{"id":14560,"date":"2026-09-04T09:43:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T13:43:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/?p=14560"},"modified":"2026-08-24T09:53:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T13:53:41","slug":"transfers-across-devices-with-localsend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/?p=14560","title":{"rendered":"Transfers Across Devices with LocalSend"},"content":{"rendered":"
\r\n
\r\n \r\n <\/i>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/span>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n

I have several computers: two are running Linux, and one is a MacBook Air. Additionally, I have an iPhone. Often, I want to easily transfer files and images between these devices. One option is to email the files to myself, but that can be cumbersome. I could also use Google Drive or Apple iCloud, but none of these solutions provides easy access across all three operating systems. Recently, while searching for open-source options on macOS, I came across LocalSend<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LocalSend is open source and licensed under Apache<\/a>. It\u2019s available for download<\/a> on macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, and Windows. Eager to try it out I quickly installed it on the MacBook Air using Homebrew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

brew install --cask localsend<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
I installed it on my Linux desktop using Flatpak and found it quickly in the Linux Mint software manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Screen picture by Don Watkins CC by SA 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
You can also download it as a .deb <\/a>file or an AppImage<\/a> on Linux. Installation was quick, and I was soon able to transfer files from the MacBook Air to the Linux Desktop easily. The devices must be on the same local area network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Using LocalSend is easy once it is installed. I opened LocalSend on the MacBook Air and on the Linux desktop. Each instance is uniquely identified with a name. The MacBook is identified as \u201cBeautiful Lettuce,\u201d the Linux desktop is \u201cNeat Mango.\u201d I can easily send or receive files. folders, text or copy and paste from one device to another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Screen picture by Don Watkins CC by SA 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Opening LocalSend on the MacBook, I select an image of a horse I took recently at the nearby county fair. The Linux desktop is identified as \u201cNeat Mango.\u201d I click on \u201cNeat Mango\u201d and the file is easily transferred to the nearby Linux desktop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Screen picture by Don Watkins CC by SA 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
I receive a notification on the Linux desktop that I have a file waiting to be accepted from the MacBook, which is identified as \u201cBeautiful Lettuce.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Screen picture by Don Watkins CC by SA 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
In conclusion, LocalSend is an invaluable tool for seamlessly transferring files across my diverse devices. Its open-source nature and compatibility with multiple operating systems, including Linux, macOS, Windows, Android and iOS, make it a standout choice for anyone looking to simplify their file-sharing experience. The ease of installation and user-friendly interface further enhance its appeal, allowing me to move files quickly without the hassle of email or cloud storage services. I highly recommend LocalSend to anyone facing similar challenges transferring files between devices, as it offers a robust, efficient solution that meets the needs of users in today\u2019s multi-platform world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I have several computers: two are running Linux, and one is a MacBook Air. Additionally, I have an<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":5193,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-linux"],"modified_by":"David Both","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14560"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14560\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14566,"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14560\/revisions\/14566"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.both.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}