Rclone tutorial
Contents
Rclone Commands (Debian/Ubuntu Linux)
This page lists common Rclone commands for managing cloud storage from the command line on Debian or Ubuntu.
1. Installation
Install Rclone using apt:
sudo apt update sudo apt install rclone
2. Configuration: Set Up a Remote
Connect Rclone to your cloud storage. Run this command and follow the prompts:
rclone config
Choose n to create a new remote.
Give it a name (e.g., mycloud).
Select your cloud provider from the list.
Follow the steps to authenticate (may involve a web browser).
Accept defaults for most options.
Type y to save, then q to quit.
3. Basic Commands
Replace mycloud: with the name you chose for your remote. Replace /path/to/local/ with your local folder path.
List Files and Folders
List files and directories:
rclone ls mycloud:my/folder
List files with details (size, date):
rclone lsl mycloud:my/folder
List only folders:
rclone lsd mycloud:
Copy Files (copy)
Copy from source to destination. Existing files are skipped. Destination files are NOT deleted.
Local to Remote:
rclone copy /path/to/local/data mycloud:backup/ --progress
Remote to Local:
rclone copy mycloud:downloads/ /path/to/local/finished/ --progress
Sync Files (sync)
Make destination match source exactly. WARNING: This can delete files on the destination.
Local to Remote Sync:
rclone sync /path/to/local/documents mycloud:live-sync/ --progress
Always test first (shows what would happen):
rclone sync /path/to/local/documents mycloud:live-sync/ --dry-run
Move Files (move)
Move from source to destination. Files are deleted from source after transfer.
Local to Remote Move:
rclone move /path/to/local/temp/ mycloud:archive/ --progress
Create Folder (mkdir)
Create a new folder on the remote:
rclone mkdir mycloud:new_folder
Delete Files (delete)
Delete files in a path. Does NOT delete empty folders.
Delete a specific file:
rclone delete mycloud:old_files/report.txt
Delete all files in a folder:
rclone delete mycloud:temp_data/
Purge Folder (purge)
Delete a folder and ALL its contents. WARNING: Data will be lost.
Purge a folder:
rclone purge mycloud:junk/
4. Advanced Commands & Options
Mount Cloud Storage (mount)
Access remote files like a local drive. Requires FUSE.
Install FUSE:
sudo apt install fuse
Create a local folder for mounting:
mkdir ~/cloud_drive
Mount the remote (runs in background &):
rclone mount mycloud:remote_folder/ ~/cloud_drive --vfs-cache-mode writes --allow-other &
Unmount:
fusermount -uz ~/cloud_drive
Filter Files
Use --include or --exclude with patterns.
Exclude temporary files:
rclone copy source: dest: --exclude "*.tmp"
Include only image files:
rclone sync source: dest: --include "*.jpg" --include "*.png"
Control Transfers
Show progress: --progress (add to any transfer command)
Parallel transfers (e.g., 8 files at once): --transfers 8
Parallel checks (e.g., 16 files at once): --checkers 16
Logging
Save command output to a file:
rclone sync source: dest: --log-file /var/log/rclone.log
