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# Good News For Linux Terminal Junkies! Proton Drive Now Has a CLI
- URL: https://itsfoss.com/news/proton-drive-cli/
- Published: 2026-06-10T11:09:05.000Z
- Updated: 2026-06-10T11:09:05.000Z
- Description: Something to work with before the GUI client for Linux drops.
- Author: Sourav Rudra
- Tags: News, Privacy 🛡️

[Proton Drive](https://go.getproton.me/aff%5Fc?offer%5Fid=44&aff%5Fid=1173&ref=itsfoss.com) (partner link) is getting a lot of love these days. We recently covered [the encryption upgrades](https://itsfoss.com/news/proton-drive-encryption-upgrades/) and the Linux desktop client that's in the works. Now Proton has added something the terminal dwellers will find useful; an official [Command-Line Interface](https://proton.me/blog/proton-drive-cli?ref=itsfoss.com) (CLI) for Drive, available on **Linux**, **macOS**, and **Windows**.

The CLI is built on the [Proton Drive SDK](https://github.com/ProtonDriveApps/sdk?ref=itsfoss.com), the same foundation that powers the official desktop and mobile apps. It runs as a single binary on the various platforms and carries the same end-to-end encryption capabilities as Drive.

Here's a look at what it can do and how you can get it running on Linux.

## What does it offer?

![a terminal window that shows the output for the command "./proton-drive --version"](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2026/06/proton-drive-cli.png)

The CLI lets you handle **the usual file management tasks** from your terminal. You can upload, download, and browse files; manage the trash folder; and even oversee content sharing and invitations.

Results come out in plain text by default, and passing `--json` makes the output machine-readable for scripting.

Do note that it **does not have a built-in continuous sync engine** like the existing desktop clients do. That said, you should get similar behavior by scheduling it with *cron* or a *systemd timer* on Linux, so it is not as limited as it first sounds.

If you are the kind of person who would rather [write a shell script](https://itsfoss.com/create-bash-script/) than reach for a mouse, this will make [Proton Drive](https://go.getproton.me/aff%5Fc?offer%5Fid=44&aff%5Fid=1173&ref=itsfoss.com) (*partner link*) a natural part of your existing workflow rather than something that needs to be launched from the app launcher.

💡

Proton is also working on a graphical desktop client for Linux as well. We should see it before the year end.

## This is how you get it on Linux

I tested these instructions on a [Fedora Workstation 44](https://fedoraproject.org/workstation/?ref=itsfoss.com) system, and everything went smoothly.

First, you have to download the relevant CLI binary for your platform from the [downloads index](https://proton.me/download/drive/cli/index.html?ref=itsfoss.com). I went with `linux/x64` as I am on an x86 setup.

[Proton Drive CLI](https://proton.me/download/drive/cli/index.html?ref=itsfoss.com)

Now, open a terminal in the directory where you saved it and make the file executable:

```
chmod +x proton-drive
```

![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2026/06/proton-drive-cli-file-manager-entry.png)

![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2026/06/proton-drive-cli-initial-config.png)

Verify the build:

```
./proton-drive version
```

Sign in through your browser:

```
./proton-drive auth login
```

![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2026/06/proton-drive-cli-login-1.png)

![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2026/06/proton-drive-cli-login-2.png)

Your session is stored securely via [libsecret](https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/libsecret?ref=itsfoss.com), so no password is ever passed on to the command line. Following that, you can run `./proton-drive help` for getting the full command list or add `--help` to any command for its available flags.

I**f you prefer building from source**, then the instructions and the source can be found on [GitHub](https://github.com/ProtonDriveApps/sdk/tree/main/js/cli?ref=itsfoss.com).

---

**Suggested Read 📖:** [*Microsoft Just Brought Linux Commands to Windows*](https://itsfoss.com/news/windows-coreutils/)

[Not Kidding! Microsoft Just Brought Linux Commands to Windows OfficiallyThe company that once called Linux a “cancer” is now the one shipping its core tools to Windows users.![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/icon/android-chrome-512x512-e3b8e6bd-2eff-423e-bdbc-7730b3dda93f.png)It's FOSSAbhishek Prakash![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/thumbnail/windows-coreutils-21c0e189-723e-4873-b676-e7dfc4f07aa2.webp)](https://itsfoss.com/news/windows-coreutils/)