data is important to you, you should always store it in more than one places.

Can I access my files even though I am offline?

By clicking on "Download to Cache" (File > Download to Cache") you can also make certain files available for offline access (on that computer only).

What about file maintenance?

An encrypted copy of each file is reliably stored on Wuala's server. In addition to that, encrypted fragments are stored in the grid storage network, so that bandwidth usage can be optimized. Wuala periodically checks whether there are still enough fragments in the grid network, and if not, it will generate some new fragments and upload them to the grid network. This is when you see 'Maintaining FileX' in the status bar at the bottom. Please note that there are always enough fragments on our servers and that this process is just an optimization.

How do I delete a file?

Click on the file or folder. Go to 'File' and click on 'Delete'. The files will be moved to the Wuala trash. Please empty the trash to erase the files completely from your Wuala account. Please note that not finished uploads will be still active until the trash has been emptied.

How do I delete a folder?

Click on the file or folder. Go to 'File' and click on 'Delete'. The files will be moved to the Wuala trash. Please empty the trash to erase the files completely from your Wuala account. Please note that not finished uploads will be still active until the trash has been emptied.

What is the star next to my file?

The star tells you how often someone has added the file to his or her favorites.

In which periods does a maintenance start for a given file?

Maximum every 7 days, minimum every 14 days (if Wuala is running and all previous files have already been maintained).

What are secret links?

A secret link is a link to a file or folder in Wuala that carries a secret key, e.g.: http://www.wuala.com/Luzius/Test/Link/IMG_1270.JPG?key=wuala. Share your desired folders with a secret link and send this link to anyone. The receiver will be able to access that folder. Often, this is more convenient than sharing folders with selected friends within Wuala, as you get a web link that can be opened in any browser. However, it is a little less secure as the link can be passed on. Furthermore, when you open a secret link in a web browser, it is sent to our server so we can decrypt the linked content for you.