LocalSend: send files between a Mac, Windows and Android

A small job for a local network

LocalSend is worth considering when you want to move a file between a Mac and a nearby Windows computer or Android phone without creating a cloud account. The project’s site describes a free, open-source app that transfers over a local network without internet access. Install the app on the devices involved; the network still has to let them communicate.

That last condition matters more than a shared Wi-Fi name. The project’s documentation distinguishes discovering another device from sending it a file. A router can prevent devices from talking to each other even when both have internet access. This guide follows the transfer through to a usable receiving copy. It is based on documentation, with no native-app testing or measured speed claims.

Install the right build first

Start from LocalSend’s downloads and use an appropriate official channel on each device. As checked on 23 October 2026, the maintained README lists macOS 11, Windows 10 and Android 7 as the respective minimum versions. The US Mac App Store listing also specifies macOS 11 or later. Check the current requirement before installing, especially when following an older tutorial.

Connect both devices to the same permitted local network, such as a trusted Wi-Fi LAN. Open LocalSend on both devices and confirm which device is receiving. Use its displayed name to select the intended destination. On a managed device or network, use the approved transfer method and obtain permission for any required configuration change.

Start with a receiving check

Use these checkpoints to follow a transfer. The documented protocol distinguishes discovery from the receiving decision; no completed transfer is claimed here.

Checkpoint	What to check	What still needs checking
Device listed	The intended recipient appears	A listed device is not a delivered file
Request accepted	The receiving side allows the expected transfer	Acceptance is not a saved, usable copy
File saved	Find the copy at the receiving destination	Its contents still need inspection
Copy opened	Open a harmless sample and check its marker	This establishes only that sample’s result

Select the file and recipient on the sending device, then check the receiving request. The protocol allows the receiver to accept, partially accept or reject a request. Keep the original until you have located and inspected the receiving copy.

If no device appears

The README’s troubleshooting table identifies several different boundaries. On the Mac, check LocalSend’s Local Network permission. If a VPN is active, check whether its approved configuration permits local/LAN traffic. On Windows, the project notes that a public network profile can be more restrictive; use a private profile only for a network you actually trust.

Guest-network or access-point isolation can forbid peer connections. If you do not control that policy, ask the administrator or choose an approved alternative. Changing an app setting cannot establish permission to bypass the network’s rules.

The README also documents manual sending to the receiver’s IP address. If a harmless file reaches the intended device that way, you have evidence that this sample could pass without automatic discovery. It helps narrow the problem; it does not certify every file, direction or future network.

If the device is visible but the file does not arrive

First check the receiving decision and destination. Record whether the request was declined, the transfer stalled, or the copy could not be found. That tells you which checkpoint needs attention.

For network administration, the README lists incoming TCP and UDP on port 53317 and allowed outgoing traffic. The protocol calls 53317 a configurable default. Check the app’s actual configuration and permitted firewall rule rather than turning off the firewall globally. Change one relevant setting at a time, then repeat the harmless sample.

A proposed two-direction check

Try this before moving anything important. These are steps for you to perform; no results have been filled in by this publication.

1. Create a small text file containing a distinctive made-up marker. Use no credentials or confidential material.
2. Send it from the Mac to the other device. Note whether the device appeared, the request was accepted, and where the file was saved.
3. Open the receiving copy and check the marker. Record any failure at the checkpoint where it occurred.
4. Send a second harmless marker in the reverse direction. Keep the two observations separate.

Direction	Device listed?	Copy located and opened?	Checkpoint needing attention
Mac → other device	Fill in	Fill in	Fill in
Other device → Mac	Fill in	Fill in	Fill in

The log gives you a small, reproducible support report. It is not an encryption audit or a benchmark.

When to use something else

Choose LocalSend when a deliberate nearby transfer is the task and the network permits it. If the recipient is elsewhere, choose a workflow designed and approved for that delivery. If the files should arrive as one archive, decide the packaging first using the Keka format guide, then check the received archive before discarding its originals.