Batch Upload & Download NAS Files: GoMount Transfer Queue & Resume

Why a dedicated transfer queue matters

When you work with a NAS, file transfers are a daily occurrence. Copying a few small documents through Finder is fine, but real-world workflows often involve moving dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of files at once — project assets to a shared folder, photo library backups, video footage for editing, or document archives for long-term storage. These bulk operations need more than what a basic file copy can provide.

GoMount's transfer queue is purpose-built for NAS file transfers. Unlike Finder's copy dialog, which disappears when a transfer completes and offers no way to resume if something goes wrong, GoMount's queue gives you persistent progress tracking, the ability to pause and resume transfers, automatic retry on network interruptions, and smart conflict handling when a file with the same name already exists at the destination.

This is especially important for NAS users who transfer files over Wi-Fi or across home networks where connections can be intermittent. A dropped Wi-Fi signal during a 50 GB file transfer should not mean starting over from zero. With GoMount, it means a brief pause followed by an automatic resume from exactly where the transfer left off.

How the transfer queue works

The transfer queue is accessible from the GoMount file browser toolbar. Click the transfer queue icon (a downward arrow with a counter badge) to open the transfer panel. The panel shows all active, paused, queued, and completed transfers in a single view.

Each transfer entry displays the following information:

• File name and path: The source and destination paths for the transfer.
• Progress bar: A visual indicator showing how much of the file has been transferred, with percentage and transferred/total size (e.g., "1.2 GB / 4.8 GB").
• Speed: The current transfer speed (e.g., "45 MB/s"), which updates in real time.
• Estimated time remaining: Based on the current speed and remaining data, GoMount estimates how long the transfer will take to complete.
• Status: One of "Transferring", "Paused", "Waiting", "Completed", "Failed", or "Conflict".

Transfers run in the order they are added, but you can reorder items in the queue by dragging them. You can also prioritize specific transfers by moving them to the top of the queue.

Batch upload: Mac to NAS

Uploading files from your Mac to your NAS is the most common transfer direction. Whether you are backing up a project folder, moving photos to a shared family album, or archiving documents, GoMount makes batch uploads straightforward.

Method 1: Drag and drop

The simplest way to upload is to drag files or folders from Finder (or any other app) directly into the GoMount file browser window. Drop them in the target folder on your NAS, and GoMount automatically adds them to the transfer queue. If you drop multiple files, each one becomes a separate transfer entry, and they are processed sequentially.

Method 2: Copy and paste

Select files in Finder, press Cmd+C to copy, then navigate to the target folder in GoMount's file browser and press Cmd+V to paste. This triggers the same transfer queue workflow. Copy-paste is particularly useful when you want to transfer files from different source folders — just copy from each location, then paste once in GoMount.

Method 3: Menu command

Right-click (or Control-click) in the GoMount file browser and choose "Upload Files..." from the context menu. A file picker opens, allowing you to select one or more files or folders from your Mac. This method is handy when the files you want to upload are buried deep in your file system and dragging would be inconvenient.

Regardless of which method you use, GoMount preserves the original file metadata during upload, including modification dates and file permissions where the NAS protocol supports it.

Batch download: NAS to Mac

Downloading files from your NAS to your Mac follows the same patterns, just in reverse. Select one or more files or folders in the GoMount file browser, then choose a destination on your Mac.

Download to a specific folder

After selecting files in the GoMount file browser, press Cmd+S or choose "Download to..." from the context menu. A folder picker appears, letting you choose where on your Mac to save the files. If you download multiple files, GoMount preserves the folder structure relative to the selected NAS directory.

Quick download to Desktop or Downloads

For quick downloads where you do not need to choose a specific location, use the toolbar download button. Files are saved to your default Downloads folder (or Desktop, if you have configured that in GoMount settings). This is the fastest path when you just need a file right now.

Downloads use the same transfer queue as uploads, so you can mix upload and download operations in the same session. The queue processes them in order, and each transfer is tracked independently.

Resume interrupted transfers

One of the most valuable features of GoMount's transfer queue is the ability to resume interrupted transfers. Network connections to NAS devices are not always perfectly stable — Wi-Fi dropouts, NAS sleep mode, or even a Mac going to sleep can interrupt a transfer mid-stream.

When a transfer is interrupted, GoMount does not discard the partially transferred data. Instead, it marks the transfer as "Failed" with a resume option. When you are ready to continue — perhaps after your Wi-Fi reconnects or you wake up your NAS — click the Resume button next to the failed transfer. GoMount picks up from exactly where it left off, transferring only the remaining data.

Here is how the resume mechanism works under the hood:

• Chunked transfers: GoMount splits large files into chunks (typically 4 MB each) and transfers them sequentially. If a transfer is interrupted, only the current chunk needs to be retried — all previously completed chunks are kept.
• Checksum verification: After a resumed transfer completes, GoMount verifies the integrity of the complete file by comparing checksums. If the verification fails, it offers to re-transfer the file from the beginning.
• Automatic retry: You can enable automatic retry in Settings > Transfer. When enabled, GoMount will attempt to resume a failed transfer up to 3 times before marking it as permanently failed. Each retry waits progressively longer (10 seconds, 30 seconds, 60 seconds) to give the network time to recover.

Conflict resolution

When you upload a file to a folder that already contains a file with the same name, or download a file to a Mac folder where a file with that name already exists, GoMount detects the conflict and gives you options rather than silently overwriting data.

By default, GoMount uses automatic rename — the incoming file gets a suffix like (1), (2), etc., appended to its name. This is the safest option because it never destroys existing data. The renamed file sits alongside the original, and you can compare them later and delete whichever one you do not need.

You can change the conflict behavior in Settings > Transfer > Conflict handling:

• Auto-rename (default): Add a numeric suffix to avoid overwriting. Safest option.
• Overwrite if newer: Replace the existing file only if the incoming file has a more recent modification date. This is useful for backup workflows where you always want the latest version.
• Always overwrite: Replace the existing file unconditionally. Use with caution — this destroys the previous version without recovery.
• Skip: Do not transfer the file if a file with the same name already exists at the destination. Useful for incremental backups where you only want to add new files.
• Ask each time: Pause the transfer and show a dialog for each conflict, letting you decide on a case-by-case basis. Best for important transfers where you want full control.

When transferring multiple files and a conflict occurs, the "Ask each time" option shows a batch dialog listing all conflicts at once, so you can resolve them in bulk rather than one at a time.

Bandwidth control and scheduling

Large file transfers can consume significant network bandwidth, which may affect other activities on your home network — streaming video, video calls, or online gaming. GoMount provides bandwidth controls to help you manage this.

Speed limiting

In Settings > Transfer, you can set a maximum transfer speed for uploads and downloads separately. For example, you might limit uploads to 20 MB/s so that your family can still stream movies while you back up photos to the NAS. Leave the limit at 0 (or disable it) to use the full available bandwidth.

Pause and resume manually

You can pause individual transfers or the entire queue at any time. Click the pause button next to a specific transfer to pause just that one, or click "Pause All" in the transfer panel toolbar to suspend everything. Resume when you are ready. This is useful when you need to temporarily free up bandwidth for a video call or another time-sensitive task.

Scheduled transfers

For users who prefer to run large transfers during off-peak hours, GoMount supports transfer scheduling. When adding files to the transfer queue, you can choose "Transfer later" and specify a start time. GoMount will begin the transfer at the scheduled time, even if you are not actively using the app. This is ideal for overnight backups or large project uploads that you want to run while you sleep.

Transfer history and logs

GoMount keeps a history of your recent transfers, accessible from the transfer panel. The history shows completed, failed, and cancelled transfers along with their final status, file size, duration, and timestamp.

You can use the history to:

• Verify completed transfers: Confirm that a specific file was successfully transferred and when it happened.
• Identify failed transfers: See which transfers failed and retry them directly from the history view.
• Track transfer volumes: Get a sense of how much data you are moving between your Mac and NAS over time.

History entries are retained for 30 days by default. You can clear the history manually from the transfer panel settings, or adjust the retention period.

Tips for large files and slow networks

Transferring large files (multi-gigabyte videos, disk images, database dumps) over a home network requires a bit more consideration than moving small documents. Here are practical tips for getting the best results.

• Use wired connections when possible: If your Mac supports Ethernet (via a dongle or dock), use it for large transfers. Wired connections are faster, more stable, and do not suffer from the intermittent dropouts that Wi-Fi can experience. This is the single most impactful change you can make for transfer reliability.
• Enable chunked transfer for large files: In Settings > Transfer > Advanced, you can adjust the chunk size for large file transfers. The default of 4 MB works well for most situations, but if you have a fast, stable network, increasing it to 16 MB or 32 MB can improve throughput by reducing overhead.
• Transfer during off-peak hours: If your NAS is on the same local network, this matters less. But if you are transferring to a remote NAS over the internet, schedule large transfers for late at night when the connection is less congested.
• Avoid sleeping your Mac: macOS suspends network activity when the Mac sleeps. If you are running a large transfer, prevent sleep by going to System Settings > Energy > Prevent automatic sleeping or use a utility like Amphetamine. Alternatively, use the transfer scheduling feature to run the transfer while you are actively at your Mac.
• Check NAS disk health: Slow transfer speeds can sometimes indicate a problem with the NAS hard drives rather than the network. If transfers are consistently slower than expected, check your NAS's disk health dashboard (most NAS operating systems provide S.M.A.R.T. status monitoring).
• Use the right protocol: For large sequential transfers (like video files), NFS typically outperforms SMB on macOS due to lower protocol overhead. See the NFS vs SMB comparison for details on choosing the right protocol for your workload.

Next steps

Now that you understand how GoMount's transfer queue works, you can combine it with other features for a more efficient NAS workflow:

• File browser tips — Learn advanced file browser techniques like grid selection, QuickLook previews, and clipboard operations that complement the transfer queue.
• Global search & FTS5 — Find files on your NAS instantly using GoMount's full-text search engine, then transfer exactly the files you need.
• Smart Folders — Save search queries as dynamic folders for quick access to frequently transferred file sets.
• Favorites — Bookmark your most-used NAS folders so you can upload and download to them without navigating the folder tree each time.
• Getting started — If you are new to GoMount, review the basics of mounting NAS volumes and configuring your storage connections.

GoMount's transfer queue turns what used to be a tedious, fragile process into something reliable and even pleasant. Whether you are moving a handful of documents or terabytes of media, the queue handles it with grace — and if something goes wrong, resume picks up right where you left off.