Sharing file between windows and linux

How to share files between a Linux and Windows computer

The easiest and most reliable way to share files between a Linux and Windows computer on the same local area network is to use the Samba file-sharing protocol. All modern versions of Windows come with Samba installed, and Samba is installed by default on most distributions of Linux.

Create a shared folder on Windows

First, create a shared folder on your Windows computer.

Following the steps below, creates a shared folder on your Windows computer that lets you access files in that folder on your Linux computer. With the right permissions you can also copy, edit, and delete files in that folder from your Linux computer.

1. Open the Control Panel.
2. Select the Network and Sharing Options or Network and Sharing Center option.
3. Click the Change advanced sharing settings link in the left navigation menu.
4. Click the Turn on Network Discovery and Turn on File and Print Sharing options.
5. Click the Save changes button at the bottom of the Advanced sharing settings window.

Now, create a new folder to share or choose an existing folder that you want to share.

1. Right-click the folder and select Properties.
2. Go to the Sharing tab.
3. If you want to share the folder with another Windows account, click the Share button, add the account to grant permission to access the shared folder, and click the Share button.

If you shared the folder with another Windows account, you need to click the Advanced Sharing button, then click the Permissions button. Select the account, check the Allow box for the Change or Modify permission, and click OK.

1. Click the Advanced Sharing button.
2. On the Advanced Sharing window, check the box for Share this folder and click OK.
3. The network path for the folder is now displayed above the Share button, indicating that it is now a shared folder. For example, it may look something like \\YOURCOMPUTERNAME\Users\YourUserName\ShareFolderName. Make a note of this network folder path to use later on your Linux machine.

Access a Windows shared folder from Linux using Konqueror

Many Linux distributions use the KDE desktop environment and the Konqueror file manager/browser. If you’re using this, you can follow these steps to access your Windows shared folder.

1. Click the K menu icon.
2. Select Internet ->Konqueror.
3. In the Konqueror window that opens, click the Network Folders link, or type remote:/ in the address bar and press Enter .
4. Click the Samba Shares icon.
5. Click the icon of your Windows Home workgroup.
6. Click the Workgroup icon.
7. Click the icon for your computer.
8. When prompted, enter the username and password for the Windows account that created the share.
9. Click OK.

Access a Windows shared folder from Linux using Nautilus

Many Linux distributions, especially those that use the GNOME desktop environment, use the Nautilus file manager. If you’re using this, you can follow these steps to access your Windows shared folder.

1. Open Nautilus.
2. From the File menu, select Connect to Server.
3. In the Service type drop-down box, select Windows share.
4. In the Server field, enter the name of your computer.
5. Click Connect.

Alternatively, in the Nautilus address bar, you can type smb://ComputerName/ShareName and press Enter . For example, when you created your Windows Share if the share name was listed as:

\\YOURCOMPUTERNAME\Users\YourUserName\ShareFolderName

Type smb://YOURCOMPUTERNAME/Users/YourUserName/ShareFolderName and press Enter . Note the smb: at the beginning, in Linux, use forward slashes instead of backslashes.

Access a Windows shared folder from Linux using the command line

You can also access your Windows shared folder from the Linux command line using the smbclient program.

1. Open a terminal.
2. Type smbclient at the command prompt.
3. If you receive a «Usage:» message, smbclient is installed, and you can skip to the next step. However, if the command is not found, you need to install smbclient. Follow these steps to install it.

1. If you use the apt package manager, the default on Linux systems such as Ubuntu or Debian, you can use the sudo apt-get install smbclient command.
2. If you use the yum package manager, the default on Linux systems, such as CentOS, you can use the sudo yum install samba-client command.
3. You can also download the Samba client directly at www.samba.org/samba/download/, which might be useful to you if you need or want to compile the program from the source code.

Related information

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How to Mount a Windows Share Folder on Linux

Linux and Windows systems have major differences, with different file systems and protocols in use. Sharing files between them can be difficult, especially because they use two different sharing protocols. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to mount a Windows share folder on Linux, however. Follow along below to find out how.

Share Your Windows Folder

Before you do anything, you need to ensure that Windows has been correctly set up to allow for networking file sharing.

To enable this on Windows, right-click on the network icon in the notifications area of your Windows taskbar. From here, click “Open Network & Internet Settings.”

Under the “Status” category, click “Sharing options.”

In your Windows sharing options menu, make sure that “Turn on network discovery” and “Turn on file and printer sharing” are enabled.

Click the radio buttons next to both options to make sure this is the case.

Click “Save changes” to save your settings. Once this is done, open Windows File Explorer and locate the folder you’re looking to share with your Linux PC.

Right-click the folder and click “Properties.”

In your folder properties, click the “Sharing” tab, then click “Advanced Sharing.” Click to enable the “Share this folder” checkbox, then click “Permissions.”

Under the “Permissions” section, set the control rights for your folder. By default, Windows will grant read-only access to your files.

If you want to allow everyone to read or write to the folder, click “Allow” for the “Full Control” permissions set. Set these permissions to suit your own requirements.

Once you’re done, click “OK” three times to close each of the dialog boxes.

Your folder should now be shared on your network, ready for you to access from your Linux PC.

Install CIFS-utils

Depending on your Linux distribution, you may be able to mount your Windows-shared folder automatically in your distribution’s file explorer.

However, this may not work correctly. The safest way to mount Windows-shared folders on Linux is to use the CIFS-utils package and mount the folder using the Linux terminal.

This allows Linux machines to access SMB file shares used by Windows PCs.

To install CIFS-utils, open a new terminal window. For Ubuntu and Debian-based distributions, type:

sudo apt install cifs-utils

Once installed, you can then mount your Windows share folder from the Linux terminal.

Mount Windows SMB Share on Linux

You’ll need to create a mount directory before you can mount your Windows SMB-shared folder on Linux. This is where Linux will mirror the contents of your shared folder.

To do that, open a terminal window and type:

Once created, type the following:

sudo mount.cifs //Windows/SharedFolder /mnt/share -o user=account

Replace “Windows” with the IP address or hostname for your Windows PC and “SharedFolder” with your shared folder name. For the username, replace “account” with your Windows username or full Microsoft account email.

You’ll be asked to provide your Windows password before the mounting process is complete. Type this in, then click Enter. If you used the correct information, your Windows folder should now be mounted and accessible in the folder you created.

Sharing Files Between Linux and Windows in Dual Boot

Sharing files between Windows and Linux works great when you mount a shared folder between the two devices, but can you still share files with a dual boot setup? Linux and Windows have separate file systems. Linux usually uses Ext4, while Windows uses NTFS and also works with FAT32. This doesn’t mean it’s impossible to see and share files, though.

You’ll need a compatible Windows system, build 20211 or higher, and a few other resources to make it work. Don’t worry. Everything is free. This guide walks you through each step in the process, including a way to read and share files between Windows and Linux.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why do I get a syntax error when trying to mount a folder in Linux?

Either there’s a small error in the command in the terminal window, or you have a space in the folder name. Spaces don’t always come across correctly in the syntax. Instead of recognizing the command as the full name of the folder, the system sees two unrelated items.

Avoid this by placing the name in quotes. For instance, Shared Folder would become “Shared Folder.” Of course, you can also just rename the Windows 10 folder to place the words together or have a dash between them.

2. Can I mount a shared folder if I use VirtualBox?

Yes. The process should work the same way. You can also share devices, such as USB drives.

3. Can I mount guest, network, or password protected folders?

Yes, but since you’re not using the main Windows 10 account, you will need to adjust the syntax a bit. Plus, if you’re mounting a network folder, you’ll also need the server or machine name.

While this guide applies to Ubuntu, it should work for most major Linux distros as well. It lists the syntax for different scenarios, assuming you’ve already completed all of the steps (except the final mounting) above.

4. Why do I only have read access for the shared folder?

If you want to store files in the shared folder from Linux, make sure you have full read/write access to the folder in Windows. If the Windows user account only has read permission, this is the only permission you’ll have from Linux as well. You must change your account permissions from within Windows 10. For companies, you’ll need your IT admin to make the change for you.

5. Why aren’t folder changes showing up?

If you’ve made changes to the permissions of the folder, they may not show up immediately in Linux. You’ll need to remount the folder for changes to take effect.

Use the command above to remount any shared folders. This should ensure things work as expected. If you have any random glitches, remounting typically fixes them.

Wrapping Up

Mounting Windows and Linux shared folders gives you the freedom to access your most important files, no matter the operating system. The SMB protocol is well supported on Linux, so you shouldn’t find it difficult to continue accessing your Windows files and folders once you’ve installed the CIFS-utils package.

If you’d rather use a single system, here are five of the best Linux distros for Windows users you could use.

Crystal Crowder has spent over 15 years working in the tech industry, first as an IT technician and then as a writer. She works to help teach others how to get the most from their devices, systems, and apps. She stays on top of the latest trends and is always finding solutions to common tech problems.

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