> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.thundercompute.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# File Transfers

> Transfer files between local machines and Thunder Compute instances. Manage data uploads and downloads within your VSCode development workflow.

<Columns cols={3}>
  <Card title="VS Code" icon="window" color="#95c5ea" className="platform-card platform-current">
    Editor extension
  </Card>

  <Card title="CLI" icon="terminal" href="/cli/operations/file-transfers" color="#95c5ea" className="platform-card">
    Command line
  </Card>

  <Card title="Console" icon="browser" href="/console/operations/file-transfers" color="#95c5ea" className="platform-card">
    Web interface
  </Card>
</Columns>

## Upload Files

1. Connect to your instance using the Connect button
2. In the new window, open the file explorer (sidebar)
3. Drag and drop files from your local machine into the explorer

## Download Files

1. Right-click on a file in the remote file explorer
2. Select **Download** to save it locally

## Alternative: Integrated Terminal

You can also use `scp` directly in the integrated terminal if you have the CLI installed locally.

## Best Practices

* **Compress large transfers**: Zip files before transferring to reduce time
* **Use cloud storage for big files**: For datasets over a few GB, upload to cloud storage and download directly to your instance
* **Back up important outputs**: Always download critical results before deleting an instance