LocalSend

1. What is LocalSend?

LocalSend is an app for sending files, photos, videos and short messages between devices that are near each other, using your own Wi-Fi network. It does the job AirDrop does on Apple devices, but it runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPhone/iPad and Fire OS, so an Android phone can send to a Windows PC, an iPhone to a Linux laptop, and so on.

It is free and open source (Apache-2.0 license). There is no account to create, no internet connection needed and no cable. Files travel straight from one device to the other without passing through anyone else's server.

A good fit if:

• You regularly move photos or videos from your phone to your computer and currently use a chat app, email or a cable for it.
• Your household mixes Apple devices with Android or Windows, so AirDrop does not cover everyone.
• You want to send large files without using mobile data or uploading them to a cloud service.

Not a fit if:

• The two devices are in different places. LocalSend only works when both are on the same local network.
• You are on public Wi-Fi (cafe, hotel) that stops devices from seeing each other. See section 5.

2. What you need

Two devices connected to the same Wi-Fi network (or one device sharing a hotspot with the other), with LocalSend installed on both.

The latest version at the time of writing is v1.18.2, released on 21 August 2026. Minimum requirements from the official documentation:

Device	Minimum version	Note
Android	7.0	Android 5 and 6 are supported up to v1.17.0 only
iPhone / iPad	iOS 13.0	iOS 12 is supported up to v1.17.0 only
macOS	11 Big Sur	Older Macs need OpenCore Legacy Patcher 2.0.2
Windows	10	Windows 7 is supported up to v1.15.4 only
Linux	Any	Needs xdg-desktop-portal plus xdg-desktop-portal-gtk (GNOME) or xdg-desktop-portal-kde (KDE)

No account, no API key, no payment.

Note: LocalSend does not update itself. The developers recommend installing from an app store or a package manager (a tool that installs software with a single command) so that updating later is easy.

3. Step-by-step installation

Step 1: Install on your phone (the easiest part)

• Android: open Google Play, search for "LocalSend" and tap Install. Official page: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.localsend.localsend_app . If you avoid Google Play, it is also on F-Droid: https://f-droid.org/packages/org.localsend.localsend_app
• iPhone / iPad: open the App Store, search for "LocalSend" and tap Get. Official page: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/localsend/id1661733229
• Amazon Fire tablets: available in the Amazon Appstore.

What success looks like: the LocalSend icon is on your home screen. When you open it you see three tabs, Receive, Send and Settings, and a random name for your device (something like "Cute Tomato").

On first launch an iPhone asks for "Local Network" access. Allow it, otherwise the app cannot find other devices.

Step 2: Install on a Windows PC

Option A — download the installer (no command line):

1. Open https://github.com/localsend/localsend/releases/latest
2. Scroll to "Assets" and download LocalSend-1.18.2-windows-x86-64.exe (pick the file without "unsigned" in its name).
3. Open the downloaded file and follow the installer.

If you would rather not install anything, download LocalSend-1.18.2-windows-x86-64.zip (the portable build), unzip it and run it directly.

Option B — one command (easier to update later):

Windows 10 and 11 include a tool called Winget. Open PowerShell and type:

winget install localsend

What success looks like: LocalSend appears in the Start menu. The first time you open it, Windows may show a firewall prompt asking whether the app may use the network. Allow it. If you skip this, the PC can still send files but cannot receive them.

Step 3: Install on macOS

The simplest route is the Mac App Store: search for "LocalSend" and click Get.

Alternatively, download LocalSend-1.18.2.dmg from the Releases page above, open it and drag LocalSend into the Applications folder.

If you already use Homebrew (a package manager for Mac, from https://brew.sh):

brew install --cask localsend

Step 4: Install on Linux

Pick whichever matches your distribution.

Flatpak (from Flathub):

flatpak install flathub org.localsend.localsend_app

Snap:

sudo snap install localsend

The Releases page also offers .deb, .AppImage and .tar.gz files for a manual install.

Step 5: Check that the two devices see each other

1. Connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network.
2. Open LocalSend on both.
3. On one of them, open the Send tab.

What success looks like: within a few seconds the other device's name appears under Nearby devices. If it does not, go to section 5.

4. First use

Try sending one photo from your phone to your computer:

1. On the computer, open LocalSend and stay on the Receive tab. Your device name is shown there.
2. On the phone, open the Send tab, tap Media (photos and videos) and choose a photo. The other options are File, Folder, Text and Paste (sends whatever you last copied).
3. Under Nearby devices, tap the computer's name.
4. The computer shows a request saying a device wants to send you a file. Click Accept.
5. When the transfer finishes, the computer confirms it. By default the file lands in your Downloads folder; you can change that under Settings, in the Receive section ("Save to folder").

Photos and videos arrive as the original files. They are not recompressed the way chat apps do it.

Things worth trying next:

You want to	Where
Stop confirming every incoming file	Receive tab or Settings: turn on Quick Save
Auto-accept only from devices you know	Turn on Quick Save for "Favorites"
Send to someone who has not installed LocalSend	Send tab, Send mode, choose Share via link; the recipient opens that link in a browser while on the same Wi-Fi
Receive from a device without LocalSend	Receive tab, Receive via link; since v1.18.2 the sender can drag and drop files onto that browser page
Send to several devices at once	Send mode, choose Multiple recipients
Change the name other devices see	Settings, Network section, Device name

Note: With Quick Save on, anyone on the same local network can send you files without your approval. Use it at home and switch it off on shared Wi-Fi.

5. Common problems and fixes

The app has a built-in Troubleshoot page, with an automatic fix button for some issues. The table below is drawn from the project's official documentation.

Symptom	Cause	Fix
The devices do not see each other	The router has "AP isolation" enabled, which is common on guest, cafe and hotel networks	Turn AP isolation off in the router's admin page. If you cannot, let one phone share a hotspot with the other device and try again
A Windows PC never appears in other devices' lists	Windows treats the network as "Public" and restricts it	In Windows network settings, change the current Wi-Fi network to "Private"
The computer can send but cannot receive	A firewall is blocking incoming connections	Allow incoming connections (both TCP and UDP) on port 53317. On Windows, click allow when the firewall prompt appears
An iPhone, iPad or Mac sees no devices	The "Local Network" permission is missing or stuck	Under Privacy in the system settings, toggle the "Local Network" permission for LocalSend off and on
A VPN is running and nothing shows up	Many VPNs block local network connections by default	Enable the VPN's option to allow local (LAN) traffic, or pause the VPN during the transfer
Same Wi-Fi, everything checked, still invisible	The network blocks automatic device discovery	On the sender, choose Manual sending and type the receiver's IP address (shown on its Receive tab). If that works, add the device to Favorites so the app connects to it directly next time
Transfers are slow	2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, or encryption overhead	Put both devices on 5 GHz Wi-Fi. On a home network you trust, you can turn off Encryption on both devices
Receiving on Android is slow	A known platform issue the developers are tracking	No full fix yet; see https://github.com/flutter-cavalry/saf_stream/issues/4

On Linux, open the firewall port with ufw:

sudo ufw allow 53317

Or with firewalld:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=53317/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=53317/udp
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Note: With encryption off, data travels over plain HTTP. Only do this on your own private network, and remember both devices need the same setting (both on or both off) to find each other.

6. Uninstalling and updating

Updating

LocalSend has no built-in updater.

• Installed from Google Play, the App Store, the Mac App Store or Amazon: the store updates it like any other app.
• Installed from an .exe, .dmg, .deb, .AppImage or APK file: go to https://github.com/localsend/localsend/releases/latest , download the new version and install it over the old one.
• Installed with Winget, Homebrew, Flatpak or Snap: use that tool's own update command.

Update both devices. Version 1.18.2 fixes compatibility problems with v1.17.0 and earlier, so if an old install cannot see a new one, upgrade before looking for other causes.

Uninstalling

• Phone: long-press the LocalSend icon and uninstall it like any other app.
• Windows: open the installed apps list in Settings, find LocalSend and uninstall. For the portable build, just delete the unzipped folder.
• macOS: drag LocalSend from Applications to the Trash.
• Linux: use the remove command of the tool you installed it with (Flatpak, Snap or your package manager).

Files you have already received stay where they are.

7. Frequently asked questions

Does LocalSend cost anything? No. It is free and open source. The settings include an optional way to support the project with a donation.

Does it need the internet? No. The two devices only need to share a local network. A router with no internet connection works fine, and transfers do not use mobile data.

Are my files uploaded to a server? No. According to the project documentation, devices talk to each other directly, the data is encrypted with HTTPS, and the security certificate is generated on each device. No third-party server sits in the middle.

Can I send to a friend in another city? No. This is a tool for devices that are close together on the same network. For long distance you still need a cloud service or a chat app.

Can it run on a computer without a screen? Yes. The Releases page includes a command-line client, localsend-cli, for Windows, macOS and Linux, aimed at people comfortable in a terminal. This command lists every option:

localsend-cli --help