Sharing files on Linux

Learn how to send and receive files securely and easily over Meshnet on Linux.

This guide provides the information you need to start sharing files over Meshnet on Linux.
Before you begin
Make sure that the device you want to share files with meets the following criteria:
The NordVPN app is running, and the Meshnet feature is enabled in the app.
The device is connected to your Meshnet. 
Note
You can add devices to your Meshnet in two ways, depending on device ownership:
To add your own device, just enable Meshnet on that device. See Using Meshnet on Linux for details.
To add an external device, send an invitation via the NordVPN app with the owner's email. Ensure the invitation is accepted. See Adding external Meshnet devices on Linux.
Send files
You can initiate a file transfer from the NordVPN app by completing these steps:
1.Open the terminal.
2.Enter the nordvpn meshnet peer list command and copy the Nord name or Meshnet IP address of the device you want to share your files with.
3.Type the nordvpn fileshare send command, followed by your peer device’s Nord name or Meshnet IP address and the path to the file you want to transfer, as shown: 

nordvpn fileshare send <peer> </path/to/your/file>


Example
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4.Add more files to the transfer if needed. You can drag files from the file explorer to the terminal to paste the path.

Example
The file transfer begins as soon as the recipient accepts your download request on their device.
Tip
To find your peer's Nord name faster, start typing the name and press Tab. The system will auto-complete the name with a match from online devices.
See how to receive shared files on a Linux device further in this article.
Note
You can only send files to the devices that have the file sharing permission enabled for your device. For more information, see File sharing permissions.
Viewing outgoing transfer history
To display the history of transfers sent from your device, along with their ID, size, status, and other relevant details, use the following command:
nordvpn fileshare list --outgoing
The transfers in the list are arranged in chronological order, with the oldest transfers appearing first.
Receive shared files
To receive files shared from another linked device, you can use the NordVPN notifications or the command line.
Accepting transfers using notifications
Accepting transfers using the command line
1.Open the terminal.
2.Ensure that you have enabled the NordVPN notifications by running this command:

nordvpn set notify on
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3.Have your Meshnet peer send the files.
4.Upon receiving the file transfer notification, select Accept within it to start the download of the transferred files.

1.Have your Meshnet peer send the files.
2.Open the terminal.
3.Enter the nordvpn fileshare list command followed by --incoming to display incoming requests, as shown:

 nordvpn fileshare list --incoming
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4.Copy the ID of the file transfer request you want to accept.
5.Type nordvpn fileshare accept followed by the file transfer ID from the previous step, as shown:​

nordvpn fileshare accept <id>

Example
Tip
The ID can be auto-completed. Start typing the initial characters of the ID and press Tab for quick suggestions.
Once a download is complete, if you have NordVPN notifications enabled, you will receive a notification about each individual downloaded file. 
You can find the files shared with you by checking your computer’s default download folder location, which is typically the Downloads folder.
If you want to download only specific files from the transfer, provide the names of the files you choose to accept.
nordvpn fileshare accept <id> <file1> <file2>...​
Example
Tip
To display the list of files in a particular transfer directory, enter the nordvpn fileshare list command followed by the transfer ID:
nordvpn fileshare list <id>
Accepting transfers automatically
You can enable automatic transfer acceptance from a specific peer. To do this, run the following command, replacing <device> with the peer’s Nord name or Meshnet IP:
nordvpn meshnet peer auto-accept enable <device>
To learn more, see the Changing permissions section of the "File sharing permissions" page.
Setting the download location 
If you want to specify the location on your system where downloaded files will be saved, use the --path command option followed by the desired location and the transfer ID:
nordvpn fileshare accept --path </path/to/directory> <id>
Cancel file transfers
If you need to cancel a transfer while it is still in progress, there are two ways to do it: 
Using Ctrl + C 
Using the cancel command
Using the cancel command
The cancel command is typically used when the transfer is running in the background or when you are canceling from a different terminal session.
To cancel a file transfer, enter the following, replacing <id> with the ID of the transfer you want to cancel.
nordvpn fileshare cancel <id>
Example
Provide a file name if you want to cancel a specific file in the transfer, as shown:
nordvpn fileshare cancel <id> <file>
Run a transfer process in the background
If you want to run a transfer process in the background, use the --background option.
When sending a file transfer, enter:

nordvpn fileshare send --background <peer> </path/to/your/file>

Example
When accepting a file transfer, type: 

nordvpn fileshare accept --background <id>
Display a help message
You can access command information using the --help option. For example, to view helpful information about the fileshare command, type:
nordvpn fileshare --help
See also
​Sharing files on Windows​
​Sharing files on Android​
​Sharing files on iOS​
​Sharing files on macOS​
​Sharing files on Android TV​

Sharing files on macOS

Sharing files on Android TV

Last modified 10d ago