---
title: "Connect with the mc client"
description: "Install the MinIO mc client, add your bucket as an alias, and upload, list, and remove objects from the command line."
content_type: "how-to"
product: "object-storage"
platform: "MyAccount"
url: "/myaccount/object-storage/how-to/connect-with-the-mc-client/"
topic: ["create-and-connect"]
relationships: {"requires":["/myaccount/object-storage/how-to/generate-an-access-key/"]}
---

# Connect with the mc client

`mc`, the MinIO client, is one way to work with a bucket from the command line, built by the
same team behind the SDKs E2E recommends. You need a bucket and an access key first; see
[Generate an access key](/myaccount/object-storage/how-to/generate-an-access-key/).

## Install mc

Download `mc` from MinIO's
[AIStor Client download page](https://www.min.io/download/aistor-client). Choose your operating
system and architecture there, and the page shows the file to download and the commands to
install it. On a 64-bit Intel or AMD Linux machine, for example:

```bash frame="none"
wget https://dl.min.io/aistor/mc/release/linux-amd64/mc
chmod +x mc
```

On macOS, install it with Homebrew instead:

```bash frame="none"
brew install minio/aistor/mc
```

An `mc` you installed earlier from MinIO's older download links keeps working with every
command on this page.

Confirm it runs (`mc.exe --help` on Windows):

```bash frame="none"
mc --help
```

Add it to your PATH (for example, `mv mc /usr/local/bin` on Linux or macOS) so you can run it
from anywhere.

## Add your bucket as an alias

```bash frame="none"
mc alias set <alias-name> <endpoint-url> <access-key> <secret-key>
```

Use `https://objectstore.e2enetworks.net` for a Delhi bucket, or the Chennai endpoint from
[S3 compatibility](/myaccount/object-storage/concepts/s3-compatibility/) for one there, along
with the access key and secret key from
[Generate an access key](/myaccount/object-storage/how-to/generate-an-access-key/). Pick a
short, memorable `alias-name`: you will use it in every `mc` command on this page instead of typing your
credentials again. When the alias is saved, `mc` confirms it:

```text
Added `<alias-name>` successfully.
```

Check that the alias reaches your bucket by listing it. Each object prints on its own line, with
the time it was last changed, its size, and its name:

```bash frame="none"
mc ls <alias-name>/<bucket-name>/
```

```text
[2026-09-23 10:15:02 IST] 1.2MiB STANDARD report.pdf
[2026-09-23 10:16:40 IST]  48KiB STANDARD notes.txt
```

An empty bucket prints nothing. An access denied error means the key is not attached to this
bucket, or its role does not allow what you asked; see
[Generate an access key](/myaccount/object-storage/how-to/generate-an-access-key/).

An older release of `mc` may not know `mc alias`. Update it, or use the older form of the same command:

```bash frame="none"
mc config host add <alias-name> <endpoint-url> <access-key> <secret-key>
```

## Work with objects

List what is in a bucket:

```bash frame="none"
mc ls <alias-name>/<bucket-name>/
```

Upload a file:

```bash frame="none"
mc cp <local-file> <alias-name>/<bucket-name>/
```

Add `--recursive` to copy a whole folder. Remove an object:

```bash frame="none"
mc rm <alias-name>/<bucket-name>/<object-name>
```

To clear out a bucket but keep the bucket itself, remove every object in it at once. This
cannot be undone, so check the bucket name first:

```bash frame="none"
mc rm --recursive --force <alias-name>/<bucket-name>/
```

The bucket's **Empty** action in MyAccount does the same from the dashboard.

Check how much space a bucket is using:

```bash frame="none"
mc du <alias-name>/<bucket-name>/
```

Search for an object by name:

```bash frame="none"
mc find <alias-name>/<bucket-name>/ --name "<pattern>"
```

Print an object's contents straight to your terminal, or pipe data from another command
straight into one:

```bash frame="none"
mc cat <alias-name>/<bucket-name>/<object-name>
<some-command> | mc pipe <alias-name>/<bucket-name>/<object-name>
```

Print only the first few lines of a large object instead of the whole thing:

```bash frame="none"
mc head -n <line-count> <alias-name>/<bucket-name>/<object-name>
```

`mc pipe` streams data into a bucket without writing it to disk first, which suits backups. This dumps a MySQL database straight into a bucket:

```bash frame="none"
mysqldump -u <db-user> -p <db-name> | mc pipe <alias-name>/<bucket-name>/backups/<db-name>.sql
```

Enter the database password when asked; the dump uploads as it is written. When your prompt comes back, the file is in the bucket, and you can list it with `mc ls <alias-name>/<bucket-name>/backups/`.
For a scheduled backup with s3cmd instead,
see [Back up a MySQL database to E2E Object Storage](/myaccount/object-storage/how-to/back-up-a-mysql-database-to-object-storage/).
Remove an upload that failed partway through instead of a finished object:

```bash frame="none"
mc rm --incomplete <alias-name>/<bucket-name>/<object-name>
```

Generate a presigned download link, valid for the duration you set:

```bash frame="none"
mc share download <alias-name>/<bucket-name>/<object-name> --expire=<duration>
```

Replace `<duration>` with a number followed by `h` for hours, `m` for minutes, or `s` for
seconds, for example `--expire=12h`. A link can last at most 7 days, which is `168h`.

Check a bucket is reachable, and list every version of every object if
[Object Versioning](/myaccount/object-storage/how-to/turn-on-object-versioning/) is on:

```bash frame="none"
mc ready <alias-name>/<bucket-name>/
mc ping <alias-name>/<bucket-name>/ --count 4
mc ls --recursive --versions <alias-name>/<bucket-name>/
```

Update mc itself to the latest version:

```bash frame="none"
mc update
```

## Work that happens outside mc

`mc` works on the objects inside the buckets your key is attached to. Creating a bucket,
listing every bucket on your account, and turning on public access happen in the dashboard or
through the MyAccount API. The same goes for `mc`'s admin commands, such as `mirror`, `watch`,
`policy`, `admin`, and `config`, because an access key reaches objects in its buckets, not the
account itself. See
[S3 compatibility](/myaccount/object-storage/concepts/s3-compatibility/) for the full picture,
including why a permission-related warning during setup is expected and safe to ignore.

If a command fails, see
[Troubleshooting E2E Object Storage](/myaccount/object-storage/troubleshooting/object-storage/).