MEGA Cloud Storage with Nemo Integration

What This Guide Achieves

Goal	Status
Install MEGAsync on Ubuntu 24.04-based distro	Done
Add Nemo file manager integration (sync icons, right-click menu)	Done
Set up a custom sync directory on a mounted partition	Done
Enable auto-start on login	Done
Verify two-way sync is working	Done

Prerequisites

Linux Mint 22.3 Cinnamon or any Ubuntu 24.04-based distro
Internet connection
A MEGA account (grab one at mega.io)
A working web browser
If using a custom directory on a separate partition, verify your user owns it: sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /media/yourusername/partitionname
Critical: Add the partition to /etc/fstab for auto-mount at boot. Without this, the partition stays unmounted after every restart — MEGA shows a warning because the symlink target doesn’t exist until you click the drive in Nemo. See Rename Drive Labels - Make Partitions Auto-Mount.

The Problem (Windows User Perspective)

On Windows, you download the MEGAsync installer, pick a folder, and it syncs. On Linux, MEGA provides official .deb packages for the Ubuntu family — including a dedicated Nemo plugin that gives you sync status overlay icons and right-click context menus, identical to what nemo-dropbox provides for Dropbox.

Solution

Step 1 — Install MEGAsync

MEGA provides official .deb packages for Ubuntu 24.04 (which covers Linux Mint 22.x). Download and install:

cd ~/Downloads
wget https://mega.nz/linux/repo/xUbuntu_24.04/amd64/megasync-xUbuntu_24.04_amd64.deb
sudo apt install ./megasync-xUbuntu_24.04_amd64.deb

Version installed on the tested setup: 6.3.1-1.1

Step 2 — Install Nemo File Manager Integration

This gives you sync status overlay icons on files and a right-click MEGA menu in Nemo — same experience as Dropbox with nemo-dropbox:

wget https://mega.nz/linux/repo/xUbuntu_24.04/amd64/nemo-megasync-xUbuntu_24.04_amd64.deb
sudo apt install ./nemo-megasync-xUbuntu_24.04_amd64.deb

Version installed on the tested setup: 6.2.0-1.1

Relaunch Nemo for the plugin to take effect:

nemo -q

MEGAsync appears in your system tray and opens on login by default. Click the tray icon → Sign in, then log in with your MEGA credentials in the browser.

By default, MEGAsync creates a MEGA folder in your home directory (~/MEGA).

Step 4 — Move to a Custom Sync Directory (Optional)

If you want MEGA files on a separate partition (like you did with Dropbox on /media/mohsin/bigd/Dropbox), use the symlink approach:

# Stop MEGAsync first
killall megasync

# Ensure your target partition is owned by your user
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /media/mohsin/mmh/MEGA

# Move the default folder
mv ~/MEGA /media/mohsin/mmh/MEGA

# Create a symlink so MEGAsync thinks the folder is still in ~/
ln -s /media/mohsin/mmh/MEGA ~/MEGA

# Restart
megasync &

Alternative — use sync pairs: MEGAsync lets you set sync pairs directly (Settings → Syncs → Add). You can point any local folder to any MEGA cloud folder without using symlinks. The symlink approach above is simpler and mirrors the Dropbox workflow.

Step 5 — Verify Two-Way Sync

Create a test file in your MEGA folder:

echo "Hello from Linux Mint" > ~/MEGA/test-sync.txt

Check MEGA’s web interface at mega.nz — the file should appear within seconds. The reverse works too: upload a file on the web, and it downloads to your local MEGA folder automatically.

Verify MEGAsync is running:

pgrep -a megasync
# Should show: /usr/bin/megasync

What Didn’t Work (and Why)

Approach Tried	Why It Failed
Setting MEGA folder on a root-owned partition	MEGAsync runs as your user and cannot write to root-owned directories. Run `sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /path/to/partition` first
Expecting Nemo integration to work before `nemo -q`	Nemo must be restarted for the MEGA plugin to load
Downloading the wrong .deb architecture (e.g., ARM64 on x86_64)	The tested ThinkPad is x86_64 — use `amd64` packages. Check your arch with `dpkg --print-architecture`

Verification

# Check MEGAsync is running
pgrep -a megasync

# Check Nemo integration is installed
dpkg -l | grep nemo-megasync

# Check files are syncing
ls ~/MEGA
# Or, if using a symlink:
ls -la ~/MEGA
# Should show → /media/mohsin/mmh/MEGA

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Cause	Fix
MEGA folder is empty after sign in	Sync hasn’t started or wrong path	Check `pgrep megasync` and verify the symlink points to the right location
No overlay icons in Nemo	Nemo wasn’t restarted after installing nemo-megasync	Run `nemo -q` to restart Nemo
Files not appearing after move to custom partition	Partition is root-owned	`sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /media/mohsin/mmh/MEGA`
`wget` failing with 404	Updated package URL or wrong architecture	Visit mega.io/desktop, select Linux → Mint 22, and copy the correct download link

Complete Removal

# Stop MEGAsync
killall megasync

# Remove packages
sudo apt remove megasync nemo-megasync

# Remove config
rm -rf ~/.local/share/data/Mega\ Limited
rm -rf ~/.config/MEGA

# Remove the MEGA folder (CAUTION: deletes all local MEGA files)
# rm -rf ~/MEGA

# If you used a symlink, just remove the link
# rm ~/MEGA

Dropbox with a Custom Sync Directory — Similar workflow for Dropbox + Nemo
Google Drive: Multiple Accounts — rclone setup for Google Drive
Rename Drive Labels — How partition labels affect sync paths