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ZDNET's key takeaways
QuickDAV is a user-friendly app to share files and folders.
QuickDAV allows you to upload, download, and manage files remotely.
QuickDAV is free to install and use on any Linux distribution.
I work with multiple machines throughout my home, and I often have to move files to and from those machines. I typically use Samba for this, but sometimes, I just need to be able to quickly share a directory without having to install and configure Samba.
When I'm in a hurry, I turn to a very easy app called QuickDAV.
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Essentially, QuickDAV starts an on-the-fly WebDAV server, so you can upload, download, and manage files on your remote machine. QuickDAV is incredibly simple and can be used right out of the box, with zero configuration. There are some settings you can change (such as the root folder, set the username and password, and set the folder to read only), but that's really about it. You don't even have to set a username and password, as QuickDAV defaults to the quickdav user and a randomly generated password.
Once you start using QuickDAV, you'll find it indispensable for easy file transfers from any OS to Linux.
Let me show you how to get this app up and running.
Installing QuickDAV
What you'll need: To make this work, you'll need any Linux desktop distribution that supports Flatpak, and another computer (or phone) on your home network.
1. Open your terminal Before you open your terminal app, open your distribution's GUI app store (such as COSMIC Shop, GNOME Software, or KDE Discover) and do a search for QuickDAV. If you find it, you can click on it and then click Install. If not, go ahead and open that terminal app. Show more
2. Install QuickDAV To install QuickDAV from the command line, issue the following: Show more
flatpak install flathub com.sciactive.QuickDAV
3. Finish the installation If you don't find the QuickDAV launcher in your desktop menu, log out and log back in, and it'll most certainly appear. Once you find the launcher, click it, and QuickDAV will open. Show more
Using QuickDAV
When you open the app, you'll be presented with the following information:
The WebDAV address - the IP address of the hosting machine and port 8888.
Username - the username you'll use to log into QuickDAV.
Password - the randomly generated password.
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You can change the username and password in the Settings section. Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Once the QuickDAV service is running (it starts as soon as the app is opened), go to another machine on your LAN and type the WebDAV address. You will then be prompted for the username and password. Type those two bits of information, and you'll find yourself in the QuickDAV folder that has been automatically configured (which will be your user's home directory).
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At the bottom of the page, you'll find the upload section, where you can upload any type of file you want. You can also copy/move, rename, and delete files from the Actions column (far right). If you want to download a file, click on the file name, right-click the file, and select Save Image As. You can also simply right-click (or two-finger tap) a file and then select "Save content as…" (or whatever the equivalent is on your OS) to save a file.
You'll find this section at the bottom of the QuickDAV webpage. Jack Wallen/ZDNET
At the bottom of the page, you'll find the file management section, where you can copy, move, or unselect a selected file, create a new directory, and upload a file to the current directory.
Configuring QuickDAV
I found QuickDAV runs just fine out of the box, but you might need to tweak the default configuration. To do that, go to the QuickDAV window and select the Folders tab. In this window, you can add folders to be shared.
You cannot delete the base folder (your home folder). Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
You can then click on the Config tab, where you can change the authentication credentials and the default port, and enable/disable Self-Signed TLS Encryption, Password Required, and Read Only.
I would suggest changing the username and password at a minimum. Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
And that's the gist of using QuickDAV. When you're finished, you can either close the application or leave it open and click Stop Server from the Dash tab.
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