Written 5 Sep 2026. This is a how-to, not a product card.

See who is using the house share

Check which logins and devices are connected to the Samba folder on the old PC. smbstatus. You don't need a NAS.

Haven't made the share yet? Start with a file share. This note is only for when the house folder already opens from a laptop or phone, and you want to see who is on it right now. Useful after you add a partner login, or when a file looks locked and you wonder who still has it open.

Skip until the share already works

If Finder, File Explorer, or the phone never opened the folder, fix that first: when the house share won't open. If Samba itself looks dead on an awake computer, start with when the house share disappeared, check the computer. Don't buy monitoring software so you can see two people on a photo folder.

What this is

Samba keeps a short live list of who is connected and which files are open. smbstatus prints that list over SSH. You see the Samba username, a machine or IP, and sometimes a locked file. It is not a full audit log. It is not a reason to install Nextcloud. Idle phones and laptops may drop off after a few minutes with nothing open.

Step 1: awake, then SSH

Power light. Fan. If it looks asleep, start with is the computer still on?. You need SSH from the couch: SSH from the couch. Connect fails? when SSH won't connect.

Step 2: print the live share status

Run:

sudo smbstatus

Or the shorter version that most first-timers care about:

sudo smbstatus -b

-b is the brief table: who, which machine, which share. Full smbstatus also lists locked files underneath. Quiet success still prints a table (or a short "No locked files" style note). Command not found usually means Samba packages are missing — go back to a file share.

Step 3: read the brief table

Look for three columns in the brief view:

PID — Samba's process for that connection. You rarely need the number.
Username — the Samba login (your user, or alex if you added a partner). That is the share password name, not always the Windows PC name.
Machine or Host — laptop, phone, or an IP on the house network.

A second person you just added should show their username after they open the folder once. How to add them: add another person to the house share. Empty table with the share still working usually means nobody is connected this second, or clients already closed the folder.

Step 4: see locked files when a copy stalls

If a photo will not overwrite, or Windows says the file is in use, run the full printout:

sudo smbstatus

Under the locks section, look for the filename and the username holding it. Ask that person to close the file (or close the Files / Explorer window). Then try the copy again. This is not a NAS "snapshot." It is just who still has the file open over SMB.

Step 5: stuck session after someone left

A laptop slept with the share mounted. The username still sits in smbstatus. Usually waiting a few minutes is enough. You can also ask them to disconnect the share on their side (eject / disconnect network drive), then check again:

sudo smbstatus -b

Hard-killing Samba sessions is a last resort and restarts the service for everyone:

sudo systemctl restart smbd

Only do that when you mean to kick every client. Prefer a normal disconnect first. Removing someone for good is a different job: remove someone from the house share.

What this is not

This is not a camera feed of the house. It is not a full security audit. It is not proof that a password was typed correctly last week. It is not opening SMB to the internet so you can watch status from a coffee shop. It is not a reason to buy a NAS appliance with a prettier "connected clients" screen.

What next

Partner needs their own login: add another person to the house share. Someone should leave: remove someone from the house share. Password stuck: set or change the house-share password. Folder won't open at all: when the house share won't open. Samba looks dead: when the house share disappeared, check the computer. When you want a second copy of the house folder, that is a backup of the house folder.

Skip

Skip until the share already opens from a laptop or phone.
Skip buying a NAS so you can see connected clients.
Skip opening SMB past the house network.
Skip restarting smbd as the first move when one laptop is idle.
Skip treating an empty smbstatus table as proof the share is broken.

Sources

Samba: smbstatus. Debian: smbstatus. Ubuntu: smbstatus. Samba wiki: standalone server. Official pages only. For the share itself, see a file share. For a second login, see add another person to the house share. For open failures, see when the house share won't open.

Also on this topic

A file shareA folder on the old PC that the house can open from a laptop or a phone. You don't need a NAS for this. Add another person to the house shareGive a partner or roommate their own login for the house folder on the old PC. Same share path. Separate Samba password. You don't need a NAS. Remove someone from the house shareTake a partner or roommate off the house folder on the old PC. Drop them from Samba, then from valid users. Optional: delete the Linux login. You don't need a NAS. Set or change the house-share passwordFinder and File Explorer ask for a share password that is not always the login. Samba keeps its own copy. Set it once. Change it when you forget. When the house share won't openFinder, File Explorer, or the phone can't open the house folder. Check the computer is on, confirm the address, then match the error (path not found, login failed, can't write, disk full). You don't need a NAS. When the house share disappeared, check the computerThe computer is awake, but Finder or File Explorer cannot see the folder. Check that Samba is still running before you buy a NAS. Open the house share from a laptopThe house folder is on the old PC. Open it from Windows File Explorer or Mac Finder on the house network. You don't need a NAS for this. A backup of the house folderA second copy of the house folder, on a USB disk you already have, or on another old computer. You don't need a NAS for this.