📲 Send Files from Phone to PC Without Uploading Them — LocalSend + 13 Alternatives

Tutorials & Methods
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Your phone has a large video. Your PC is right beside it.

Why upload the video to cloud storage, wait for it to finish, and then download it onto the PC? LocalSend takes the shorter route: it transfers the file across your local network.

Free · Open source · No account · No cloud upload

:backhand_index_pointing_right: Download LocalSend → Install it on your phone and PC

:high_voltage: Send a file in three steps

  1. Connect both devices to the same local network. Your PC can be on Ethernet while your phone is on Wi-Fi.

  2. Open LocalSend on both devices. Select the file on your phone.

  3. Tap your PC’s name and accept the transfer.

It works without an internet connection as long as the devices can reach each other on the local network. Transfers are encrypted, and received files go to Downloads by default. LocalSend supports Android, iPhone, Windows, macOS, and Linux.

:wrench: PC not appearing in the list?

Check these before switching tools:

  • Guest Wi-Fi: Some networks prevent connected devices from seeing one another.

  • Windows firewall: Make sure LocalSend can communicate on your private network.

  • VPN: Check whether it allows local network traffic.

  • Device discovery: If automatic discovery fails, try LocalSend’s option to enter the PC’s IP address manually.

:compass: Pick the right alternative

No app installation: PairDrop runs in a browser on each device. Handy for a one-time transfer.

Android + Windows: Quick Share is another nearby-sharing option. You’ll need to install its app on Windows.

More than files: KDE Connect also shares your clipboard, notifications, and phone controls.

Folders you use regularly: Syncthing keeps folders synchronized. Warpinator is a local-network option for sending files and folders, particularly if you use Linux Mint.

:globe_showing_europe_africa: What if the devices are in different cities?

LocalSend is for your local network. For distance, the setup changes:

  • Taildrop — Send between your own devices running Tailscale. Requires a Tailscale account and setup on both.

  • croc and magic-wormhole — Terminal-based tools that connect a sender and receiver using a code.

  • ToffeeShare — Browser-based sharing with someone elsewhere.

  • Send Anywhere — A six-digit key sends a file in a live, one-to-one transfer. Its share-link method temporarily uploads the file, so the method you choose matters.

:hammer_and_wrench: Prefer a manual local setup?

SMB sharing and AnExplorer are worth exploring if you already manage shared folders. Python’s http.server can make a folder available for downloads on a trusted local network; it isn’t a phone-to-PC upload tool.

My pick: For a file on your phone and a PC beside you, start with LocalSend. Use the alternatives when you need browser-only access, automatic syncing, or a transfer across different locations.

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