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Written 28 Aug 2026. This is a how-to, not a product card.

Copy a file to the computer from your laptop

After SSH works, use scp to move one file without a USB stick. A short name like lab makes the typing shorter. You don't need a NAS for this.

SSH from the couch lets you type commands on the computer. Sometimes you just want one file over there: a config, a photo, a small script. scp is secure copy. It rides the same SSH login you already have. The computer does not need Samba, a shared folder, or a USB stick for this one job.

Skip until SSH already works

SSH from the couch should already get you a prompt. A short name is nicer: give the computer a short name on your laptop. Key login is nicer than typing the password every time: log in with a key. If the key has a passphrase and you are tired of typing it, unlock your key once per laptop session. Skip this whole note if you only need a house share other computers browse. That is a folder the house can open.

What this is

scp copies a file over SSH. Same user, same address, same key or password as a normal login. You run it on the laptop. The computer receives the file in a folder you name. Pulling a file back the other way is the same idea with the paths swapped. This is not the weekly USB backup. That is a backup of the folder.

Copy one file to the computer

On the laptop, in the folder that already has the file (Windows Terminal, PowerShell, Mac Terminal, or Linux):

scp ./photo.jpg lab:~/

That puts photo.jpg in your home folder on the computer. Swap the filename for yours. If you have no short name yet, use the long form from SSH from the couch:

scp ./photo.jpg you@that-address:~/

It may ask for the password, or the key passphrase, the same way SSH does. When it finishes without an error, the file is there.

Check it landed

Still on the laptop:

ssh lab ls ~

Or the long form:

ssh you@that-address ls ~

You want your filename in the list. Optional look at size and date:

ssh lab ls -lh ~/photo.jpg

Copy one file back to the laptop

Paths swap. The side comes first:

scp lab:~/notes.txt ./

Or:

scp you@that-address:~/notes.txt ./

That drops notes.txt in the folder you are sitting in on the laptop. Useful when you edited something on the computer and want a local copy.

Optional: a whole folder

Need a folder first? Make a folder, then point the side at it:

scp ./photo.jpg lab:~/notes/

Add -r for a folder and everything inside it:

scp -r ./scripts lab:~/

Keep folders small. A movie library or a photo dump belongs on a house share or a backup disk, not a one-shot scp of gigabytes. For a house folder other computers open, see a folder the house can open. For a checked USB copy, see a backup of the folder.

What next

If the key passphrase keeps asking on every copy, unlock your key once per laptop session. Need browse folders then copy one file? Browse folders then copy one file. Need a spare of a file that is already there? Copy a file without leaving the computer. Need to change a file in place instead of copying it? Edit a file from the couch. When key login is boring on every computer you use, turn off password login once the key works. Keep SSH on the house network: keep the computer on the house network. Don't forward port 22.

Skip

Sources

OpenSSH: scp. Debian: scp. Ubuntu: scp. Official pages only. For the login, see SSH from the couch. For the short name, see give the computer a short name on your laptop. For the key, see log in with a key. For the agent, see unlock your key once per laptop session. For a house share, see a folder the house can open.

Also on this topic

SSH from the couchType commands on the computer from your laptop, on the house network. Password login first. Don't open this to the internet. Give the computer a short name on your laptopAfter SSH works, put a short name in your laptop SSH config so you type ssh lab instead of the long address. You don't need a new router. Log in with a key, not the password every timeAfter password SSH works for a while, put a key on your laptop so the computer trusts that laptop. Keep the password as a backup at first. Unlock your key once per laptop sessionAfter the key has a passphrase, load it once with ssh-add so you are not typing that passphrase on every ssh lab. You don't need a YubiKey. Edit a file from the couchAfter SSH works, open a file with nano, change a line, and save. The keys at the bottom of the screen are the whole trick. You don't need a new editor. Reuse a command you already typedAfter SSH works, flip back through commands with the Up arrow or history. You don't need a notebook for the same long line twice. See what's in a folderAfter SSH works, list the folder you are sitting in with ls. You don't need a file manager app for this. Move into a folderAfter SSH works, change folders with cd. You don't need a file manager app for this. Make a folderAfter SSH works, make a folder with mkdir so copies and edits have a place to land. You don't need a NAS for this. Copy a file without leaving the computerAfter SSH works, copy a file with cp so you can edit a spare without wrecking the original. You don't need a NAS for this. Browse folders then copy one fileAfter SSH works, browse folders with sftp so you can pick a file and copy it. You don't need FileZilla or a NAS for this. Turn off password login once the key worksAfter the laptop key login is boring, tell SSH to stop accepting the password. The key is how you get in. A keyboard on the computer is the backup now. A folder the house can openShare one folder from the computer so phones and laptops can open it. Samba is the usual name for that job on Debian and Ubuntu. A backup of the folderCopy the house folder to a USB disk or a second the computer. One checked copy beats a fancy NAS you never plugged in.