Do my files pass through or get saved on any server?

No. Nearsend is strictly a peer-to-peer (P2P) platform. The signaling server is only used to exchange temporary session tokens and WebRTC handshake coordinates. Once connected, your files, text, and clipboard stream directly between your devices via WebRTC DataChannels in 64KB encrypted chunks.

How does the Voice Pairing work securely?

When you generate a voice pairing phrase, the host device creates an ephemeral 3-minute token. When spoken on the guest device, browser speech recognition converts the acoustic phrase into the token. The server validates the match and immediately triggers an explicit confirmation prompt on the host device before any connection is allowed.

Does Nearsend work across different operating systems?

Yes! Nearsend works seamlessly across any modern web browser — Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, iPadOS, and ChromeOS. No native apps or software installations are required.

Is there a file size limit on Nearsend?

Because transfers stream directly via WebRTC without hitting a central server memory limit, you can send files ranging from kilobytes to multi-gigabyte videos. Nearsend incorporates backpressure flow control to ensure smooth transmission without exhausting device RAM.

Send Files Without Cloud Storage

Cloud storage tools make you upload a file, wait for it to sync, then download it again on the other device — plus whatever storage quota you’re working with. Nearsend skips the cloud step entirely and sends the file straight to the other device.

The usual problem

Uploading to Google Drive, iCloud, or Dropbox just to move a file between two of your own devices means waiting twice — once to upload, once to download — and it counts against a storage quota the whole time it sits there. For anything private, it also means a copy of the file lives on a company’s servers, even briefly.

How Nearsend solves it

Nearsend connects two devices directly over an encrypted WebRTC connection. The file goes straight from the sending device to the receiving device in one pass — there’s no upload step, no intermediate storage, and no quota, because the file is never stored on a server in between.

How to do it

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.

Why it works well here

No app to install — runs in the browser on both devices
No account or sign-up required
Works across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and ChromeOS
Files stream directly device-to-device — nothing is stored on a server
No upload/download round trip and no storage quota — the file only ever exists on the sending and receiving device

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the file get uploaded to a server anywhere?

No. Files stream directly between the sending and receiving device — Nearsend’s server only helps the two devices find each other.

Is there a storage quota?

There’s nothing to run out of, since nothing is stored — the limit is just your two devices’ own network connection.

Is this faster than cloud storage for large files?

Often, yes — a direct transfer skips the upload-then-download round trip cloud storage requires.

Does the other device need a cloud account to receive the file?

No — just an open browser tab on nearsend.app.

Is it private?

Files pass directly between the two devices over an encrypted connection, without sitting on a server at any point.