Sharing Files Between Your Devices with LocalSend

If you’re someone who uses multiple devices, you know how much fun it can be to move files between those devices. Sure, you can go old school and use USB flash drives or cables. Or you can turn to like Nextcloud or OwnCloud (or one of their proprietary counterparts) to do the deed. But what if you don’t want to create yet another account with another service? Or if you don’t want to self host those services?

That’s where Localsend comes in. So what’s Localsend, you’re probably asking? It’s software that enables you to move files directly between devices, without plugging something in or using someone else’s computer.

Let’s take a look at it.

Getting LocalSend

LocalSend is available for:

• Linux.
• Android.
• iOS.
• Windows.
• macOS.

Because, let’s face it, you might not only be a multi-device person, but also a multiple operating system one.

I installed LocalSend on my computers as flatpaks using the software centres that came with the Linux distributions running on those computers. I also installed it on my phone via F-Droid.

Using LocalSend

To use LocalSend, the devices between which you’re transferring files need to be on the same wifi network. When you start LocalSend (at least on the Linux desktop), you see something like this:

To send to another device, click Send. You see something like this:

See the funny name highlighted in the image above? Localsend assigns one to each device so you know that you’re moving files between the right ones. In this case, that was between my StarLite Mark V and my phone.

In the Selection section of the screen, click either:

• File (enables you to choose one or more files to transfer).
• Folder (copies a folder).
• Text (send text that you type as a text file).
• Paste (paste text to send as a text file).

Here’s what it looks like when you select something to send:

To include other files, click + Add and select one of the options above. Rinse and repeat. Then, when you’re ready to go, click the name of the target device in Localsend. On that device, you’re asked to accept or decline what’s being sent. This is what you see on the desktop:

Click Accept. The files you transfer are saved to the Downloads folder in your /home directory. A confirmation screen displays — like this one on the Linux desktop:

Click Done to return to the main screen.

Fiddling with Settings

Everything I did above was using Localsend’s out-of-the-box settings. There are several settings that you can tweak, including:

• The application’s appearance and language.
• The funny name that Localsend assigns to your device.
• A PIN that you can use to make a transfer a little more secure.
• Enabling a feature called Quick Save, which does away with the accept/decline window.
• Not showing a confirmation when a transfer is done.
• Changing the folder in which to save files.

And more.

Here’s a peek at some of Localsend’s settings:

Final Thoughts

Localsend is a quick, easy, and effective way to move files between your devices. Especially if you don’t want to worry about needing a server or additional hardware or a USB cable.

It’s especially useful if, like many people, you don’t need to constantly sync files but instead share the occasional one or two (like some of the photos you’ve taken on your phone or music track you bought).

— Scott Nesbitt