TRAMP 2.7.3.30.2 User Manual

This file documents TRAMP 2.7.3.30.2, a remote file editing package for Emacs.

TRAMP stands for “Transparent Remote (file) Access, Multiple Protocol”. This package provides an easy, convenient, and consistent interface to editing remote files transparently, just as if they are local files. This extends to editing, version control, dired, and more.

You can find the latest version of this document on the web at https://www.gnu.org/software/tramp/.

The latest release of TRAMP is available for download, or you may see Obtaining TRAMP for more details, including the Git server details.

TRAMP also has a Savannah Project Page.

There is a mailing list for TRAMP, available at tramp-devel@gnu.org, and archived at the TRAMP Mail Archive.

Copyright © 1999–2025 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover Texts being “A GNU Manual”, and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled “GNU Free Documentation License”.

(a) The FSF’s Back-Cover Text is: “You have the freedom to copy and modify this GNU manual.”

Table of Contents

• 1 An overview of TRAMP

• 2 Obtaining TRAMP

• 3 Short introduction how to use TRAMP

  • 3.1 File name syntax
  • 3.2 Using ssh and plink
  • 3.3 Using su, sudo, doas, run0, androidsu and sg
  • 3.4 Combining ssh or plink with su, sudo, doas or run0
  • 3.5 Using sudoedit
  • 3.6 Using smbclient
  • 3.7 Using GVFS-based methods
  • 3.8 Using GNOME Online Accounts based methods
  • 3.9 Using FUSE-based methods
  • 3.10 Using Android

• 4 Configuring TRAMP

  • 4.1 Optional methods which must be enabled first

  • 4.2 Types of connections to remote hosts

  • 4.3 Inline methods

  • 4.4 External methods

  • 4.5 GVFS-based external methods

  • 4.6 FUSE-based external methods

  • 4.7 Selecting a default method

    • 4.7.1 Which method to use?

  • 4.8 Selecting a default user

  • 4.9 Selecting a default host

  • 4.10 Connecting to a remote host using multiple hops

  • 4.11 Passing firewalls

    • 4.11.1 Tunneling with ssh
    • 4.11.2 Tunneling with PuTTY

  • 4.12 Using Non-Standard Methods

  • 4.13 Selecting config files for user/host name completion

  • 4.14 Reusing passwords for several connections

    • 4.14.1 Using an authentication file
    • 4.14.2 Caching passwords

  • 4.15 Reusing connection related information

  • 4.16 Setting own connection related information

    • 4.16.1 Relevant connection properties to override

  • 4.17 How TRAMP finds and uses programs on the remote host

  • 4.18 Remote shell setup hints

    • 4.18.1 Changing the default remote or local shell
    • 4.18.2 Other remote shell setup hints

  • 4.19 Ssh setup hints

    • 4.19.1 Using ssh config include for host name completion
    • 4.19.2 Detection of session hangouts
    • 4.19.3 Using ssh connection sharing
    • 4.19.4 Configure direct copying between two remote servers
    • 4.19.5 Issues with Cygwin and MS Windows ssh

  • 4.20 FUSE setup hints

    • 4.20.1 rclone setup
    • 4.20.2 sshfs setup

  • 4.21 Android shell setup hints

  • 4.22 Kubernetes setup hints

  • 4.23 Auto-save, File Lock and Backup configuration

  • 4.24 Protect remote files by encryption

• 5 Using TRAMP

  • 5.1 TRAMP file name conventions

  • 5.2 Alternative file name syntax

  • 5.3 File name completion

  • 5.4 Declaring multiple hops in the file name

  • 5.5 Expanding ~ to home directory

  • 5.6 Integration with other Emacs packages

    • 5.6.1 Running remote programs that create local X11 windows
    • 5.6.2 Managing remote shell history
    • 5.6.3 Running shell on a remote host
    • 5.6.4 Running shell-command on a remote host
    • 5.6.5 Running eshell on a remote host
    • 5.6.6 Running a debugger on a remote host
    • 5.6.7 Running remote processes on MS Windows hosts
    • 5.6.8 Remote process connection type
    • 5.6.9 Process properties of asynchronous remote processes
    • 5.6.10 Improving performance of asynchronous remote processes

  • 5.7 Cleanup remote connections

  • 5.8 Renaming remote files

  • 5.9 Archive file names

• 6 Reporting Bugs and Problems

• 7 Frequently Asked Questions

• 8 How file names, directories and localnames are mangled and managed

  • 8.1 Where temporary files are kept

  • 8.2 Splitting a localname into its component parts

  • 8.3 Integrating with external Lisp packages

    • 8.3.1 File name completion
    • 8.3.2 File attributes cache
    • 8.3.3 Timers, process filters, process sentinels, redisplay

  • 8.4 Adding new methods to TRAMP

    • 8.4.1 Writing an own ELPA package
    • 8.4.2 Making a customized method optional
    • 8.4.3 Activating a customized method without loading the package

• 9 How to Customize Traces

• Appendix A GNU Free Documentation License

• Function Index

• Variable Index

• Concept Index