S3 Browser FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions. S3 Browser related Questions and Answers.
S3 Browser
Free Windows Client for Amazon S3 and Amazon CloudFront
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S3 Browser FAQ


Billing and Licensing

Do you offer a trial for the Pro version?
We do not offer a trial for the Pro version, sorry. However, we provide a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try the Pro version and see how it works for you.

How fast is the Pro version, and what speed can I expect?

The Pro version is faster than the Freeware version because of better multi-threading support.

The speed depends on many factors, such as your internet connection, your hardware configuration, the number of files and their size, the distance to the Amazon S3 server, and the server load.

You can expect the Pro version to be faster than the Freeware version, but the exact speed depends on the factors mentioned above.

S3 Browser Pro is designed to utilize all available bandwidth provided by your Internet Service Provider.

How can I purchase the Pro version of S3 Browser?

Please use the following link to make your purchase:
https://s3browser.com/buypro.aspx

Select the required number of licenses and click Proceed to Checkout.

On the checkout page, select the desired payment method and follow the instructions to complete your order.

Please share the quote for 1 license of S3 Browser.

The price for 1 S3 Browser Pro License is below:

Product Unit Price Quantity Total
S3 Browser Pro License (1 year upgrades and support) $39.99 1 $39.99

Please use the following link to make your purchase:
https://sites.fastspring.com/netsdk/product/e3bcf5475f3f&tags=s3b1y

If you would like to obtain a formal invoice, please select Purchase Order as the payment method and follow the on-screen instructions to generate the invoice.

I'm unable to pay using American Express.

We are sorry for the inconvenience. Please try our alternative payment processor FastSpring

I bought a Pro version of S3 Browser. How can I activate it?

Please follow the steps below to convert Free version to Pro:

  1. Start S3 Browser Freeware
  2. Click Help -> Activate Pro
  3. Enter your activation key
  4. Click "Activate"

How do I perform Offline Activation for the Pro version?

Please follow the steps below to perform Offline Activation:

  • Click Help, Activate Pro Version
  • Double-click on the Key icon
  • The Offline Activation window will open
  • Follow the instructions to generate an activation request

How can I transfer my S3 Browser Pro license to another PC?

Please follow the steps below to transfer your license to another PC:

  1. Click Help -> Activate Pro Version on the first PC
  2. Click "Deactivate Pro license on this computer"
  3. Activate your license on another PC

If you would like to restore the key associated with the old machine, please open Help -> Activate Pro on the old PC and let us know your Hardware ID. We will recover the key.

Can I use one license on multiple computers?

S3 Browser is licensed per machine. You need to obtain a license key for each PC.

We provide volume discounts for multi-license orders. You can find more details on the following page: https://s3browser.com/buypro.aspx

How can I get the S3 Browser EULA?
Here is the link to end user license agreement:
https://s3browser.com/s3browser-eula.txt

How does the maintenance upgrade work, and can it be adjusted if I renew early?

Please note that by default, the maintenance period starts from the purchase date. If you would like to purchase it before the expiration of your existing maintenance, please contact us once you complete your order, and we will adjust the dates accordingly.

Can I purchase S3 Browser for reselling or on behalf of a customer?

Feel free to obtain the required number of S3 Browser licenses for reselling or on behalf of your customer.

You may specify your contact details during the purchase, as the license is not bound to the purchaser.

The license is delivered immediately to the e-mail you specify during the purchase.

Do you offer site licenses for S3 Browser, and how can I purchase one?

Thank you for your interest in our product.

We offer site licenses based on the number of computers you plan to use the product on.

Let us know the number of computers, and we will send you the link to the order page.

After your purchase is completed, we can issue a single license key that will cover multiple activations according to the number of seats you obtained.

What kind of support do you provide and what is the usual response time?

We provide standard email support. The usual response time is within 24 hours from Monday to Friday.


Errors and Troubleshooting

I receive the following error when trying to access my Amazon S3 buckets: AccessDenied: Access Denied

Access Denied errors are returned by the storage when you are trying to access a bucket or file that you do not have permissions to access.

Please make sure you are using the correct access keys and that the keys have the necessary permissions to access the bucket.

Unfortunately, there is nothing to fix on our end; this is a permissions issue. Please check your credentials and permissions.

If you are working under a limited IAM account, please make sure you have access to the Amazon S3 API.

You may also generate a new set of keys using these instructions

I receive the error message:

System.Net.WebException: The underlying connection was closed: Could not establish trust relationship for the SSL/TLS secure channel.

This error is usually caused by an self-signed, expired or invalid SSL certificate.

Please ensure you are using the correct endpoint for your storage and that the certificate is valid and all intermediate certificates are installed on the client.

If you are using S3-compatible storage, please ensure the path style addressing model is selected:

  1. Open Account properties, Advanced settings
  2. Switch the Addressing model to Path style

You may also try to relax the certificate validation by following these steps:

  1. Start S3 Browser
  2. Click Tools, Options
  3. Go to the Advanced tab
  4. Check Bypass SSL/TLS validation
  5. Click Save

I receive the error message

"NoSuchBucket: The specified bucket does not exist"

This error message is returned by the storage when you are trying to access a bucket that does not exist.

Please ensure you have specified the correct bucket name.

I receive error messages:

SignatureDoesNotMatch: The request signature we calculated does not match the signature you provided. Check your key and signing method.

InvalidAccessKeyId: The AWS Access Key Id you provided does not exist in our records.

Please check your Access Key ID and Secret Access Key. Copy them directly from your AWS profile, ensuring there are no leading or trailing whitespaces.

You can also generate a new set of keys using these instructions: https://s3browser.com/aws-access-key-id-and-secret-access-key.aspx#create-iam-user-and-keys

I receive error messages:

System.Xml.XmlException: The 'meta' start tag on line 26 position 3 does match the end tag of 'head'. Line 30, position 3.

System.Xml.XmlException: 'doctype' is an unexpected token. The expected token is 'DOCTYPE'. Line 1, position 3.

According to the error message, invalid XML was received from the server.

The most common reason for this is a router or proxy requiring authentication. Please ensure you can access the internet from your browser.

Try opening Tools > Options > Connection and set the Proxy settings to Autodetect mode.

If you are working with S3-compatible storage, another possible reason could be an incorrect storage endpoint, causing it to return an HTML page instead of an XML storage response.

I receive the error message:

System.Net.WebException: Unable to connect to the remote server.

Network errors usually indicate issues with the Internet connection or temporary issues with the storage. Sometimes, it could be caused by Anti-Virus or Firewall software on your PC, or a hardware router that might need to be rebooted to fix the issue.

Try temporarily disabling any security software to see if it causes issues. If you are connected through a router, try rebooting it or disconnecting and reconnecting.

If you are working with S3-Compatible storage, please ensure the correct endpoint is specified and accessible through the web browser.

I receive the error message:

NotSignedUp: Your account is not signed up for the S3 service. You must sign up before you can use S3.

Please open https://aws.amazon.com/s3 and sign up for the S3 service.

What should I do if my downloaded file does not combine automatically?

The file should automatically combine when all parts are successfully downloaded. If it was not combined, it's possible that one of the parts was not downloaded correctly. You can check and restart any failed parts in the Tasks tab.

You may also want to consider increasing the number of retries on error and the delay between retries in Tools, Options, Logging and Error Handling, and then restart the download.

If you would like us to investigate this issue further, please reproduce the problem and send us a diagnostic report via Tools > Diagnostics. Thank you.


Security and Compliance

Where is my data stored, and does S3 Browser have access to it?

Your data is stored on the storage of your choice. S3 Browser is simply a client program that helps you access your data from the storage you select.

S3 Browser ensures that the data you work with is only sent to its intended destination, such as S3 endpoints. It does not redirect your data elsewhere.

The S3 Browser team does not have access to view the content or files you store or transfer to/from your S3 storage.

Does the program "call home"? Is any data sent to s3browser.com?

During new version checks or license activation/deactivation, the following data is sent to s3browser.com:

  • Software version string (e.g., "9.5.5")
  • CPU architecture ("x86" or "x64")
  • Randomly generated installation ID
    (e.g., "1a79a4d60de6718e8e5b326e338ae533")
  • MD5 hash of your License key
  • Public IP address of the machine

All these transmissions are optional and can be disabled:

  • New version checks can be turned off in Tools > Options > General
  • There is an offline procedure available for license key activation/deactivation.

How are my credentials stored in S3 Browser?

When you add S3 credentials into S3 Browser, you can choose to keep them in encrypted form: https://s3browser.com/aws-keys-encryption.aspx

S3 Browser uses AES 256 to store your keys, which is a symmetric-key algorithm. Salt is used to make it harder to guess the key using a dictionary attack.

The encryption key (master password) is not stored in the program database. You will be asked for a password each time you open S3 Browser.

Decrypted credentials are stored in the program memory, not on the disk. When you close the program, they are cleared automatically.

What should I do if I forget my master password?

There is no way to restore your master password used to encrypt your Amazon S3 Credentials (Access Key ID and Secret Access Key): https://s3browser.com/aws-keys-encryption.aspx

You need to open Accounts, Accounts Manager and delete the old account you cannot access, and then add a new one: https://s3browser.com/amazon-s3-accounts.aspx

You will need to re-enter your Access Key and Secret Key. You can generate new access keys using these instructions: https://s3browser.com/aws-access-key-id-and-secret-access-key.aspx#create-iam-user-and-keys

What endpoints does S3 Browser use to access Amazon S3?

It uses the following endpoints to access Amazon S3: 

s3.dualstack.<region-code>.amazonaws.com - port 80 or 443

<bucket-name>.s3.dualstack.<region-code>.amazonaws.com - port 80 or 443

If you need AWS IP ranges, please check this link:
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/vpc/latest/userguide/aws-ip-ranges.html

To activate/deactivate the license, it needs access to s3browser.com at port 443

Do you have ISO 27001, ISO 27002, ISO 27005, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, ISO 27701, ISO 22301, ISO 9001, SOC 2, NIST CSF, COBIT, PCI-DSS, HIPAA, GDPR, Cyber Essentials, and CIS Controls certificates?

No, we do not have these certificates, sorry.

Although we haven't pursued formal certification, we strive to meet the high standards set by ISO27001 and other standard to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our information assets. Our focus remains on safeguarding our systems and data, and we continuously work towards strengthening our security practices in line with industry standards.

You can more details in our Security and Compliance FAQ:
https://s3browser.com/security-and-compliance-faq.aspx


Access, Permissions and Sharing

What are the ways to share a bucket in S3 Browser?

There are a number of ways to share a bucket:

The easiest way is to use the Bucket Sharing Wizard:
https://s3browser.com/iam-bucket-sharing-wizard.aspx

From this help page, you can find more ways to share buckets:
https://s3browser.com/bucket-sharing-tutorial.aspx

Here is how newly created users can connect to the shared bucket:
https://s3browser.com/external-buckets-how-to-use-shared-bucket.aspx

How can I make files publicly available?

You can use these instructions to learn how to make files public: https://s3browser.com/share-s3-bucket-edit-acls.aspx#make_files_public

Another approach is to use Bucket Policies to configure the bucket so that all existing and new files will be publicly available: https://s3browser.com/working-with-amazon-s3-bucket-policies.aspx

Please note, all buckets created after April 2023 are disabled from public access by default, meaning you are unable to make files public in buckets created after April 2023.

Please check out this help page to learn how to work around this: https://s3browser.com/how-to-restore-bucket-public-access.aspx

How can I automatically modify ACL during upload to make files public?

If you need automatic ACL modification during upload, please consider the following solution:

1. Click Tools, Default HTTP Headers

2. Add a new Default HTTP Header:

  • bucket name: <YOUR-BUCKET-NAME>
  • remote file name mask: *
  • header name: x-amz-acl
  • header value: public-read

3. Open Tools, Options, General and turn off the following options:

  • "Inherit permissions from parent bucket"
  • "Preserve permissions when overwriting existing files"

Another approach is to use Bucket Policies to configure the bucket in a way that all existing and new files will be publicly available: https://s3browser.com/working-with-amazon-s3-bucket-policies.aspx

Here is the bucket policy you can apply: 

{
  "Version": "2008-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Sid": "AllowPublicRead",
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Principal": {
        "AWS": "*"
      },
      "Action": [
        "s3:GetObject"
      ],
      "Resource": [
        "arn:aws:s3:::your_bucket_name/*"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Can I move a bucket from one account to another or change bucket ownership?

There is no way to move the bucket from one account to another or change the bucket ownership, as this feature is not supported by the Amazon S3 API.

However, you may try the following steps:

  1. Account 1 grants access to the bucket to Account 2:
    https://s3browser.com/bucket-sharing-tutorial.aspx
  2. Account 2 connects to the shared bucket using these instructions:
    https://s3browser.com/external-buckets-how-to-use-shared-bucket.aspx
  3. Account 2 creates a new bucket and copies all files from the shared bucket to the newly created bucket:
    https://s3browser.com/news-3-2-5-release-notes.aspx#clone-s3-bucket

How can I create sub-accounts and share buckets/folders on {XYZ} storage?

To create sub-accounts and share buckets/folders, your storage must support the Identity and Access Management (IAM) service.

You need to specify the IAM endpoint as described here: https://s3browser.com/s3-compatible-storage.aspx#custom-iam-endpoints

We are unsure if the storage you are working with supports IAM.

Please contact storage support to verify if the IAM service is supported, and if so, specify the IAM endpoint as described in the link above.

How can I access my Amazon S3 Bucket using the Access Point?

You can connect to s3 access point by using the alias: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/access-points-alias.html

You may use the alias as a bucket name when adding the External Bucket

What is the minimal IAM policy to allow access to a bucket for an IAM user?

Here is the minimal IAM policy to allow access to a bucket for an IAM user: 

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": [
        "s3:ListBucket",
        "s3:GetBucketLocation"
      ],
      "Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::sample-bucket",
      "Condition": {}
    },
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": [
        "s3:PutObject",
        "s3:GetObject",
        "s3:DeleteObject"
      ],
      "Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::sample-bucket/*",
      "Condition": {}
    }
  ]
}

Please replace sample-bucket with your bucket name.

What is the minimal IAM policy to share a folder in a bucket with an IAM user?

Here is the minimal IAM policy to share a folder in a bucket with an IAM user: 

{
  "Version": "2012-10-17",
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": "s3:GetBucketLocation",
      "Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::sample-bucket",
      "Condition": {}
    },
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": "s3:ListBucket",
      "Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::sample-bucket",
      "Condition": {
        "StringLike": {
          "s3:prefix": "sample-folder/*"
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": [
        "s3:PutObject",
        "s3:GetObject",
        "s3:DeleteObject"
      ],
      "Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::sample-bucket/sample-folder/*",
      "Condition": {}
    }
  ]
}

Please replace sample-bucket with your bucket name and sample-folder with your folder name.


Other technical questions

I deleted a bucket but it reappeared.

Due to the distributed nature of Amazon S3, it may take up to 24 hours to completely propagate all changes among all servers. During this period, the bucket you deleted may reappear, and you may also be unable to create a bucket with the same name.

How can I preserve metadata, such as folder and file creation and modification dates, when downloading folders and files? Currently, the document's dates change to the date of the transfer. Is there a setting to maintain the original dates?

As you may already know, Amazon S3 does not natively support local modification timestamps for files.

To work around this issue, S3 Browser adds a custom metadata field to each file during upload: x-amz-meta-s3b-last-modified. You can check this header on the HTTP Headers tab.

When you download files, S3 Browser reads the original modification time from the x-amz-meta-s3b-last-modified header and applies it to the file upon completion of the download.

Please note, if the files were originally uploaded using third-party software, this custom metadata field may not be added. As a result, S3 Browser would be unable to restore the original modification time.

Where are the logs for S3 Browser stored, and how can I access them?

The logs are stored in the following directory: %appdata%\s3browser\logs

You can paste this path into the Windows Explorer address bar or into the Windows Run dialog.

Is S3 Browser available for platforms other than Windows?

Currently, it is Windows only, sorry. Other platforms are not planned in the near future.

Can I restore deleted files or folders in S3 Browser?

If you enabled versioning for the bucket before deleting the file or folder, they can be restored according to the instructions here: https://s3browser.com/amazon-s3-versioning.aspx#view-and-restore-versions

If versioning was not enabled, there is no way to restore deleted files or folders, sorry.

How can I schedule file uploads, downloads, or sync using S3 Browser?

If you are comfortable with command line tools, you can schedule uploads, downloads, or syncs using Windows Task Scheduler and the following tool: s3browser-cli.exe (you can find it in the folder where you installed S3 Browser).

Check out the following tutorial for more details: https://s3browser.com/s3cmd.aspx

Is it possible to search within a bucket in S3 Browser?

The search in bucket is not supported natively by Amazon S3.

As a workaround, you may use Flat Browsing Mode and Display Filters.

My uploads are slow, what could be the reason?

Please ensure that the number of uploading threads is increased in Tools, Options, Queueing. Usually, 10-16 uploading threads are enough to utilize all available bandwidth.

Also, make sure there are no other running applications on your machine that may consume bandwidth; this can be checked in Windows Task Manager.

It's possible that your bandwidth is limited by your Internet Service Provider. You can check your actual upload speed here: http://www.speedtest.net

Are Snowball devices supported?

Yes, Snowball devices are supported. Here are the settings you need to configure in S3 Browser:

1. In the Account window:

  • Set the Account Type to S3 Compatible Storage
  • Set the REST Endpoint to the device address,
    for example 10.0.20.205:8080
  • Enter your Access Key ID and Secret Access Key

2. In the Advanced S3-Compatible Storage Settings window:

  • Set the Signature version to Signature V4
  • Set the Addressing model to Path style
  • Check Override storage regions and set the regions to
    Default Region=snow

For more details, please refer to the screenshots: Account settings and Advanced S3-Compatible Storage Settings

How can I transfer my S3 Browser settings to another PC?

Check out the following folder: %appdata%\s3browser\

%appdata%\s3browser\ is a hidden folder. You can paste this path into the Windows Explorer address bar or into the Win+R dialog.

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