diff --git a/client/modules/IDE/actions/uploader.js b/client/modules/IDE/actions/uploader.js
index 5a300179f1..e2831df75f 100644
--- a/client/modules/IDE/actions/uploader.js
+++ b/client/modules/IDE/actions/uploader.js
@@ -1,126 +1,68 @@
+import { TEXT_FILE_REGEX } from '../../../../server/utils/fileUtils';
 import apiClient from '../../../utils/apiClient';
 import getConfig from '../../../utils/getConfig';
 import { handleCreateFile } from './files';
-import { TEXT_FILE_REGEX } from '../../../../server/utils/fileUtils';
 
-const s3BucketHttps =
+export const s3BucketHttps =
   getConfig('S3_BUCKET_URL_BASE') ||
   `https://s3-${getConfig('AWS_REGION')}.amazonaws.com/${getConfig(
     'S3_BUCKET'
   )}/`;
 const MAX_LOCAL_FILE_SIZE = 80000; // bytes, aka 80 KB
 
-function localIntercept(file, options = {}) {
-  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-    if (!options.readType) {
-      // const mime = file.type;
-      // const textType = a(_textTypes).any(type => {
-      //   const re = new RegExp(type);
-      //   return re.test(mime);
-      // });
-      // options.readType = textType ? 'readAsText' : 'readAsDataURL';
-      options.readType = 'readAsText'; // eslint-disable-line
-    }
-    const reader = new window.FileReader();
-    reader.onload = () => {
-      resolve(reader.result);
-    };
-    reader.onerror = () => {
-      reject(reader.result);
-    };
-
-    // run the reader
-    reader[options.readType](file);
-  });
-}
-
-function toBinary(string) {
-  const codeUnits = new Uint16Array(string.length);
-  for (let i = 0; i < codeUnits.length; i += 1) {
-    codeUnits[i] = string.charCodeAt(i);
-  }
-  return String.fromCharCode(...new Uint8Array(codeUnits.buffer));
+function isS3Upload(file) {
+  return !TEXT_FILE_REGEX.test(file.name) || file.size >= MAX_LOCAL_FILE_SIZE;
 }
 
-export function dropzoneAcceptCallback(userId, file, done) {
-  return () => {
-    // if a user would want to edit this file as text, local interceptor
-    if (file.name.match(TEXT_FILE_REGEX) && file.size < MAX_LOCAL_FILE_SIZE) {
-      localIntercept(file)
-        .then((result) => {
-          file.content = result; // eslint-disable-line
-          done('Uploading plaintext file locally.');
-          file.previewElement.classList.remove('dz-error');
-          file.previewElement.classList.add('dz-success');
-          file.previewElement.classList.add('dz-processing');
-          file.previewElement.querySelector('.dz-upload').style.width = '100%';
-        })
-        .catch((result) => {
-          done(`Failed to download file ${file.name}: ${result}`);
-          console.warn(file);
-        });
-    } else {
-      file.postData = []; // eslint-disable-line
-      apiClient
-        .post('/S3/sign', {
-          name: file.name,
-          type: file.type,
-          size: file.size,
-          userId
-          // _csrf: document.getElementById('__createPostToken').value
-        })
-        .then((response) => {
-          file.custom_status = 'ready'; // eslint-disable-line
-          file.postData = response.data; // eslint-disable-line
-          file.s3 = response.data.key; // eslint-disable-line
-          file.previewTemplate.className += ' uploading'; // eslint-disable-line
-          done();
-        })
-        .catch((error) => {
-          const { response } = error;
-          file.custom_status = 'rejected'; // eslint-disable-line
-          if (
-            response.data &&
-            response.data.responseText &&
-            response.data.responseText.message
-          ) {
-            done(response.data.responseText.message);
-          }
-          done('Error: Reached upload limit.');
-        });
+export async function dropzoneAcceptCallback(userId, file, done) {
+  // if a user would want to edit this file as text, local interceptor
+  if (!isS3Upload(file)) {
+    try {
+      // eslint-disable-next-line no-param-reassign
+      file.content = await file.text();
+      // Make it an error so that it won't be sent to S3, but style as a success.
+      done('Uploading plaintext file locally.');
+      file.previewElement.classList.remove('dz-error');
+      file.previewElement.classList.add('dz-success');
+      file.previewElement.classList.add('dz-processing');
+      file.previewElement.querySelector('.dz-upload').style.width = '100%';
+    } catch (error) {
+      done(`Failed to download file ${file.name}: ${error}`);
+      console.warn(file);
     }
-  };
+  } else {
+    try {
+      const response = await apiClient.post('/S3/sign', {
+        name: file.name,
+        type: file.type,
+        size: file.size,
+        userId
+        // _csrf: document.getElementById('__createPostToken').value
+      });
+      // eslint-disable-next-line no-param-reassign
+      file.postData = response.data;
+      done();
+    } catch (error) {
+      done(
+        error?.response?.data?.responseText?.message ||
+          error?.message ||
+          'Error: Reached upload limit.'
+      );
+    }
+  }
 }
 
 export function dropzoneSendingCallback(file, xhr, formData) {
-  return () => {
-    if (!file.name.match(TEXT_FILE_REGEX) || file.size >= MAX_LOCAL_FILE_SIZE) {
-      Object.keys(file.postData).forEach((key) => {
-        formData.append(key, file.postData[key]);
-      });
-    }
-  };
+  if (isS3Upload(file)) {
+    Object.keys(file.postData).forEach((key) => {
+      formData.append(key, file.postData[key]);
+    });
+  }
 }
 
 export function dropzoneCompleteCallback(file) {
-  return (dispatch) => { // eslint-disable-line
-    if (
-      (!file.name.match(TEXT_FILE_REGEX) || file.size >= MAX_LOCAL_FILE_SIZE) &&
-      file.status !== 'error'
-    ) {
-      let inputHidden = '<input type="hidden" name="attachments[]" value="';
-      const json = {
-        url: `${s3BucketHttps}${file.postData.key}`,
-        originalFilename: file.name
-      };
-
-      let jsonStr = JSON.stringify(json);
-
-      // convert the json string to binary data so that btoa can encode it
-      jsonStr = toBinary(jsonStr);
-      inputHidden += `${window.btoa(jsonStr)}" />`;
-      document.getElementById('uploader').innerHTML += inputHidden;
-
+  return (dispatch) => {
+    if (isS3Upload(file) && file.postData && file.status !== 'error') {
       const formParams = {
         name: file.name,
         url: `${s3BucketHttps}${file.postData.key}`
diff --git a/client/modules/IDE/components/FileUploader.jsx b/client/modules/IDE/components/FileUploader.jsx
index ac0014f987..8b2587aa9e 100644
--- a/client/modules/IDE/components/FileUploader.jsx
+++ b/client/modules/IDE/components/FileUploader.jsx
@@ -1,34 +1,42 @@
-import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
-import React from 'react';
 import Dropzone from 'dropzone';
-import { bindActionCreators } from 'redux';
-import { connect } from 'react-redux';
-import { withTranslation } from 'react-i18next';
-import * as UploaderActions from '../actions/uploader';
-import getConfig from '../../../utils/getConfig';
+import React, { useEffect } from 'react';
+import { useTranslation } from 'react-i18next';
+import { useDispatch, useSelector } from 'react-redux';
+import styled from 'styled-components';
 import { fileExtensionsAndMimeTypes } from '../../../../server/utils/fileUtils';
+import { remSize } from '../../../theme';
+import {
+  dropzoneAcceptCallback,
+  dropzoneCompleteCallback,
+  dropzoneSendingCallback,
+  s3BucketHttps
+} from '../actions/uploader';
 
-const s3Bucket =
-  getConfig('S3_BUCKET_URL_BASE') ||
-  `https://s3-${getConfig('AWS_REGION')}.amazonaws.com/${getConfig(
-    'S3_BUCKET'
-  )}/`;
+Dropzone.autoDiscover = false;
 
-class FileUploader extends React.Component {
-  componentDidMount() {
-    this.createDropzone();
-    Dropzone.autoDiscover = false;
+// TODO: theming for dark vs. light theme
+// TODO: include color and background-color settings after migrating the themify variables.
+const StyledUploader = styled.div`
+  min-height: ${remSize(200)};
+  width: 100%;
+  text-align: center;
+  .dz-preview.dz-image-preview {
+    background-color: transparent;
   }
+`;
 
-  createDropzone() {
-    const userId = this.props.project.owner
-      ? this.props.project.owner.id
-      : this.props.user.id;
-    this.uploader = new Dropzone('div#uploader', {
-      url: s3Bucket,
+function FileUploader() {
+  const { t } = useTranslation();
+  const dispatch = useDispatch();
+  const userId = useSelector((state) => state.user.id);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const uploader = new Dropzone('div#uploader', {
+      url: s3BucketHttps,
       method: 'post',
       autoProcessQueue: true,
       clickable: true,
+      hiddenInputContainer: '#hidden-input-container',
       maxFiles: 6,
       parallelUploads: 2,
       maxFilesize: 5, // in mb
@@ -36,59 +44,26 @@ class FileUploader extends React.Component {
       thumbnailWidth: 200,
       thumbnailHeight: 200,
       acceptedFiles: fileExtensionsAndMimeTypes,
-      dictDefaultMessage: this.props.t('FileUploader.DictDefaultMessage'),
-      accept: this.props.dropzoneAcceptCallback.bind(this, userId),
-      sending: this.props.dropzoneSendingCallback,
-      complete: this.props.dropzoneCompleteCallback
-      // error: (file, errorMessage) => {
-      //   console.log(file);
-      //   console.log(errorMessage);
-      // }
+      dictDefaultMessage: t('FileUploader.DictDefaultMessage'),
+      accept: (file, done) => {
+        dropzoneAcceptCallback(userId, file, done);
+      },
+      sending: dropzoneSendingCallback
     });
-  }
-
-  render() {
-    return <div id="uploader" className="uploader dropzone"></div>;
-  }
-}
-
-FileUploader.propTypes = {
-  dropzoneAcceptCallback: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
-  dropzoneSendingCallback: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
-  dropzoneCompleteCallback: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
-  project: PropTypes.shape({
-    owner: PropTypes.shape({
-      id: PropTypes.string
-    })
-  }),
-  user: PropTypes.shape({
-    id: PropTypes.string
-  }),
-  t: PropTypes.func.isRequired
-};
-
-FileUploader.defaultProps = {
-  project: {
-    id: undefined,
-    owner: undefined
-  },
-  user: {
-    id: undefined
-  }
-};
-
-function mapStateToProps(state) {
-  return {
-    files: state.files,
-    project: state.project,
-    user: state.user
-  };
-}
+    uploader.on('complete', (file) => {
+      dispatch(dropzoneCompleteCallback(file));
+    });
+    return () => {
+      uploader.destroy();
+    };
+  }, [userId, t, dispatch]);
 
-function mapDispatchToProps(dispatch) {
-  return bindActionCreators(UploaderActions, dispatch);
+  return (
+    <div>
+      <StyledUploader id="uploader" className="dropzone" />
+      <div id="hidden-input-container" />
+    </div>
+  );
 }
 
-export default withTranslation()(
-  connect(mapStateToProps, mapDispatchToProps)(FileUploader)
-);
+export default FileUploader;
diff --git a/client/modules/IDE/components/UploadFileModal.jsx b/client/modules/IDE/components/UploadFileModal.jsx
index 20aefc960b..0084912cbf 100644
--- a/client/modules/IDE/components/UploadFileModal.jsx
+++ b/client/modules/IDE/components/UploadFileModal.jsx
@@ -34,9 +34,7 @@ const UploadFileModal = () => {
           .
         </p>
       ) : (
-        <div>
-          <FileUploader />
-        </div>
+        <FileUploader />
       )}
     </Modal>
   );
diff --git a/client/styles/components/_uploader.scss b/client/styles/components/_uploader.scss
index 5d3e9de04a..d1f4abf5a7 100644
--- a/client/styles/components/_uploader.scss
+++ b/client/styles/components/_uploader.scss
@@ -4,13 +4,3 @@
     color: getThemifyVariable('input-text-color');
   }
 }
-
-.dropzone .dz-preview.dz-image-preview {
-  background-color: transparent;
-}
-
-.uploader {
-  min-height: #{200 / $base-font-size}rem;
-  width: 100%;
-  text-align: center;
-}
\ No newline at end of file