How to store files on the cloud for free with Ice Drive on Linux
Ice Drive is a cloud storage solution that has excellent Linux user support. If you’re not a fan of big cloud providers like Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, or Dropbox, Ice Drive is a nice option. Here’s how to use Ice Drive on Linux.
Creating an Ice Drive account
To upload your Linux files to Ice Drive, you’ll need first to set up a free account on their official website. Here’s how to do it. First, start by going over to icedrive.net. Once you’ve made it to the site, find the “sign up” button and click on it with the mouse.
When you select the “sign up” button, you will see the pricing for Ice Drive. There is “lite,” “pro,” and “pro +.” If you prefer to use a free account, scroll down to the bottom of the page, and select “Get a FREE account.”
After selecting the “Get a FREE account” button, you’ll see the account creation page pop up on the screen. Write in your first name, last name, email address, and a memorable password. Be sure also to check the “I agree to the Terms of Service” button.
Once you’ve filled out all of the text boxes, you’ll be asked to confirm your email address. Check your email and enter the pin mailed to you. Then, click on the “Confirm” button to continue.
Installing Ice Drive on Linux
Now that you’ve configured your Ice Drive account, you’ll need to install the Ice Drive application on Linux. Sadly, the app isn’t distributed via a DEB package, RPM package, or anything like that. Instead, it must be installed by either a universal AppImage file or a Snap package.
AppImage
To start installing the Ice Drive application on your computer, head over to the Ice Drive download page. On the page, scroll down to “portable app.” Then, click on the drop-down menu. After selecting the drop-down menu, look for “Linux” and select the AppImage option, followed by “Download.”
Once the file is downloaded, open up a terminal window on the Linux desktop. You can open up a terminal window by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T on the keyboard. Or, search for “Terminal” in the app menu.
With the terminal window open, use the CD command to move into the “Downloads” directory where the Ice Drive AppImage file is located.
cd ~/Downloads/
Next, use the mkdir command to create a new folder with the name “AppImages.” This folder will hold the Ice Drive AppImage file.
mkdir -p ~/AppImages/
After creating the new folder, use the mv command and move the Ice Drive AppImage file into the new “AppImages” folder.
mv Icedrive_Portable_Linux-x64.AppImage ~/AppImages
Next, move the terminal window into the “AppImages” folder using the CD command.
cd ~/AppImages/
Next, update the permissions of the Ice Drive AppImage using the chmod command below.
sudo chmod +x Icedrive_Portable_Linux-x64.AppImage
Finally, start up the app using the command below. Or, open up the “AppImages” folder using the Linux file manager and double-click on the Ice Drive AppImage file.
./Icedrive_Portable_Linux-x64.AppImage
Snap package
To get the Snap release of Ice Drive working on your Linux PC, ensure you have the latest Snapd runtime installed. Then, use the commands below to get the app working.
sudo snap install icedrive
Use Ice Drive to store Linux files
Once the Ice Drive application is installed on your Linux PC, open up the app by either launching the AppImage file or running the Snap package from the app menu. When the app is open, log into your account using the UI.
After pressing the “Connect” button, you’ll be taken to the Ice Drive app interface from the login menu. From here, uploading can begin. Find the cloud icon in the top-right corner and select it with the mouse.
When you select the upload button, a pop-up window will appear. This window says, “What would you like to upload.” Select either the “Folders” button or the “Files” button. Then use the pop-up window to browse for the item you wish to upload to your Ice Drive account.
With your file selected, Ice Drive will begin uploading to your account. The upload may take a couple of seconds or longer, depending on your internet speed. When the process is complete, Ice Drive will tell you that your file has been uploaded.
When your file is uploaded to Ice Drive, it’ll show up in the main folder UI. From here, you can select the item, and click on the Share button to share it, select “Download” to download it, as well as many of the other available options.
Deleting files
Need to delete something from your Ice Drive account? Open up the Linux app, and find the file in the Ice Drive application. Once you’ve found it, click on it with the mouse to select it. Then, choose the trash can icon to delete it from your account.
