LanSend

Files and clipboard across your devices, never across the internet

Send photos, videos, whole folders and your clipboard between iPhone, Mac and Windows on the same Wi‑Fi. No account, no cloud, no size limits — the data goes straight from one device to the other.

Download v0.4.1 App Store (iOS) View source

macOS 12+ · Windows 10+ · iOS 15+ · MIT licensed · no telemetry

Desktop devices page listing the devices on the same network

Features

What sending a file should feel like

One network, one tap, and it is on the other device.

Speaks LocalSend

Implements LocalSend protocol v2.2, so it discovers and exchanges files with the official clients — including LocalSend on Android and Linux.

No cloud in the middle

Devices talk directly to each other. No server, no account, no telemetry, no size limit. It works on a network with no internet at all.

One design, three platforms

macOS, Windows and iOS share the same interface: a sidebar on the desktop, a tab bar on the phone.

Encrypted and verified

Mutual TLS with fingerprint checks, an optional PIN before anyone can send to you, and a SHA‑256 check on every file received.

Clipboard sync

Once two computers are paired, text, images and file lists follow you between them (macOS and Windows).

Resumable transfers

A dropped Wi‑Fi, a sleeping laptop or a cancelled transfer picks up where it left off instead of starting over.

Folders, sorted on arrival

Send a whole directory with its structure intact; the receiving side can file everything by device, date or type.

Media aware

Types are detected from content. History shows real thumbnails (HEIC / AVIF through the system decoders) and music shows title and duration.

Transfer history

Everything you sent and received, ready to re-send, remove or clear.

Command line tool

lan-send covers discovery, transfers, pairing, clipboard and history on macOS, Windows and Linux.

Eight languages · light & dark

English, 简体中文, 繁體中文, 日本語, 한국어, Deutsch, Français, Español — following the system theme or your choice.

Rust core

Streamed end to end, so a 50 GB file costs no more memory than a small one. File names are sanitised and nothing is written outside your receive folder.

Screenshots

The same app on every screen

Taken from the app itself, not retouched.

Devices — Everything on your network with its online, paired and favourite state — or type an address when discovery is blocked. — **Devices**Everything on your network with its online, paired and favourite state — or type an address when discovery is blocked.

Transfers — One big number for the whole batch, plus progress, speed and time left per file. — **Transfers**One big number for the whole batch, plus progress, speed and time left per file.

Clipboard — Two-way sync with paired computers for text and images, with a history you can copy from again. — **Clipboard**Two-way sync with paired computers for text and images, with a history you can copy from again.

History — What you sent and received, with thumbnails, checksums and where it went. — **History**What you sent and received, with thumbnails, checksums and where it went.

Settings — Device name, receive folder, auto-accept, PIN, sorting rules and language. — **Settings**Device name, receive folder, auto-accept, PIN, sorting rules and language.

How it works

Three steps, all of them on your network

The same protocol as the official LocalSend: UDP multicast discovery, then a direct HTTPS transfer.

Discover

Each device announces its alias and fingerprint over UDP multicast and shows up within a few hundred milliseconds. Where a corporate or public Wi‑Fi blocks multicast, typing the other device’s IP still works.

Accept

The receiving side sees the file list before anything is written and can accept only part of it. You can require a PIN, or a one-time pairing where both ends confirm the same six-digit code.

Transfer

The two devices open a mutually authenticated TLS connection, stream the files into the folder you chose, and verify every one with SHA‑256. An interrupted transfer resumes later.

The protocol details are in the LocalSend interface checklist and protocol extensions: resume, pairing and clipboard sync are private extensions that official clients simply ignore.

Download

Download LanSend v0.4.1

Free and open source. Every installer is built, signed and notarised by GitHub Actions.

LanSend.dmglan-send-0.4.1-macos-universal.dmg · 19.5 MB recommended Portable .app.ziplan-send-0.4.1-macos-universal.app.zip · 18.8 MB

Universal binary for Apple Silicon and Intel. Requires macOS 12 or newer.

All installers and checksums Checksums SHA256SUMS.txt

Command line

When there is no window, there is lan-send

Same core, same config as the app: same discovery, same encryption, same history.

lan-send

lan-send discoverlist the devices on this network
lan-send send "Nice Orange" a.jpg photos/send files and folders by alias, fingerprint or IP
lan-send receive --dir ~/Downloadsreceive in the foreground, confirming each request
lan-send receive --organize device,typefile everything by device and type
lan-send pair "Nice Orange"pair: both ends confirm the same six-digit code
lan-send clip watchtwo-way clipboard sync with paired devices
lan-send history --limit 20show the transfer history

Full usage in lan-send --help and the repository README.

FAQ

Before you download

Does it really work with the official LocalSend?

Yes. LanSend implements the same LocalSend protocol v2.2, so both sides discover each other and transfer in either direction — including LocalSend on Android and Linux. Resume, pairing and clipboard sync are private extensions; official clients ignore those fields and transfer normally.

Do files pass through a server? Do I need an account?

Neither. Files go straight from one device to the other with no relay in between. There is no sign-up, no sign-in, no telemetry, no ads and no in-app purchases.

The other device does not show up.

Check that both devices are on the same Wi‑Fi with LanSend or LocalSend open, and that iOS was granted the Local Network permission. Some corporate and public networks block multicast between clients; in that case use “Send by address” on the Devices page and type the other device’s IP.

Where do received files go?

To the Downloads folder on macOS and Windows by default, configurable in Settings, optionally sorted into folders by device, date or type. On iOS they are in the Files app under “On My iPhone › LanSend”.

Is clipboard sync available on iOS?

No. iOS does not let an app read the clipboard in the background, and a half-working version would be worse than none, so clipboard sync is macOS and Windows only.

Is it open source? Under which licence?

MIT. The core library, the desktop and iOS app and the command line tool are all on GitHub; issues and pull requests are welcome.