SMBClient Cheat Sheet
smbclient is a command-line utility for interacting with Samba (SMB/CIFS) servers. This cheat sheet provides a quick reference for common tasks.
Basic Usage
The fundamental smbclient command follows this structure:
smbclient //<server_ip_or_hostname>/<share_name> [options]<server_ip_or_hostname>: The IP address or hostname of the Samba server.<share_name>: The name of the shared folder on the server.[options]: Various options to customize the connection and actions.
Common Commands and Options
-U <username>
Specifies the username for authentication.
smbclient //server/share -U john.doe
-P <password>
Specifies the password for authentication (Avoid using this for security reasons; use a keytab or keyring instead).
smbclient //server/share -U john.doe -P mypassword
-N
Disables password prompting. Useful with -U and secure password management methods.
smbclient //server/share -N -U john.doe
-I <ip_address>
Specifies the IP address to use when connecting. Useful if resolving hostnames is problematic.
smbclient //192.168.1.100/share -U john.doe
get <file>
Downloads a file from the share.
get important_document.txt
put <file>
Uploads a file to the share.
put my_report.pdf
lcd <directory>
Changes the local directory.
lcd /home/user/documents
cd <directory>
Changes the remote directory (on the share).
cd project_files
ls
Lists files and directories on the share.
ls
mkdir <directory>
Creates a directory on the share.
mkdir new_folder
rmdir <directory>
Removes an empty directory on the share.
rmdir empty_folder
pwd
Prints the current remote working directory.
pwd
lpwd
Prints the current local working directory.
lpwd
bye
Closes the connection to the server.
bye
quit
Closes the connection to the server (same as bye).
quit
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