Sharing files 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.

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:

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

   Example

   

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.

See how to receive shared files on a Linux device further in this article.

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, perform the following steps:

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:

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    nordvpn fileshare list --incoming

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:​

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   nordvpn fileshare accept <id>

   Example

   

Once the download is complete, 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

nordvpn fileshare list <id>

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:

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

  Example

  
• When accepting a file transfer, type:

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  nordvpn fileshare accept --background <id>

Display a help message

You can access command information using the --help option. For example, to view help 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