Install remotefs

Version 0.4.0

Version 0.4.0 can mount an SMB share, NFS export or cloud connection as a folder or drive on the service host, and reconnects those mounts after restarts and Windows sign-in. Mounting uses rclone, plus WinFsp on Windows (the app offers to install it) or fuse3 on Linux; see mounts. Windows hosts now list SMB shares, and NFS connections try NFSv4, then NFSv3.

Cloud connection management and cross-storage Copy/Paste are included in 0.3.0. Homebrew includes rclone. For other installations, install rclone on the service host for cloud access. Libvirt inventory needs the native libvirt development packages and pipx install --force 'remote-fs-browser[libvirt]'. See the endpoint guide.

Existing pipx installations can update with pipx upgrade remote-fs-browser; Homebrew users can run brew update && brew upgrade mightymorgs/tap/remotefs. Restart your service after upgrading.

Install a package

Choose the option for the computer that will run remotefs. Other devices only need a browser and access to that computer.

macOS — Homebrew

Homebrew installs Python, libnfs and rclone for you:

brew install mightymorgs/tap/remotefs
remotefs

Upgrade with brew update followed by brew upgrade mightymorgs/tap/remotefs. After setup, stop the foreground app and use brew services start remotefs for background operation.

Windows — portable download

Download remotefs 0.4.0 for Windows x64. Extract the ZIP, open PowerShell in the extracted remotefs folder, and run:

.\remotefs.exe

Python and libnfs are bundled; no separate Python installation is needed. To upgrade, stop the app and extract the new release into a fresh directory. Your configuration is stored separately.

Windows — WinGet (pending acceptance)

The WinGet submission is still awaiting Microsoft review. Use the portable download above now. Once accepted, install with:

winget install --id mightymorgs.remotefs --exact --source winget
remotefs

Open a new terminal if the command is not found. Once available, upgrade with winget upgrade --id mightymorgs.remotefs --exact --source winget.

Linux, macOS or Windows — Python / pipx

With Python 3.11+ and pipx installed:

pipx install remote-fs-browser
remotefs

Upgrade with pipx upgrade remote-fs-browser. Local files and SMB work with the Python package. NFS additionally needs libnfs 6+; Homebrew and the Windows portable edition include it. See the deployment guide for Linux native dependency installation.

Python — pip in a virtual environment

If you prefer pip, create and activate a virtual environment first:

python -m venv .venv
# macOS / Linux (use python3 above if needed):
source .venv/bin/activate

On Windows PowerShell, activate it with .\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 instead. Then:

python -m pip install remote-fs-browser
remotefs

Use python -m pip install --upgrade remote-fs-browser inside that environment to upgrade. The same Python and NFS requirements apply as for pipx.

Install from source

With Git, Python 3.11+ and pipx installed:

git clone https://github.com/mightymorgs/remote-fs-browser.git
cd remote-fs-browser
git checkout v0.4.0
pipx install .
remotefs

This installs the published release source. Developers can use python -m pip install -e . in an activated virtual environment for an editable checkout.

Always-on services and automated deployment

The deployment guide covers Linux systemd, macOS launchd and Windows startup-task installers, plus Ansible playbooks, unattended account setup, upgrades and custom access policies. The installers deploy the source checkout you run them from; choose your release tag first.

First launch

Version 0.2.2 guides you through network access and login on first launch, with no configuration file needed. Open the address printed at startup (default http://127.0.0.1:8080/) and sign in. Stop the service and run remotefs setup to revisit your choices.

Follow the quickstart to connect SMB/NFS shares, scan networks, save locations, prepare ZIP downloads and reach the service from another device.