LocalSend: Send Files Between Linux, Windows, macOS, and Phones

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Released Oct 13, 2026, 12:30 PM EDT

Nimrah has actually invested the last five-plus years blogging about innovation, with Linux being among her preferred topics to check out.

Her work covers whatever from Linux and open-source software application to databases, cybersecurity, and daily software application. She has actually added to BaeldungMake Tech Easier, and LinuxHint.

She especially delights in turning a principle that at first appears made complex into something anybody can comprehend.

Far from tech, she likes to check out, prepare brand-new dishes, and attempt brand-new dining establishments and foods.

Have you ever emailed yourself an accessory, published a file to cloud storage, or linked your phone with a cable television simply to move something in between gadgets? If so, you understand how needlessly made complex and discouraging file sharing can be. Things end up being a lot more uncomfortable when your gadgets run various os.

LocalSend takes a various method to fixing this issue. It’s a complimentary, open-source app that lets you move files and text in between Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and iOS over your regional network. It does not need cloud storage, cable televisions, or an account. The concept may sound familiar if you’ve utilized AirDrop. The distinction is that LocalSend isn’t locked to one brand name’s environment.

What makes LocalSend various from other file-sharing apps?

LocalSend is a complimentary, open-source file-sharing app offered for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS, making it helpful if your gadgets do not all come from the very same community. You can send out a file from your Windows PC to a Linux laptop computer, relocation pictures from your phone to your Mac, or share text in between 2 computer systems. It likewise has a web app that lets you open LocalSend in an internet browser on both gadgets and share files.

LocalSend does not depend on a remote server to move your files. Rather, it finds neighboring gadgets on your regional network and transfers information straight in between them.

LocalSend does not provide anything especially distinct or overwhelming, however it covers the basics, consisting of:

• No account or login needed

• Submit, folder, text, and clipboard sharing

• Assistance for all file types

• Encrypted transfers utilizing HTTPS

• Produces TLS/SSL certificates for each gadget

• Web app compatibility with Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera

• Assistance for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS

• Automatic discovery of gadgets on the exact same network

• Optional PIN defense for additional security

• Personalized save place, with Downloads as the default

If you’re sharing big files or folders consisting of great deals of images, LocalSend is a great choice for 2 factors. Your files will not be submitted to a third-party cloud service, and transfers can be quicker due to the fact that they occur over your regional network without the typical upload-and-download cycle.

How to send out files utilizing LocalSend

Set up the app on both gadgets, pick a recipient, and accept the transfer

The procedure of sharing files is rather basic. You simply require LocalSend set up on both gadgets. For this presentation, I’m utilizing Windows and Ubuntu, however you can follow the exact same basic procedure with other supported platforms.

Download and set up LocalSend from its main site on both gadgets. I utilized the Windows installer on Windows and the APT plan on Ubuntu. As soon as you’ve set up the app on both gadgets, link them to the very same Wi-Fi or regional network and leave LocalSend working on each. They need to immediately find each other. Each gadget has an alias, which is an arbitrarily produced name by default. You can alter it in the app’s settings.

On Windows, open the Send out tab. Select Files to pick specific files, Folders to share a directory site, or utilize the text and clipboard choices to send out other material. As soon as you’ve picked what you wish to share, LocalSend shows the readily available neighboring gadgets. Discover your Ubuntu system in the list and pick it as the recipient

LocalSend then sends out a transfer demand to Ubuntu. Change to your Linux system and try to find the inbound demand. Examine the sender and file information, then accept the transfer

LocalSend moves the file over your regional network. When the transfer surfaces, you can open the gotten file or discover it in your set up location folder. By default, got files are conserved to the Downloads folder, however you can alter the location in the app’s settings. You can reverse the procedure whenever you require to send out something from Ubuntu to Windows. Just choose the file on Linux and select your Windows PC as the location.

Limitations worth understanding about

Firewall programs and network settings can avoid gadgets from discovering each other

LocalSend is quite simple when whatever works, however there are a couple of things to bear in mind.

It isn’t a general-purpose remote file-sharing service. Your gadgets require to be able to interact over a regional network, so you can’t utilize it to send out a file to somebody throughout the web in another place.

Second, gadget discovery can stop working even when both computer systems are linked to Wi-Fi. Your firewall program might obstruct LocalSend’s network traffic, so permitting inbound TCP and UDP traffic on port 53317 and outbound TCP and UDP traffic on any port might assist.

Your router might likewise avoid linked gadgets from interacting with each other. This prevails on visitor networks and public Wi-Fi. If your router has AP or customer seclusion allowed, inspect whether disabling it deals with the concern. Gadgets linked to various Wi-Fi bands might likewise be not able to interact if your router isolates them.

If LocalSend still can’t find your other gadget, you can likewise by hand go into the getting gadget’s IP address in LocalSend. Inspect LocalSend’s troubleshooting guide for comprehensive services.

Keep in mind that encrypted transfers do not immediately make every inbound file trustworthy. Examine the sender and accept files just from gadgets or individuals you trust.

Who should utilize LocalSend?

If you routinely share files in between gadgets that do not come from the exact same environment, LocalSend deserves attempting. It’s specifically helpful for mixed-device families and work environments where individuals utilize a mix of Windows PCs, Linux makers, Macs, and phones.

The more diverse your gadgets, the more LocalSend makes its location. It’s complimentary, open-source, fast to establish, and refreshingly without accounts and advertisements. Its primary constraints, needing a shared regional network and periodically requiring firewall software modifications, are little compromises for the benefit and personal privacy it provides.

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