File Share
No signup. No server. Files go directly between browsers.
About File Share
Most file sharing methods route your data through a third-party server — Dropbox, WeTransfer, Google Drive — which means uploading your file, waiting for the upload to complete, then having the recipient download it from the cloud. For large files, this means uploading twice the file size over your connection and trusting that server with potentially sensitive data.
File Share uses WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication) to establish a direct peer-to-peer connection between two browsers. Once the connection is established, your file transfers directly from sender to receiver — no server stores or sees the file contents; a free PeerJS signaling server is used only to introduce the two browsers to each other. The sender gets a 6-character code (letters and digits, shown as ABC-DEF), a shareable link and a QR code. The receiver types the code — or simply opens the link, which connects automatically — then confirms with "Accept & Download" to start the transfer.
This approach has practical advantages: no cloud account, no upload wait, files are never stored anywhere, and the transfer is encrypted with DTLS, the security layer WebRTC mandates. Two caveats worth knowing. The transfer is buffered in browser memory on both ends, so your available RAM is the real ceiling — a few hundred megabytes is comfortable, multi-gigabyte files are not. And the connection relies on public STUN servers to find a direct route: there is no TURN relay fallback, so it shines on the same local network (LAN), works over the internet whenever both networks allow a direct path, and can be blocked outright by strict corporate firewalls or carrier-grade NAT.
How to Use File Share
- 1Open File Share in the sender's browser and click "Send a File".
- 2Drop the file you want to send onto the upload area, or click it to browse your device.
- 3A 6-character code like ABC-DEF appears, along with a QR code and "Copy Code" / "Copy Link" buttons — send either one to the recipient.
- 4The recipient opens File Share, clicks "Receive a File", and types the code — or just opens the shared link or scans the QR, which connects automatically with nothing to type.
- 5The recipient sees the file name and size, clicks "Accept & Download", and the transfer starts with a live progress bar on both ends.
- 6Keep both browser tabs open until the transfer completes — closing either tab cancels it.
Use Cases
- →Send large files that exceed email attachment size limits without cloud storage
- →Transfer files privately between devices without uploading to any third-party server
- →Share files between your laptop and phone on the same Wi-Fi network instantly
- →Send a colleague a file without creating a shared drive folder or cloud storage link
- →Transfer sensitive documents (contracts, medical records) without server involvement
- →Share design files, footage or archive packages between nearby devices — zip them first, since each session sends a single file
Tips
- ✓Keep both browser tabs open for the entire transfer — closing either tab stops it immediately
- ✓The 6-character connection code expires in 10 minutes if nobody connects — share it and connect quickly
- ✓Send the link instead of the code when you can: opening it connects the receiver automatically, with nothing to type
- ✓The code alphabet skips I, O, 0 and 1, so there is no ambiguity when you read it out loud
- ✓Transfers on the same local network (LAN/Wi-Fi) are fastest and most reliable
- ✓Corporate networks with strict firewall rules may block the connection entirely — there is no relay server to fall back on
- ✓The file is held in browser memory on both ends, so keep transfers under a few hundred megabytes on a typical machine
- ✓Large file transfers over internet (not LAN) depend entirely on both parties' upload/download speeds
- ✓For very large files, a USB drive or local network share may be faster depending on network conditions
Frequently Asked Questions
File Share uses WebRTC DataChannels to create a direct connection between two browsers. The file travels directly from sender to receiver without touching any server. A free PeerJS signaling server is used only to establish the initial connection.
We impose no limit, but the transfer is buffered in browser memory on both ends, so your device's available RAM is the real ceiling — a few hundred megabytes is comfortable on a typical machine. Speed depends on your network connection. For multi-gigabyte files, a USB drive or a local network share is the more reliable route.
The connection code expires after 10 minutes if no receiver connects. After that, the sender needs to start over and generate a new code.
No. The file goes directly from the sender's browser to the receiver's browser via WebRTC. No server stores your file at any point.
The connection uses public STUN servers to discover a direct route between the two browsers. There is no TURN relay fallback, so strict corporate firewalls or carrier-grade NAT can block the connection outright. In that case, both parties should try from a different network (e.g., mobile hotspot), ideally the same Wi-Fi.
Currently one file per transfer session. For multiple files, compress them into a ZIP first (use the Archive Converter tool), then send the single ZIP.