Disconnect and reconnect

Eject the other computer’s files when you’ve finished, or disconnect to stop sharing both ways. A remembered computer reconnects the same way when you plug the cable back in.

Eject the other computer’s files

Eject the other computer’s drive or folder as you would a USB drive: in Finder, File Explorer, GNOME Files or Thunar, or with Eject in DirectConnect. In KDE Dolphin, use Eject in DirectConnect. The computers stay connected, and your sharing doesn’t change. To open the files again, click Show again in the other computer’s window.

Disconnect

In the other computer’s window, open the ⋯ menu and choose Disconnect. Both computers stop sharing with each other until you click Reconnect or unplug and reconnect the cable.

The ⋯ menu in the other computer’s window, with Disconnect (Windows)

Unplug the cable

Eject the other computer’s files and wait for copies to finish before you unplug. If you unplug during a transfer, files that hadn’t finished arriving don’t appear. Files that had arrived complete stay.

Reconnect

Plug the cable back in. If you turned on Remember this computer, both computers share the same way as last time, without asking. A notification says the computer has connected, with Open for its files.

Otherwise, the other computer’s window opens and asks again.

Closing DirectConnect’s windows doesn’t disconnect anything. To connect whenever you plug in, turn on Start DirectConnect when I sign in in the main window.

Forget a computer

In the other computer’s window, open the ⋯ menu and choose Forget This Computer…, then confirm. DirectConnect deletes what it remembered about that computer and asks what to share next time. You can also do this without the cable, from the computer list in the main window.

Quit DirectConnect

Choose Quit in the main window. DirectConnect ejects the other computers’ files and stops sharing. If something is still copying, it tells you what’s busy first.