KDE Connect is an open source app that allows you to share files between your phone and your computer. It also allows you to remote control your computer from your phone.
Want to use your phone as a touchpad for your computer? Or want to turn off your computer using your phone, you can do this easily with KDE Connect. However, this is not the only things you can do with KDE Connect, KDE Connect has a lot of other options such as :
- Option to ring your phone if you lose it somewhere
- Read your phone's notifications on your computer
- Share files easily from phone to PC and vice versa
- ..and more.
KDE Connect is developed by KDE, and it supports most popular operating systems, such as : Linux, Windows, MacOS, Android, and IOS.
In this tutorial, you will learn how to Install KDE Connect and how to use it on Linux Mint
Step 1 - Update your System
Updating Linux Mint is quite simple.
Before installing KDE Connect, run the command below to make sure that your system's repo database is updated.
sudo apt update
Step 2 - Install KDE Connect
KDE Connect is available on Ubuntu repository, so you can easily install it directly from your terminal.
To install KDE Connect, run the command below
sudo apt install kdeconnect
After executing the installation command, proceed to authenticate by typing sudo's password, to make sure that you can install KDE Connect.
And the installation of KDE Connect should begin right away
Step 3 - Install KDE Connect on your Phone
In this tutorial we are using an Android Phone. So to download KDE Connect we need to go to Play store and search for 'KDE Connect' and install KDE Connect as shown in the image below
Step 4 - Use KDE Connect
Now that KDE Connect is installed on both devices. You can proceed to connect your phone to your PC.
First Launch KDE Connect on your PC.
Next, Launch KDE Connect on your phone. When you launch KDE Connect for the first time on your phone, you will be asked to allow required permissions, make sure to allow these permissions in order for KDE Connect to work.
Now, go back to your computer, and click the 'Find devices' button to find your phone so you can connect to.
Once you see your phone listed as available device, click it, and it should take you to the pairing window.
Now simply click to 'Pair' button
Once you click the Pair button, a notification will be sent to your phone asking for pairing permissions.
To Accept the pairing permissions, click to this notification
You will see the following prompt, simply click to 'Accept' button to allow this connection
Once you accept the pairing request, your computer and phone will be paired.
On your phone you will see this screen
And on your Computer you will see this window
Now you can use KDE Connect on both devices.
Use Phone as Touchpad
One of the features that I really like is the Remote Input feature. This feature allows you to use your phone's screen as touch pad or as keyboard.
To use this feature, Open KDE Connect on your phone and click to 'Remote Input' button as shown in the image below
Now on this window, you can start moving your cursor
To use the Keyboard function, click the 'Keyboard' icon
Share files from Computer to Phone
To send a file from your computer to your phone via KDE Connect, you can do so by clicking to 'Share File' button
Then select the file that you want to send, and click to 'Open' button to send the file that you selected
And the "sending to" window will pop up, this means the file is being sent to your phone, you should see the receiving notification on your phone when the process is completed.
Run a command from your phone
To assign a command that you can run it on your computer from your phone, can be done by using the "Run Command" option on KDE Connect.
To create a new command, Launch KDE Connect on your Phone, and select "Run command" option
Next, click to the 'Pencil' icon button
Now simply click to the 'Ok' button
After clicking the 'Ok' button on the prompt above, you will see the "Run commands" window on your computer
You can continue now to create the command that you want to be able to execute it from your phone.
You can create a custom command, or select a command from the Sample list.
Create a custom command
To create a custom command, double click on the Name and Command and then click 'Ok' to save changes.
Use a sample command
Sample commands are a list of commands that are ready to be used
In this tutorial, we are using the sample command "Lock Screen", which is a simple command that will lock our computer screen
After creating the command on your computer, you should be able to see it listed on your phone under "Run Command" option
To execute this command, simply click it
That's all!
Conclusion
In this tutorial, you learned how to install and connect your phone to your computer using KDE Connect. We also explained how to share files from your computer to your phone, how to use your phone as touchpad, and also how to execute a command from your phone on your computer.
