Creating and Configuring Remote Connections

Last updated on 2026-08-23 | Edit this page

Estimated time: 25 minutes

Overview

Questions

  • What is an rclone remote, and how is it different from a local path?
  • How do you create, list, and verify a remote connection?

Objectives

  • Understand what a remote is and how it differs from a local connection.
  • Distinguish a local filesystem path from a remote path in the form remote:path.
  • Use rclone config to create a remote connection.
  • Use rclone listremotes and rclone lsd remote: to confirm a remote is configured and reachable.

Creating a remote connection

A remote is a named storage configuration that rclone uses to connect to a storage location, such as a cloud service or another machine. You create a remote once using rclone config, then refer to it by name in commands as remote:path (for example, mybox:documents). This is different from a local filesystem path, such as /Users/name/documents or C:\Users\name\Documents, which refers to storage on your own machine and has no remote: prefix.

Common remote types include cloud storage services such as Box, Google Drive, and Amazon S3, as well as other servers accessed over protocols such as SFTP.

flowchart LR
    accTitle: Rclone connects a local machine to one or more named remotes
    accDescr {
        A local machine connects through rclone to three example remotes, named mybox, mygdrive, and mys3, each labeled with the storage provider it points to. A dashed line shows that rclone can also transfer files directly between two remotes without passing through the local machine.
    }
    L["Local machine<br>/Users/you/documents"]
    B["mybox:<br>(Box)"]
    G["mygdrive:<br>(Google Drive)"]
    S["mys3:<br>(Amazon S3)"]

    L -- "copy / sync / move" --> B
    L -- "copy / sync / move" --> G
    L -- "copy / sync / move" --> S
    B <-. "copy (remote-to-remote)" .-> G
Callout

Custom client IDs: Google Drive vs. Box

By default, rclone uses a shared client_id for both Google Drive and Box, so most learners do not need to set up their own credentials to complete this lesson.

For Google Drive, rclone’s shared client ID is being retired and will stop working during 2026. Create and configure your own client_id and client_secret to avoid an interruption. See Making your own client ID in the rclone documentation for details.

For Box, the Box documentation notes that custom client credentials can normally be left blank. Most users do not need to set up their own client_id for Box; only do so if you hit rate limits or your organization requires it.

Configuring a remote with rclone config

The rclone config command starts an interactive session where you create, edit, and manage remotes.

BASH 

rclone config

The first time you run it, with no remotes configured yet, you’ll see:

OUTPUT 

No remotes found, make a new one?
n) New remote
s) Set configuration password
q) Quit config
n/s/q>

Choose n for a new remote. Rclone asks for a name, then the storage type from a long list of supported providers:

OUTPUT 

Enter name for new remote.

Option Storage.
Type of storage to configure.
Choose a number from below, or type in your own value.
 1 / 1Fichier
   \ (fichier)
 2 / Akamai NetStorage
   \ (netstorage)
...
 7 / Box
   \ (box)
...
36 / Local Disk
   \ (local)
...

Type mybox for the name and box for the type. Accept the defaults for client_id and client_secret unless the callout above tells you otherwise. For a remote that needs authorization, like Box or Google Drive, rclone will next either open a browser window for you to sign in, or, on a machine without a browser available, print a URL and code to enter on another device — see Configuring using rclone authorize in the rclone documentation for that case.

Once you’ve stepped through the provider-specific prompts, rclone shows a summary and asks you to confirm:

OUTPUT 

Configuration complete.
Options:
- type: box
Keep this "mybox" remote?
y) Yes this is OK (default)
e) Edit this remote
d) Delete this remote

Answer y, then q to quit the config session. Your new remote is saved.

Checking your configuration

Once a remote exists, use these commands to confirm it’s there and working. None of them transfer or change any files, so they’re safe to run at any time.

List every remote rclone knows about:

BASH 

rclone listremotes

OUTPUT 

mybox:

Find out where the configuration file itself lives — worth knowing, since it’s the file that holds your credentials (see the callout above):

BASH 

rclone config file

OUTPUT 

Configuration file is stored at:
/Users/you/.config/rclone/rclone.conf

List the contents of the remote itself:

BASH 

rclone lsd mybox:

OUTPUT 

          64 2026-08-23 13:27:28        -1 rclone-workshop

lsd lists directories only and never transfers a file, which makes it a safe way to confirm a remote is reachable before you run a real transfer command.

Rclone command flags

There are numerous command flags but these three are especially worth remembering:

  • -n, –dry-run Do a trial run with no permanent changes
  • -i, –interactive Enable interactive mode
  • -v, –verbose count Print lots more stuff (repeat for more) - useful when debugging
Challenge

Configure and verify your own remote

Using rclone config, create a remote connected to your own Box account (or whichever storage your instructor has set up for this workshop). Then:

  1. Confirm it appears in rclone listremotes.
  2. Run rclone lsd remote: to see its contents.

If rclone lsd returns an error, run rclone listremotes first — a typo in the remote name is the most common cause.

BASH 

rclone config

Follow the prompts: n for a new remote, a name such as mybox, box for the type, defaults for the client ID and secret, and complete the authorization step. Confirm with y, then q to quit.

BASH 

rclone listremotes

OUTPUT 

mybox:

BASH 

rclone lsd mybox:

If your Box account has no folders yet, this returns nothing — that’s expected, and still confirms the remote is reachable.

Documentation specific to each remote

Rclone includes extensive documentation that is specific to particular remotes.

Examples:

See the Learner Reference page for a full command and documentation reference.

Key Points
  • A remote is a named storage configuration; a local path has no remote: prefix.
  • Use rclone config to create, edit, and manage remotes.
  • Use rclone listremotes, rclone config file, and rclone lsd remote: to confirm a remote is set up and reachable, without transferring anything.
  • Google Drive’s shared client ID is being retired in 2026 and needs your own credentials; Box’s client ID can normally stay blank.