These are some quick tutorials to get new Ubuntu One users up and running with File synchronization and sharing.

Don't see a tutorial on an Ubuntu One topic? Send us a note and we'll take care of it.

Install and configure your computers

Setup instructions for each version of Ubuntu supported by Ubuntu One can be found on our Setup page.

Manage files and folders

Ubuntu

Keeping your computer in sync is easy with Ubuntu One. Any files or folders placed within "~/Ubuntu One" will automatically synchronize across all of your computers. You can create, modify, move, delete, or any other action you normally perform with files and folders in Nautilus or a terminal. No matter what changes you make, everything stays in sync.

Sync a folder inside your home folder

Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (and higher) computers can synchronize your folders like Documents, Pictures and Music. Right-click on any folder in your home folder and choose "Synchronize on Ubuntu One". It's important to note that the more files you have (no matter the size of those files) the longer the initial sync will take to complete.

If other computers added to Ubuntu One have different files within synchronizing folders, all files will be merged. Also, if you already synchronize a folder, you cannot enable it's parent folder to synchronize. Just disable sync and enable sync for the parent folder.

Stop syncing a folder inside your home folder

To stop synchronizing a folder on Ubuntu One, right-click on the folder and select "Stop synchronizing on Ubuntu One".

Sync status

There are two ways to see the status of files sync:

File emblems
Files being synchronized by Ubuntu One will display one of the following emblems (a small graphic on the file icon) indicating the sync status:

Ubuntu One Preferences
Access Ubuntu One Preferences from either System > Preferences > Ubuntu One or the Me menu. You'll be able to see whether Ubuntu One is synchronizing files with the messaging just above the tabs.

Web

In addition to syncing with each computer, Ubuntu One subscribers benefit from cloud storage. Login at https://one.ubuntu.com/files/ to securely download and manage your files and folders from any location through a web browser.

Though it is not a direct substitute, the web browser does offer many of the features available in Nautilus. You can create folders, upload files, and delete files.

Browsing files and folders

When on https://one.ubuntu.com/files, the initial screen displays all the folders in your home directory being synced by Ubuntu One along with all the files in the ~/Ubuntu One folder. Click on a file to download it. Click on a folder to open it.

Folder icons
The following table explains what each of the file and folder icons on the web mean:

Upload files

1. Click on the folder you want to upload a file to

2. Click the "Upload" button
   

3. Click the "Browse" button to find the file on your computer you want to upload and select it
   

4. Click the "Upload" button

Depending on the size of the file, the upload may take a while. Once the file is successfully uploaded the screen will refresh and display the newly added file in the right hand pane.

A fairly popular feature request for the Ubuntu One web UI is to be able to upload multiple files at once. We have this on our list of features we're looking at implementing. Currently, you can only upload one file at a time using the web UI. If you want to upload more than one file at a time, please use the Ubuntu One client.

Delete files

1. Click on the More link for the file you want to delete
   

2. Click on the Delete file link

3. Click the OK button when asked if you're sure you want to delete the file

Delete folders

1. Click on the More link for the file you want to delete
   

2. Click on the Delete folder link

3. Click the OK button when asked if you're sure you want to delete the folder

Create folders

1. Click on the New Folder link

2. Click on the "New" button
   

3. Type a folder name in the empty text input area & click the New Folder button
   

Stop syncing a folder

1. Click on the More link next to the folder you want to stop syncing

2. Click the Stop syncing this folder link
   

Sharing

You can share folders with an unlimited number of people using the Ubuntu file browser (Nautilus) or a web browser. When you share a folder with someone, they will receive a copy in their "~/Ubuntu One/Shared With Me" folder the next time they synchronize their computer.

In addition to sharing, you can also publish individual files that you want publicly accessible via a short URL.

Ubuntu

Share folders

1. Browse to the folder being synced by Ubuntu One that you want to share

2. Right-click on the folder and select to Share on Ubuntu One...
   

3. The contacts picker opens and will display any contacts you have in your Ubuntu One address book, which is managed in Evolution
   

4. If you want to share a folder with someone who isn’t in your Ubuntu One address book then you can add them by entering an email address in the text box and clicking the Add button
   

   1. Provide a name for the contact and then click the Add button to add the contact to your Ubuntu One address book
      

5. You can select multiple contacts to share with by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking on the names. Then click the Share button.
   

6. All the users you shared with will receive an email notifying them that you’ve shared the folder with them. If they’re not already Ubuntu One users, they’ll need to sign up for the service before they’ll be able to login and see the folder and files you’ve shared with them.

Stop sharing folders

This can only be done via the web interface right now. See instructions below.

Publish files

A quick way to share a file with anyone, complete with a short URL.

1. Right-click on any file synchronized with Ubuntu One and select Publish via Ubuntu One

1. Right-click again on the file again and select Copy Ubuntu One public URL to store a short URL on your computer's clipboard

1. Paste the URL anywhere - IM, IRC, twitter, or even email - for anyone to download the file

Stop publishing files

1. Right-click on the file again and select Stop publishing via Ubuntu One
   

Web

Share folders

1. Go to the web browser files view at https://one.ubuntu.com/files/. You may be required to login if you have not done so already.

2. Click on the More link for the folder you want to share
   

3. Click on the Share folder link

4. Type the email address of the person you would like to share with, a name for the shared folder, and if you want to allow them to modify anything within the folder. Then click "Share".
   

Stop sharing folders

1. Go to the web browser files view at https://one.ubuntu.com/files/. You may be required to login if you have not already.

2. Click on the More link for the folder you want to stop sharing
   

3. Click the Stop sharing link next to each person you want to stop sharing your folder with
   

Publish files

1. Go to the web browser files view at https://one.ubuntu.com/files/. You may be required to login if you have not already.

2. Click on the More link for the file you want to publish
   

3. Click on the Publish file link

4. Click on the More link for the file again and copy the Public URL field. Paste the URL anywhere - IM, IRC, twitter, or even email - for anyone to download the file