How to Transfer Files with LocalSend from a Phone to a Computer

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1. Install the app on both devices #

Get LocalSend through the official download links. Choose the package or store listing for each device. No account is needed for the native local transfer.

Use a small website handoff as the example: homepage-mobile.png, contact-form.png and project-notes.txt. The images show two screens; the text file explains the changes. Use files you already have and can open on both devices. If you need the images first, the screenshot-tool shortlist covers capture options.

Open LocalSend on the phone and computer. You should see the app's Send, Receive and Settings sections. This walkthrough follows the current English controls in the project's official interface strings.

2. Connect the devices to the same usable network #

Put both devices on the same local network. A computer connected by Ethernet can work with a phone on Wi-Fi when the router allows communication between them. Internet access isn't required for the native app transfer.

Use your own trusted network for this example. A guest network may isolate connected devices, leaving both online while stopping them from talking to each other. LocalSend's network setup explains that access-point isolation blocks this communication.

On the phone's Send screen, look under Nearby devices for the computer. On the computer, check its displayed device name so you can match it to the phone's list. Don't pick a similarly named device without confirming it.

3. Choose where the computer will save the files #

On the computer, open Settings, then the Receive section. Check Save to folder. The official FAQ describes Downloads as the default destination, but an existing installation may have a different saved choice.

For this example, choose a folder you can recognize, such as Website handoff, before receiving the files. The receive request also has Options for the destination. Setting it ahead of time avoids finishing a transfer and then searching several folders for the result.

Leave enough room for the selected files. A successful connection doesn't help if the receiver can't save the incoming data. You should now know the folder where all three copies will appear.

4. Select the example and transfer files with LocalSend #

Open Send. Under Place items to share., add the three example files using the file-selection controls. You can also begin with the phone's system sharing action and choose LocalSend when it's offered.

Check the selected filenames before choosing a receiver. You should see homepage-mobile.png, contact-form.png and project-notes.txt, or your own equivalent three-file example. If an extra file slipped into the selection, remove it before sending.

Choose the computer under Nearby devices. If it isn't listed, use Search devices once and then move to the troubleshooting checks below. Manual sending provides an IP-address route when discovery fails but the network connection itself works.

5. Accept the request on the computer #

On the sending phone, Waiting for response… means the receiver hasn't accepted yet. On the computer, inspect the incoming request's sender and file count, then choose Accept for the expected handoff. Decline rejects an unexpected request.

You should see Sending files on the phone and Receiving files on the computer as the job progresses. Keep both apps available until it completes. A selected recipient and an accepted request are only the start of the transfer.

For this first handoff, stay beside the receiving screen. That lets you distinguish waiting for approval from a transfer that has actually begun. If a request is declined or another transfer makes the receiver busy, address that message before retrying.

6. Open every received file #

Open the folder checked in step three. Confirm that the two images and the text file are present, then open each one. The images should show the expected screens and the note should contain the text you intended to send.

Keep the phone copies until this check is complete. A filename alone doesn't prove the received content is the item you meant to share. For a video, play the beginning and ending as well as a section with sound; larger media deserves more than a directory glance.

If the recipient needs annotations, the ShareX guide explains how to mark the relevant part of a screen. Sending one labeled image can save a second round of messages asking where to look.

7. Repeat only after the small handoff works #

Once the three small files open correctly, send the larger group needed for the project. Check the new file count and destination again. Keep a clear difference between files already reviewed and a second transfer still in progress.

For a recurring phone-and-desktop setup, this gives you a short routine: select, choose the known device, accept and check. For broader phone integration, KDE Connect offers a different approach. Quick Share is another option for supported Android and Windows devices.

Known problems and the next check to make #

The computer sees the phone, but the phone can't find the computer

An October 1, 2025 issue describes this one-way visibility on Windows and iOS. Start with the receiving computer's network profile and firewall. LocalSend's README calls for incoming TCP and UDP on port 53317 and a private Windows network. On Apple devices, check the OS Local Network permission. Try Manual sending after those checks; it can separate a discovery failure from a blocked connection.

An iPhone refuses to send a selected folder

A December 2025 report described a folder-permission error on iOS. Its documented workaround was to move the folder into LocalSend's own folder before selecting it. For a small handoff, selecting the individual files is also a practical way to avoid depending on folder access. Changing Wi-Fi settings won't grant access to a folder the app can't read.

An Android transfer stops after the app goes into the background

A November 2025 request described long transfers stopping while the Android app was in the background. Keep the app in the foreground and the device awake during a large handoff. Begin with a smaller group of files so you can confirm the route before committing a long transfer.

Troubleshooting #

Variations for another handoff #

Send from the computer back to the phone

Reverse the sender and receiver, then check the phone's destination. Save media to gallery is a separate receive option for supported media. A file saved in LocalSend's folder and a photo added to the gallery are different outcomes, so choose the one you need.

Send text or a link instead of an attachment

The app also supports text. Use it for a short project note or a page address when the other device only needs the link. If the purpose is maintaining a research library, a bookmark manager such as Raindrop.io is a better long-term destination than a chain of transferred messages.

Move a recording with screenshots

Keep the image names tied to the recording's subject so the recipient can connect them. The OBS Studio recording guide covers making a window-only demonstration. Check the saved video as well as the images before treating the handoff as complete.

Completion checklist #

• Both devices run the native app and can communicate on the local network.
• The displayed receiver is the computer you intended.
• The incoming request has the expected sender and file count.
• The transfer finished before either app was closed.
• Every example file is present in the chosen folder.
• The received images and text open with the expected content.
• Source copies remain available until the receiving check is complete.

Next steps #

Choose a broader device connection with KDE Connect, or compare the capture tools in ShareX vs Greenshot before preparing the next image handoff. A smaller, clearer set of files is easier for the recipient to review.

Related reading #

Best Free File Transfer Tools for Phones and Computers, LocalSend vs PairDrop: An Offline App or a Browser Handoff?, Tool details, Other options.