How to Use LocalSend: The Beginner's Guide (Phone to PC, Folders, and the No-Wi-Fi Trick)

CodexFuse Team · 2026-10-30T10:01:12.531Z · 11 min read min read

Learning how to use LocalSend takes about ten minutes, and it can replace half the workarounds you use today to move files between your own devices — emailing yourself attachments, plugging in cables, or uploading to cloud storage just to download again on the other side. LocalSend is a free, open-source app that sends files, folders, and text directly between nearby devices over your local network, with no account, no cloud, and no ads. If you have ever wished AirDrop worked across brands — between an iPhone and a Windows PC, or an Android phone and a Linux laptop — this is the tutorial you need.

The whole system rests on one rule: both devices must run LocalSend and be on the same local network. Once that is true, devices find each other automatically and transfers start in seconds. This beginner guide walks through installing it on every platform, sending files in both directions, moving whole folders, the Quick Save and PIN settings, the no-Wi-Fi hotspot trick, and the fixes for the one problem most beginners hit — a device that does not appear in the list. (If you need folders that stay in sync continuously rather than one-off transfers, see this Syncthing beginner guide — Syncthing and LocalSend solve different halves of the problem.)

What is LocalSend, and how is it different from AirDrop?

LocalSend is a free, open-source file-sharing app for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS that transfers files directly between devices on your local network — no cloud servers, no accounts, and no third-party services involved at any step. According to the project's own homepage, it has passed 93,000 GitHub stars and 35 million downloads, with over 230 contributors and zero ads or trackers.

The AirDrop comparison is the fastest way to understand it. AirDrop moves files between Apple devices over the local network with no cloud in the middle — LocalSend does the same thing, but across brands and operating systems. It uses mDNS for peer discovery, encrypts transfers in transit with TLS, and requires the receiver to explicitly accept each transfer, so files never leave your LAN. As the LocalSend FAQ puts it: transfers are encrypted using HTTPS, you can add PIN verification, received files land in your device's Downloads folder by default, and no account or login is ever required.

How do you use LocalSend for the first time?

Every LocalSend transfer follows the same six-step loop. Learn it once and it works identically on every platform.

1. Install LocalSend on both devices — from the official download page at localsend.org for desktop, or the App Store, Google Play, or F-Droid for mobile.
2. Put both devices on the same network — the same Wi-Fi network, or both plugged into the same router or switch. Guest networks can block devices from finding each other.
3. Open LocalSend on both devices — each device shows a friendly alias (a randomly generated name like "Nice Apple" or "Fine Carrot"), which you can rename in Settings.
4. On the sending device, open the Send tab — pick Files, Media, Text, or an entire Folder.
5. Choose the receiving device from the nearby-devices list.
6. Accept the transfer on the receiving device — check the sender name and file details, tap Accept, and find the file in your Downloads folder (or the custom folder you set in Settings).

That loop is the entire product. Everything after this is about the edge cases: installs, folders, Quick Save, no-Wi-Fi setups, and troubleshooting.

How do you install LocalSend on each device?

Installation takes a couple of minutes per device, and the official route is always the same: desktop builds come from the download page at localsend.org, and mobile builds come from the official app stores. The project's FAQ confirms LocalSend is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

On phones, install "LocalSend" from the App Store (iPhone), Google Play, or F-Droid (Android) — both stores carry the official build. On desktops, a recent community setup guide (updated August 2026) lists the package-manager routes as current and maintained: winget install LocalSend.LocalSend on Windows, brew install localsend on macOS, and flatpak install flathub org.localsend.localsend_app or sudo snap install localsend on Linux. How-To Geek's October 2026 walkthrough used the Windows installer and the Ubuntu APT package instead — any of these get you the same app.

One practical note from that same guide: LocalSend does not publish an official Docker image, so if you want an always-on receive endpoint on a home server or NAS, run the desktop build in a desktop session on that host rather than hunting for a container. If you are building a self-hosted home setup around it, this Jellyfin beginner guide shows the self-host lane for media — LocalSend is the file-moving lane, not the server lane.

How do you send files from your phone to your PC?

Sending photos from your phone to your computer is the most common LocalSend use case, and it works the same on iPhone and Android. Open LocalSend on the phone and the computer, confirm both are on the same network, then follow these steps.

1. On the phone, tap Send, then choose Media for photos and videos or Files for documents.
2. Select the items you want to move.
3. Choose the computer under nearby devices.
4. On the computer, check the sender alias and file details, then click Accept.
5. When the transfer finishes, open the destination folder and verify the file count before deleting anything from the phone.

Because transfers run over your local Wi-Fi rather than up to a cloud and back, large multi-gigabyte video files move in seconds or minutes instead of hours — and no internet data is used at all.

How do you send files from your PC to your phone?

The reverse direction is nearly identical, which is the point of the product. Drag a file or folder into the LocalSend window on your computer, or open the Send screen and browse for what you want to share, then choose the phone as the destination.

Accept the transfer on the phone, then find the item in your phone's Downloads or Files app. Desktop apps also support the OS share menu — right-click a file and choose "Send via LocalSend" — and on both desktop and mobile you can send plain text and clipboard content, not just files. There is even a web-app mode that opens LocalSend in a browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera are listed as compatible), handy when one side cannot install the app.

Can LocalSend send a whole folder?

Yes — LocalSend supports sending entire folders, not just individual files, which is what makes it practical for moving a photo shoot, a project directory, or a document archive in one go. In the Send tab, choose the Folders option instead of Files, pick the directory, and select the receiving device exactly as you would for a single file.

Two things are worth knowing before you move big trees. First, LocalSend does not resume partial transfers — if a transfer stalls partway through (usually flaky Wi-Fi), you restart the send rather than continuing where it stopped, so for very large folders a stable connection matters. Second, the "Share via Link" option in the Send tab can generate a shareable link or QR code for recipients who do not have LocalSend installed.

What is Quick Save in LocalSend?

Quick Save is a setting on the receiving device that skips the per-transfer Accept step and saves incoming files automatically. Turn it on in Settings when both devices are yours and on a trusted network, and files land in your chosen folder with no approval prompt.

The safety rule matters more than the convenience: keep Quick Save off on public or untrusted networks. With it on, anyone running LocalSend nearby can drop files onto your device without you approving each one. The related Require PIN setting adds an identity check — the sender must enter a PIN you set before the transfer starts — and it is worth enabling alongside Quick Save if you ever use LocalSend outside your home network. Also remember that discovery beacons broadcast your device name, so rename the default "random fruit" alias in Settings → Device to something sensible like "Tony-Laptop", and quit the app on networks you do not trust.

Can you use LocalSend without Wi-Fi?

Yes — LocalSend does not need the internet or even a Wi-Fi router, because it only needs a local network path between the two devices. The no-Wi-Fi trick is the mobile hotspot: turn on the hotspot on one device, connect the second device to that hotspot, and open LocalSend on both.

The phone and computer now share a local network through the hotspot, and discovery, sending, and accepting work exactly as normal. Transfers never touch the internet, so no mobile data is consumed — the data travels directly between the two devices. This is the answer for car transfers, field work, and any place where there is simply no router around.

LocalSend not showing your device?

Device discovery failing is the single most common LocalSend problem, and it is almost always a network or firewall issue — not an app bug. Work through this checklist in order.

• Confirm the same subnet. Both devices must be on the same network segment. Ping one device from the other by IP — if the ping fails, you have a routing problem, not a LocalSend problem.
• Check the Receive toggle. On the receiving device, open Settings → Receive and make sure receiving is enabled.
• Open the firewall port. LocalSend needs port 53317 open for both TCP and UDP (the same port handles discovery and data). On Linux with UFW: sudo ufw allow 53317/tcp and sudo ufw allow 53317/udp, then reload. On macOS and Windows, the system firewall prompts the first time the app tries to receive a connection — allow it. A quick smoke test is to temporarily disable one firewall and see whether discovery starts working; if it does, your rule was wrong.
• Watch for AP / client isolation. Guest networks and many public Wi-Fi setups isolate clients so devices cannot see each other — LocalSend cannot work there by design. Devices on different Wi-Fi bands (2.4 GHz vs 5 GHz) can also be isolated by the router. Look for an "AP isolation" or "wireless isolation" setting and turn it off, or enable mDNS reflection if your firewall supports it.
• Add the device manually by IP. The Send tab has an option to add a device by its IP address — the fallback when mDNS broadcast is blocked on the network.

On iOS, one more gotcha: Apple's aggressive background management can kill LocalSend while it waits for a transfer — keep the app open in the foreground during transfers, or initiate the send from the iPhone side instead of receiving.

LocalSend vs AirDrop vs Syncthing: which should you use?

The short answer: they answer different questions, and many people end up with two of them. Here is the original comparison distilled from the guides and the official documentation used for this article.

Use LocalSend when your devices do not share an ecosystem — the classic case is a mixed-device household or workplace with Windows PCs, Linux machines, Macs, and phones. Use AirDrop if everything you own is Apple. Use Syncthing when the goal is not a one-time move but a folder that stays mirrored on both sides. And if the devices are not on the same physical network at all — say, sending to a home server while traveling — no LAN tool will do; you need a remote-access layer like Tailscale (see this Tailscale beginner guide), which pairs well with LocalSend for LAN-style transfers at a distance.

Sources

• LocalSend official site (localsend.org, fetched 2026-10-30) — platforms, no-account model, HTTPS encryption, optional PIN, Downloads-folder default, free and open source, 93k+ GitHub stars, 35M+ downloads, 230+ contributors, no ads or trackers, works offline with data never leaving the local network, FAQ answers.
• How-To Geek, "LocalSend: Send Files Between Linux, Windows, macOS, and Phones" (published Oct 13, 2026) — install walkthrough, Send-tab flow, port 53317 TCP/UDP firewall rule, AP/client isolation, manual IP fallback, accept-trust note, web-app compatibility, folder/file/text/clipboard support, alias settings.
• Code with Romi, "LocalSend: AirDrop for Your Homelab (No Cloud, No Limits)" (updated Aug 31, 2026) — mDNS discovery, TLS in transit, explicit accept, package-manager installs (Flatpak, Snap, Homebrew, Winget), v1.17.0 install list, UFW commands, Settings → Receive toggle, add-device-by-IP fallback, no official Docker image, no partial-transfer resume, iOS background behavior, device-name beacon caution, discovery-behind-Ethernet note.
• TipsMake, "What Is LocalSend: Complete Guide and Key Details" — Share via Link, Quick Save setting, Require PIN, device alias examples.
• Smart Tech Guide 365, "How to Share Files Securely Across Devices on Local Wi-Fi Using LocalSend" — hotspot trick, Quick Save steps, send/accept flow.
• Constructor.net.au, "Get your LAN sync groove on with Syncthing + LocalSend!" — device-alias renaming, same-network rule, LocalSend as the one-off-transfer complement to Syncthing.

Frequently asked questions

Does LocalSend work over the internet?

No. LocalSend only works between devices on the same local network — it cannot send a file to someone in another city. It is a LAN tool, not a remote file-sharing service. For devices on different networks, pair it with a remote-access tool instead.

Is LocalSend safe to use?

Transfers are encrypted in transit with TLS/HTTPS, every transfer must be explicitly accepted by the receiver (unless you enable Quick Save), and optional PIN verification adds an identity check. The project states that files never leave your local network. One caution from the guides: encrypted transfer does not make an incoming file trustworthy — check the sender and accept files only from people you trust.

Where do received files go in LocalSend?

Received files land in your device's standard Downloads folder by default. You can change the destination in Settings (the Storage section on desktop). Verify the file count in the destination folder before deleting anything from the sending device.

Does LocalSend work between iPhone and Android?

Yes — cross-platform transfers are the entire point. Install LocalSend from the App Store on the iPhone and Google Play or F-Droid on the Android phone, put both on the same network, and send exactly as you would between two computers. No Apple ID, Google account, or cable is involved.

Do both devices need LocalSend installed?

For normal transfers, yes — both devices run the app so they can discover each other. But LocalSend also offers a Share via Link option that generates a link or QR code, letting someone receive files without installing the app, and a web-app mode that opens LocalSend in a browser on supported browsers.