Transfer files to Windows VMs

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To transfer files to Compute Engine virtual machine (VM) instances, different options are available depending on your workstation OS and the target instance OS.

Transfer from To Windows instances
Linux
Windows, macOS, or Android

Transferring files through Cloud Storage

Cloud Storage buckets can be used as a transfer point between you and your VMs. You can use a web browser, the Google Cloud CLI, or a programming language to transfer files between Cloud Storage and Compute Engine VMs.

Different credential types can be used for the upload and download step to best suit your needs:

To use Cloud Storage to transfer files between a computer and a VM, do the following:

  1. Create a Cloud Storage bucket if you don't have an existing bucket to use for file transfers.
  2. Use IAM permissions to modify the access to the bucket:
    • Accounts uploading file(s) to the bucket should have the Storage Object Admin granted.
    • Accounts downloading file(s) should have the Storage Object Viewer role granted.
  3. Login to the source device and upload the files to the bucket.
  4. Login to the destination device and download the files from the bucket completing the file transfer.
  5. Optional: Delete files that you no longer need to prevent any unwanted storage charges.

If you need to transfer files in the other direction, you can reverse the process. Ensure that the account uploading the file has write access to the bucket.

Transfer files using the Google Cloud CLI

Google Cloud CLI provides a Secure Copy Protocol (SCP) file transfer utility over an established SSH connection.

To transfer files using SCP, do the following:

  1. Enable SSH on your Windows VM if it's not already enabled.
  2. Review your firewall rules and confirm that SSH connections in on port 22 are permitted; if not create a SSH firewall rule.
  3. Ensure gcloud CLI is installed on the source device containing the files to be transferred.
  4. Use the gcloud compute scp command to transfer the files to the destination machine.

The following example copies a file from your workstation to the home directory of the VM:

gcloud compute scp LOCAL_FILE_PATH VM_NAME:REMOTE_DIR

Replace the following:

  • LOCAL_FILE_PATH: the path to the file on your machine
  • VM_NAME: the name of your VM
  • REMOTE_DIR: a directory on the remote machine

You can also copy files and directories in reverse from the remote machine. The following example recursively copies a directory from the source to the destination:

gcloud compute scp --recurse VM_NAME:REMOTE_DIR LOCAL_FILE_PATH

For more information, see the gcloud compute scp reference documentation.

Transferring files through the Windows RDP client

Many first party Microsoft RDP Clients support connecting local storage to a remote Windows VM; however this is not supported on all clients.

Follow the instructions for the operating system of the device you're transferring files to or from:

Windows

Transfer files through the built-in Remote Desktop Connection app (%systemroot%/system32/mstsc.exe) by doing the following:

  1. Open the Remote Desktop Connection application.
  2. Expand Show Options.
  3. Click the Local Resources tab.
  4. Under Local devices and resources, click More.
  5. Select the Drives checkbox, or pick your chosen drive.
  6. Connect and login to the VM as you would normally.
  7. Open File Explorer on the remote machine and see your drive mounted.
  8. Use this drive for file transfers while you are connected.

macOS

Transfer files through the Remote Desktop Microsoft RDP Client for macOS by doing the following:

  1. Click the + icon in the top left.
  2. Select Add PC.
  3. Under the Folders tab, enable Redirect folders.
  4. Press + icon in the bottom left.
  5. Choose a folder that you would like redirected.
  6. Connect and login to the VM as you would normally.
  7. Open File Explorer on the remote machine and see your folder mounted.
  8. Use this drive for file transfers while you are connected.

Android

Transfer files through the Remote Desktop app from Microsoft.

  1. Press the + icon in the top right.
  2. Select Add PC.
  3. Under Device & Audio Redirection, enable Storage.
  4. Connect and login to the VM as you would normally.
  5. Open File Explorer on the remote machine and see your storage mounted.
  6. Use this drive for file transfers while you are connected.

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