How to use NitroShare on Linux

Sharing files on Linux is harder than it should be. It’s complicated, and this makes sending files to other computers on the network a chore. As a result, many people avoid sharing data.

If you’re tired of dealing with the complicated monotony of command-line file sharing tools on Linux, check out NitroShare. It’s a simple, cross-platform tool that, when installed, can detect computers on a network for quick, no-setup file sharing.

Install NitroShare

NitroShare is available on many different Linux distributions. To get the program up and running, open up a terminal window and follow the command instructions that match the operating system you use.

Note: in this tutorial, we will be covering how to install and use NitroShare on Linux systems. That said, there is a Windows and Mac version too! These versions of the program are downloadable via the official website.

Ubuntu

To get NitroShare on Ubuntu, launch a terminal shell and run the following apt install command.

sudo apt install nitroshare

Alternatively, install Nitroshare on your Ubuntu PC by opening the Ubuntu Software Center application, searching for “Nitroshare” and selecting the “Install” button.

Debian

Debian Linux has a version of the NitroShare file-sharing application in the primary software sources. To install it, open up a terminal and run the apt-get install command below.

Note: this version of Nitroshare may be severely out of date, due to how Debian maintains packages.

sudo apt-get install nitroshare

Arch Linux

The NitroShare developer has uploaded an official AUR package for the program, so that Arch users may use the program. To install it, follow the steps outlined below!

Step 1: Using the Pacman package manager, install both Base-devel and Git.

sudo pacman -S base-devel git

Step 2: Clone the latest NitroShare AUR snapshot with the git tool.

git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/nitroshare.git

Step 3: Move the terminal into the new nitroshare snapshot folder with the CD command.

cd nitroshare

Step 4: Compile NitroShare and install the program to Arch Linux using the makepkg command.

Note: building the NitroShare application from the Arch Linux AUR may present problems. Be sure to correct any dependencies by hand, by visiting the official AUR page. If you run into issues getting them, read the comments on the official page for guidance.

makepkg -sri

Fedora

NitroShare is now in the official Fedora Linux software sources, so installing it is quick. Launch a terminal and use the dnf install command to get it working.

sudo dnf install nitroshare -y

OpenSUSE

To get the NitroShare software on OpenSUSE systems, you must use the zypper install command.

sudo zypper install nitroshare

Alternatively, get NitroShare from the OBS, by going to this page here and clicking the install button next to your version of SUSE.

Generic Linux

Those using a lesser-known version of Linux will need to build NitroShare from source. Download the source code (https://github.com/nitroshare/nitroshare-desktop/archive/0.3.4.tar.gz) here, extract it, and read the included “README” file to learn how to build it.

Having trouble building Nitroshare from source? Consider switching to Ubuntu, Fedora or the other operating systems covered in this guide, as they have better, easier ways to install the program.

Sharing files with NitroShare on Linux

Open up NitroShare and let it run. As it opens, it’ll go to the system tray on your desktop. Right-click on the Nitro system-tray icon. As you right-click on the icon, you’ll see a context menu.

Note: be sure to also open up NitroShare on the computer receiving the file, or the transfer will fail!

In the menu, look for the “send files” button and select it to open up a file browser.

Look through the file browser window and navigate to the file you’re looking to send with the NitroShare program. Then click the “open” button to share it.

Clicking the “open” button will bring up a “device” selection window. In this window, look for the computer you’d like to send the file to and click the “OK” button to start the transfer. All files transfer to ~/Downloads/Nitroshare.

Sharing folders with NitroShare on Linux

NitroShare can send entire directories full of data over the network in addition to single files. To start, open up the program on the computer sharing the data (be sure to also open NitroShare on the computer receiving the shared data). Then, right-click on the system tray icon on the host machine, and select the “send directory” option in the menu.

Once the “send directory” button is selected, a file browser window opens. Use the browser to locate the folder to send with NitroShare.