Exploring KDE Connect CLI in Windows

about 3 minutes | Jul 24, 2025 | #kdeconnect #file_transfer #cli #windows #regedit

KDE Connect is a very powerful tool that has become an essential part of my workflow. Recently I also discovered that it has its own command! Time to explore.

Actions #

The executable is kdeconnectcli.exe, which is installed by default in C:\Program Files\KDE Connect\bin.

To do any actions, locate a device name by invoking the -l flag:

powershell

.\kdeconnect-cli -l --id-name-only

- Phone: 766ec235_4a4a_4e4e_a077_8e120667b65c (paired and reachable)

- Desktop: _f60ebfa6_216c_4eb2_b834_2d700ce18920_ (paired)

Then, use the -d flag to specify the device ID, followed by the action flag. For example, to send a ping to my phone:

powershell

.\kdeconnect-cli -d '766ec235_4a4a_4e4e_a077_8e120667b65c' --ping

An action only works if the device is paired and reachable. Otherwise any actions will results in this error:

error: No such object path: '/modules/kdeconnect/devices/<device ID>/<action flag>'

Other interesting flags include:

--ring: Blast a loud sound.
--refresh: Reestablish connection and search for devices at the same time.
--send-clipboard: Send clipboard.
--share <path/URL> and --share-text <text>: Transfer data.
--send-sms <message> --destination <phone number>: Send an SMS (Android only, must grant permission first)
--my-id: Print your device ID

For more details, use the -h or --help flag.

Backends #

To check which connection method is enabled, use -b or --list-backend flag.

powershell

.\kdeconnect-cli -b

BluetoothLinkProvider|enabled

LanLinkProvider|enabled

Output are self-explainatory. The BluetoothLinkProvider may not work with old versions.

While featureful, sometimes interacting with the app, especially sharing files can be tedious. In Linux, the Cinnamon desktop (and by extension, Linux Mint) have this action, which integrates it directly to the context menu of the file manager. The same can be achived with Windows by adding a registry key to the shell.

Unfortunately, KDE Connect does not provide interactible dialog to choose a device. Fortunately, powershell have the command Out-GridView which show a selection dialog. Here are the steps to do so (modify instructions per your needs):

Warning

Modifying the registry can cause problems if not done carefully.

Install #

Open regedit.exe, navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\.
Create a new key by right-click on the shell key (folder) -> Key, name it SendWithKDEConnect. Select that key.
Change the (Default) value to “Send to KDE Connect” or any message you want.
Create a new String Value named Icon and set it to C:\Program Files\KDE Connect\icon.ico (Optional)
Create a new key on SendWithKDEConnect named command. Set the (Default) value to:

plaintext

powershell.exe -WindowStyle Hidden -Command "& \"$env:ProgramFiles\\KDE Connect\\bin\\kdeconnect-cli.exe\" -d $((& \"$env:ProgramFiles\\KDE Connect\\bin\\kdeconnect-cli.exe\" -a) -split \"`r`n\" -replace \" \(.*\)|- |:\", \"\" | ForEach-Object { $parts = $_ -split \" +\", 2; [PSCustomObject]@{Name=$parts[0];\"Device ID\"=$parts[1]} } | Out-GridView -Title \"Select a device for %1\" -OutputMode Single).\"Device ID\" --share \"%1\""

Right-click on the file -> “Show more options” (Windows 11 only) -> Send with KDE Connect. A dialog will ask you to select a device. Click OK. The file will be sent on the receiving device.

Select a device for file picture

Uninstall #

Open regedit.exe again, navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\. Right-click on SendWithKDEConnect, click Delete and confirm deletion.

Ending notes #

For elaboration, below is powershell version of command to type in your terminal to have functionality to the context menu. This one-liner removes the beginning dash, double-dot and “(paired and reachable)” text, renames the columns and open up a dialog, then sends files according to parameters.

powershell

(& "$env:ProgramFiles\KDE Connect\bin\kdeconnect-cli.exe" 
  -d $((& "$env:ProgramFiles\KDE Connect\bin\kdeconnect-cli.exe" -a) 
  -split "`r`n" 
  -replace " \(.*\)|- |:", "" 
  | ForEach-Object { 
    $parts = $_ -split " +", 2; 
    [PSCustomObject]@{Name=$parts[0];"Device ID"=$parts[1]} } 
  | Out-GridView -Title "Select a device for $args" -OutputMode Single)."Device ID" --share $args)

If no suitable device is found, then it will prints: Couldn't find device with id "--share"

On further examination, it seems that some command-line flag that does not get integrated in the main user interface. Maybe that’s experimental for now?

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