Send Files Between Devices Privately

Nearsend streams files, folders, text, and clipboard content directly between two devices over an encrypted WebRTC connection. There is no app to install, no account to create, and nothing is ever stored on a server, the two devices pair with a QR code, a 6-digit PIN, or a spoken phrase, then send data straight to each other.

How it works

Open Nearsend on both devices, Go to nearsend.app in any modern browser on the sending and receiving device; no app to install.
Pair them, Scan the animated QR code, enter the 6-digit PIN, or say the voice phrase to connect the two devices directly.
Send your files or folder, Drop files or a full folder onto the page, or pick them from the file browser. They stream straight to the other device.

Each device gets a temporary, funny identity for the session, something like "🐧 Captain Penguin", with no account, login, or personal information required to get one. Once two devices pair, the connection is a direct WebRTC data channel: files, folders, text, and clipboard content stream across in encrypted 64KB chunks, with backpressure flow control so a large transfer doesn't overwhelm either device's memory.

Key features

No app to install, runs in the browser on both devices
No account or sign-up required
Works across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, ChromeOS, and HarmonyOS
Sends files, full folders, text, clipboard content, and links
DTLS-encrypted WebRTC data channels; nothing passes through server storage
No file size cap imposed by Nearsend, large videos and folders stream the same way small files do

Direct transfer vs. the usual cloud upload

A typical cloud-based "share" tool uploads your file to its own server first (100% of the file, one direction), stores it on disk or in a database, and then the recipient downloads it back down (100% again, the other direction), double the bandwidth, a wait on both ends, and a copy of your file sitting on a company's infrastructure in between. Nearsend's signaling server only coordinates a short-lived connection token between the two devices; once the WebRTC handshake completes, the file goes straight from one device to the other over a single encrypted channel, with nothing stored in the middle at any point.

What people use it for

People reach for this kind of direct transfer for the same handful of reasons: getting photos and videos off a phone and onto a computer, moving a work document between a personal laptop and a work one without emailing it to yourself, sending a folder of files to someone nearby without zipping it first, or sharing a link or a block of text without switching to a messaging app. In each case, the two devices just need a browser and a way to pair, a QR code, a 6-digit PIN, or a spoken phrase, and the transfer starts immediately.

What you'll see when you open Nearsend

The page itself is the tool: a device identity card showing the current session's temporary name, quick actions for sending files, a folder, a note of text, a clipboard item, or a link, and a drop zone for dragging files in directly. Any device that's already paired, or discoverable nearby, shows up as a card you can send to directly, without repeating the pairing step for each new file.

Guides

Phone to PC Send Folders Large Files Without an App LocalSend Alternative P2P Transfer Without Shared Wi-Fi Private Sharing