# File Management

The left sidebar is your primary interface for navigating between files and collections in your Astro project.

## Opening a Project

Use `File > Open Project` or the *folder icon* in the sidebar to select and open your Astro project directory. Astro Editor will automatically scan for content collections and display them in the sidebar.

<Figure src={fileManager1} alt="The left sidebar listing the content collections found in an open Astro project" caption="Astro Editor scans the project and lists its content collections in the sidebar." />
**Caution:** For security reasons, Astro Editor cannot open projects located in certain system directories. If you attempt to open a project in one of these locations, you'll see an error.

## Navigating between files

Clicking on a collection name will show its files in the sidebar. Subdirectories are also shown and can be navigated as you'd expect.

<Figure src={fileManager2} alt="The sidebar showing the markdown files inside a collection, with a subdirectory listed above them" caption="Clicking a collection shows its files; any subdirectories appear above them." />

### What's shown in the sidebar

<Figure src={fileManager3} alt="A file entry in the sidebar showing its title, date, and MDX and draft badges" caption="Each file shows its title, date, and any relevant badges." />

The sidebar shows the following information for each file:

| Item | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Title** | Taken from the `title` frontmatter field (or whatever *title* field is configured in the [preferences](https://astroeditor.danny.is/preferences/#frontmatter-mappings)). The filename is shown if none exists. |
| **Date** | Publication date (or whatever *pubDate* field is configured in the preferences) if it exists. |
| **MDX Badge** | For files of that type. |
| **Draft Badge** | For files with `draft: true` (or whatever *draft* field is configured in the preferences). |
| **Filename** | Including the file extension. |

### The Context Menu

Right-clicking a file in the left sidebar gives you the following options:

| Action | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Rename** | Edit the filename. |
| **Duplicate** | Create a duplicate of the file with a new name. |
| **Reveal in Finder** | Open the file's location in your OS's file explorer. |
| **Copy Path** | Copy the absolute file path to the clipboard. |
| **Open in IDE** | Open the file in your [configured IDE](https://astroeditor.danny.is/file-management/ide-integration/). Only shown when one is configured. |
| **Delete** | Delete the file. |

## Creating New Files

When a collection is open, you can create a new file with <Kbd mac="Cmd+N" windows="Ctrl+N" /> or the "New File" button in the toolbar. If you're in a subdirectory, the file is created there. If you're at the collection root, the file is created at the root. The file will have default [frontmatter](https://astroeditor.danny.is/frontmatter/overview/) values from your collection schema.