localsend / localsend

An open-source cross-platform alternative to AirDrop

LocalSend

Homepage • Discord • GitHub • Codeberg

中文

LocalSend is a free, open-source app that allows you to securely share files and messages with nearby devices over your local network without needing an internet connection.

• About
• Screenshots
• Download
• How It Works
• Getting Started
• Contributing
  • Translation
  • Bug Fixes and Improvements
• Building
  • Android
  • iOS
  • macOS
  • Windows
  • Linux

About

LocalSend is a cross-platform app that enables secure communication between devices using a REST API and HTTPS encryption. Unlike other messaging apps that rely on external servers, LocalSend doesn't require an internet connection or third-party servers, making it a fast and reliable solution for local communication.

Screenshots

Download

It is recommended to download the app either from an app store or from a package manager because the app does not have an auto-update.

Windows	macOS	Linux	Android	iOS	Fire OS
Winget	App Store	Flathub	Play Store	App Store	Amazon
Scoop	Homebrew	AUR	F-Droid
Chocolatey	DMG Installer	Nixpkgs	APK
MSIX Installer		TAR
EXE Installer		DEB
Portable ZIP		AppImage

Read more about distribution channels.

Setup

In most cases, LocalSend should work out of the box. However, if you are having trouble sending or receiving files, you may need to configure your firewall to allow LocalSend to communicate over your local network.

Traffic Type	Protocol	Port	Action
Incoming	TCP, UDP	53317	Allow
Outgoing	TCP, UDP	Any	Allow

Also make sure to disable AP isolation on your router. It should be usually disabled by default but some routers may have it enabled (especially guest networks).

Portable Mode

(Introduced in v1.13.0)

Create a file named settings.json located in the same directory as the executable. This file can be empty. The app will use this file to store settings instead of the default location.

How It Works

LocalSend uses a secure communication protocol that allows devices to communicate with each other using a REST API. All data is sent securely over HTTPS, and the TLS/SSL certificate is generated on the fly on each device, ensuring maximum security.

For more information on the LocalSend Protocol, see the documentation.

Getting Started

To compile LocalSend from the source code, follow these steps:

1. Install Flutter directly or using fvm (see version required)
2. Clone the LocalSend repository
3. Run cd app to enter the app directory
4. Run flutter pub get to download dependencies
5. Run flutter run to start the app

Note

LocalSend currently requires an older Flutter version (specified in .fvm/fvm_config.json) and thus build issues may be caused by a mismatch between the required and the (system-wide) installed Flutter version.
To make development more consistent, LocalSend uses fvm to manage the project Flutter version. After installing fvm, run fvm flutter instead of flutter.

Contributing

We welcome contributions from anyone interested in helping improve LocalSend. If you'd like to contribute, there are a few ways to get involved:

Translation

You can help translate this app to other languages!

1. Fork this repository
2. Choose one
   • Add missing translations in existing languages: Only update _missing_translations_<locale>.json in app/assets/i18n
   • Fix existing translations: Update strings_<locale>.i18n.json in app/assets/i18n
   • Add new languages: Create a new file; see also: locale codes.
3. Optional: Re-run this app
   1. Run cd app to enter the app directory.
   2. Make sure you have run this app once.
   3. Update translations via flutter pub run slang
   4. Run the app via flutter run
   5. Open a pull request

Take note: Fields decorated with @ are not meant to be translated; they are not used in the app in any way, being merely informative text about the file or to give context to the translator.

Bug Fixes and Improvements

• Bug Fixes: If you find a bug, please create a pull request with a clear description of the issue and how to fix it.
• Improvements: Have an idea for how to improve LocalSend? Please create an issue first to discuss why the improvement is needed.

For more information, see the contributing guide.

Building

These commands are intended for maintainers only.

Android

Traditional APK

flutter build apk

AppBundle for Google Play

flutter build appbundle

iOS

flutter build ipa

macOS

flutter build macos

Windows

Traditional

flutter build windows

Local MSIX App

flutter pub run msix:create

Store ready

flutter pub run msix:create --store

Linux

Traditional

flutter build linux

AppImage

appimage-builder --recipe AppImageBuilder.yml

Snap

Feel free to open a pull request. There is a snap branch to play with.

Contributors

localsend's Issues

update local IP address on network change

LocalSend exits unexpectedly after minimized to the tray

LocalSend: 1.6.0
OS: Windows 10 22H2 (19045.2486)

Steps to reproduce:

1. Launch LocalSend and change the settings to allow minimizing to the tray upon close
2. Close LocalSend
3. Observe that the LocalSend icon stays in the tray
4. Wait for 30~60 seconds
5. Observe icons from the tray

Expected result:
LocalSend's icon should remain in the tray and the app should function normally.

Actual result:
LocalSend's icon disappears from the tray and the Windows machine could not be found from LocalSend from other devices.

Other factors (may be irrelevant)

• Chrome is running
• The machine has a multi-monitor setup
• LocalSend is set to launch at Windows startup

can't automatically search for LAN devices on my mac computer

But by manually entering the ip address, the transmission can be completed.

macbook pro m1 ：os 13.2
iphone 12：os 16.3

Partially accept requests

Allow the receiver to choose a subset of files instead of all files.

Support multiple local IP addresses

Some devices can have multiple network adapters. The app should make use of all of them instead of a random one.

Finished with error when the file transfer is about to be completed

Here is the file to transfer: ideaIU-2022.3.2.win.zip
Transfer from Windows to Android devices, all client versions are 1.6.1

[CJK fonts] mixed font-family when displayed as ZH_CN

When displayed in Windows with ZH_CN, font-family is mixed with Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Japanese fonts. Which makes it very disjointed to read.

It may be a default fallback font problem. A specified font-family can avoid this problem. Commanly suggested font for ZH_CN is "微软雅黑 UI" (aka. "Microsoft YaHei UI")

message history

Can I check message history, like sms, maybe it will be more convenient when send several texts.

Headless mode

Run this app without a GUI.

localsend --headless

Can not discover win PC in iOS

Can not discover win PC in iOS, but can be discovered by win PC.

My device model: iPhone 12 P M
iOS version: 16.0
LocalSend version:1.6.2(23)

PC: Win 11 22H2
LocalSend version:1.6.2(23)

responsive UI

New version cannot be installed on iOS

Did you buy GitHub stars?

https://www.reddit.com/r/github/comments/10ogfxj/i_got_18k_stars_after_bought_service_from_baddhi/

Feature request: Select application to share apk files between Android

It will be more convenient :)

Detect or fix firewall issues

Dear developer,

I tried this nice tool, and I find the Linux version cannot be found by other devices I have.

I tried to input the IP, but not work.

Then I realize it is the firewall issue. I open the port in firewall settings, and it works like a charm.

Is it possible to let LocalSend open the port automatically (perhaps difficult because root privilege is needed), or at least check the availability of the port and suggest the user what to do?

Cheers,
Yu

Missing localsend_app/gen directory in source code

It seems missing localsend_app/gen directory in source code.

Release on AUR

Hi there!

Found this app from "trending" - really like this so far, i think i will use it!

I would love to have it nicely installed with auto-updates so i can follow how you guys are going

Ekhm, I use Arch btw - and recently i've been uploading my own Dart app to AUR - the process is very simple: you create the account on AUR, make a PKGBUILD file with some fields, and then commit it to your app repo - to update, just make a new PKGBUILD and commit-push again 👍

Here's the script that generates it for me:

https://github.com/TheLastGimbus/GooglePhotosTakeoutHelper/blob/master/scripts/gen-pkgbuild.bash

It just downlaods the binary from gh releases

Here i use it in a gh action:

https://github.com/TheLastGimbus/GooglePhotosTakeoutHelper/blob/3a0d48e8555ab0c20c8da12424d43bb7888f4516/.github/workflows/new-release.yml#L72-L75

Of course, it's simpler for me because it's a single binary, but you can also look at how @KRTirtho does it in https://github.com/KRTirtho/spotube - they have a really great setup with all the releases 👍

Support AndroidTV

all button can not click with Remote control center button AndroidTV
just like enter button

the web version is not working

i tried it on vs code the web version is not working, a blank page appears.

Mimimize to system tray

Add option to minimize app to system tray

Suggestions

Can text be transferred without file？It will be easier to transfer.
And the display of historical records will also be more convenient，you can find some examples in the project "LANDrop"

最新版本启动时常报错

win10 22H2 x64系统

drag&drop on window

would be convenient

iPadOS & Android 13 互传失败

AppStore 与 PlayStore 下载，均为20230128下载安装。

在传输文件或者图片时：
1 接收端如果不开启自动保存
2 接收端页面没有任何提示
3 发送端一直是等待响应中
4 接收端开启自动保存
5 可收到文件

在发送文本消息时：
1 接收端不开启自动保存
2 可收到信息

权限都给到了 不确定哪里问题
Android 与iPad 无论谁做接收端 都有此问题

macOS release

Add all platform binaries to GitHub Releases

Hi,

Can you please consider adding other platforms to the GitHub releases page? I don't like using my platform's app store and try to avoid it whenever possible. Having Windows and macOS binary releases, alongside Linux AppImage and Android APK builds would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Favorites

Allow setting favorites to avoid discovering.

Each favorite should be bound to a LAN network.

Geolocation permission may be needed to implement this feature.

android/win: configure destination folder

Consider adding the feature of interacting with Tasker for Android?

Appimage Failed to load module "xapp-gtk3-module"

Gtk-Message: 09:26:26.776: Failed to load module "xapp-gtk3-module"
[FATAL:flutter/shell/gpu/gpu_surface_gl_delegate.cc(57)] Check failed: gl_version_string. The GL proc resolver's glGetString(GL_VERSION) failed
Aborted

In reading it seems this is an error that can be ignored - BUT - localsend errors out with 'Aborted'
Please fix your program.

Wrong files count in info box (progress page)

In the info box (progress page), the wrong file count is shown.
This seems to be a UI issue as files are downloaded correctly

Add automatic cache clean-up

Hi,

I think LocalSend should add automatic cache clean-up.

i18n support

Hi, is it possible to add Chinese translation. I can help with it.

Localsend & VPN

Hi
I have a question: if I want to use this app with VPN connection. VPN must be disabled. Is that so?

Send to custom IP address

Can't find the laptop in the same local network

I have had 4 devices test.
1 PC, 1 Thinkpad laptop, 2 Pixel phones
The PC and 2 phones can find each others but the PC and phones can't find the Thinkpad.
However the Thinkpad is able to find the PC and the phones. Test and files can be sent to the PC.

remark:

1. all are in the same local network/WiFi;
2. all app with server started;
3. all with default port

Thank you for your nice work.

Add to package managers in Windows

Here is a checklist:

• Winget (microsoft/winget-pkgs#95002)
• Scoop (ScoopInstaller/Extras#10357)
• Chocolatey (chocolatey-community/chocolatey-package-requests#1410)

Can you add an MSIX installer in the releases so I can add LocalSend to Winget? Thanks.

Windows App crashes randomly on app start

When starting the windows app, there is a probability that after 3-5 secs the app crashes.

Might be related to fluttercommunity/plus_plugins#404

Unable to discover local devices when using Localsend on Chromebook

Hi! I just found your app and it's awesome. I have a Chromebook and an Android phone, yet sometimes Nearby Share just won't work so I will use some other apps to transfer files between my devices, and your app is a great fit.

However, it seems that when I use the Android version of Localsend on my Chromebook, it won't find my Android phone, even though they are connected to the same local network. But if I manually enter my Android phone's IP address, it works and I can send files from Chrome OS to my phone. Also, the Localsend App on my phone is able to discover my Chromebook.

I suspect the way Android apps work on Chrome OS is causing this issue. Basically, Chrome OS runs Android Apps in a seperated container, along with its seperated network interfaces. From the documentation of Localsend's protocol, the discovery is implemented by sending request to all local IP addresses, yet the App on Chrome OS has a different subnet compared to my Android phone. (But this doesn't explain why my phone can discover my Chromebook. Perhaps some Chrome OS magic?)

Here is a screenshot of Localsend running on Chrome OS.
(It shows a subnet of 100.115.92.0/24, yet my local network has a subnet of 10.0.0.0/24)

Since this is a technical limitation of Chrome OS, currently I don't have any real practical solutions. One possible way is to include a network subnet setting panel, which can override the default subnet provided by system API, and send the discover requests to that subnet.

Hope this feedback helps.

[macOS] Unhandled Exception: ProcessException: Too many open files when click SendTab/File

Steps to reproduce:

1. clone this repo
2. flutter pub get & flutter pub run build_runner build
3. flutter run on macos
4. click SendTab/File

Stacktrace:

[ERROR:flutter/runtime/dart_vm_initializer.cc(41)] Unhandled Exception: ProcessException: Too many open files
  Command: which osascript
#0      _ProcessImpl._start (dart:io-patch/process_patch.dart:401:33)
#1      Process.start (dart:io-patch/process_patch.dart:38:20)
#2      _runNonInteractiveProcess (dart:io-patch/process_patch.dart:578:18)
#3      Process.run (dart:io-patch/process_patch.dart:49:12)
#4      runExecutableWithArguments (package:file_picker/src/utils.dart:49:39)
#5      isExecutableOnPath (package:file_picker/src/utils.dart:58:22)
#6      FilePickerMacOS.pickFiles (package:file_picker/src/file_picker_macos.dart:18:37)
#7      FilePickerOption.select (package:localsend_app/util/file_picker.dart:35:50)
#8      _SendTabState.build.<anonymous closure>.<anonymous closure> (package:localsend_app/pages/tabs/send_tab.dart:94:51)
#9      _InkResponseState.handleTap (package:flutter/src/material/ink_well.dart:1072:21)
#10     GestureRecognizer.invokeCallback (package:flutter/src/gestures/recognizer.dart:253:24)
#11     TapGestureRecognizer.handleTapUp (package:flutter/src/gestures/tap.dart:627:11)
#12     BaseTapGestureRecognizer._checkUp (package:flutter/src/gestures/tap.dart:306:5)
#13     BaseTapGestureRecognizer.handlePrimaryPointer (package:flutter/src/gestures/tap.dart:239:7)
#14     PrimaryPointerGestureRecognizer.handleEvent (package:flutter/src/gestures/recognizer.dart:615:9)
#15     PointerRouter._dispatch (package:flutter/src/gestures/pointer_router.dart:98:12)
#16     PointerRouter._dispatchEventToRoutes.<anonymous closure> (package:flutter/src/gestures/pointer_router.dart:143:9)
#17     _LinkedHashMapMixin.forEach (dart:collection-patch/compact_hash.dart:617:13)
#18     PointerRouter._dispatchEventToRoutes (package:flutter/src/gestures/pointer_router.dart:141:18)
#19     PointerRouter.route (package:flutter/src/gestures/pointer_router.dart:127:7)
#20     GestureBinding.handleEvent (package:flutter/src/gestures/binding.dart:460:19)
#21     GestureBinding.dispatchEvent (package:flutter/src/gestures/binding.dart:440:22)
#22     RendererBinding.dispatchEvent (package:flutter/src/rendering/binding.dart:337:11)
#23     GestureBinding._handlePointerEventImmediately (package:flutter/src/gestures/binding.dart:395:7)
#24     GestureBinding.handlePointerEvent (package:flutter/src/gestures/binding.dart:357:5)
#25     GestureBinding._flushPointerEventQueue (package:flutter/src/gestures/binding.dart:314:7)
#26     GestureBinding._handlePointerDataPacket (package:flutter/src/gestures/binding.dart:295:7)
#27     _invoke1 (dart:ui/hooks.dart:167:13)
#28     PlatformDispatcher._dispatchPointerDataPacket (dart:ui/platform_dispatcher.dart:341:7)
#29     _dispatchPointerDataPacket (dart:ui/hooks.dart:94:31)

App interface crash issue in Chinese language

Test device：Windows 11 / Android 12 (OneUI)
The file transfer confirmation screen crashes when using the Simplified Chinese interface, but there is no problem with English
(English interface is normal)
(Android app crash screen, window is the same as this)

Add launch on startup option

Add option to automatically start this app on startup.
These 2 options are needed to play well with #17

• Launch on Startup / Login
• Start hidden in system tray

Nothing happens when launching AppImage version of Localsend

As a workaround of issue #29 , I tried to use Chrome OS's Linux container and run Localsend's AppImage version, to see if port mapping can make Localsend correctly discover local devices. Yet it seems when I launch it, nothing happens. htop shows the process has been started, but there is no UI, no messages, no stdout printing. It would be great if you can let me know how can I diagnose this problem or enable some verbose options to see what's going on.

Publish a web build

Open issues:

• Bind HTTP server (shelf package does not support this)
• Use self-signed TLS/SSL certificate (not tested)
• Discover devices (cannot fetch local IP properly, see also: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/20194722/can-you-get-a-users-local-lan-ip-address-via-javascript)

Considering adding a clipboard sync feature?

Is there any consideration to add a clipboard sync feature?

After using several similar products, I really like LocalSend, awesome!

Chrome Plugin

Would it be possible to have localsend as an Chrome Browser Plugin?

Sharesheet not working On Android

Select file(s) in file app,then click localSend on Android Sharesheet,just jump to Receive and will not transfer file(s).

ios: share from gallery

Initial Widows size is strange on windows 10

the initial windows is more like a square, I think rectangle will be much better

It seems that the cache clearing mechanism does not work in iOS

After sending file(s) in iOS, the storage used by LocalSend becomes larger despite starting the app multiple times. It seems that the cache clearing mechanism does not work in iOS. But it works perfectly on Android.

My device model: iPhone 13
iOS version: 16.3
LocalSend version:1.6.2

Thank you for your nice work, and excuse me that my English is poor.