LocalSend for PC — Download for Windows & Mac

Why use LocalSend on your PC?

Moving files between a phone and a computer is one of those chores that should be simple and almost never is. You plug in a cable and the drivers act up, or you upload to the cloud and wait, then download again on the other side, burning data twice for a file that was already sitting a metre away. LocalSend on PC removes that whole detour. Because it runs as a proper desktop application, your computer becomes just another device on the network that your phone can see and send to — and the transfer happens directly between the two, at local-network speed.

The desktop app is a first-class citizen, not an afterthought. It sends and receives, handles single files or entire folders, and shows the same clean device list you get on mobile. I keep it pinned to my taskbar because it has quietly replaced three habits at once: no more emailing myself screenshots, no more cloud round-trips for videos, and no more digging for the right USB-C cable. If you regularly pull photos off your phone or push documents to it, having LocalSend on the desktop is the half of the setup that makes the whole thing effortless.

LocalSend desktop features

The PC build mirrors the mobile app but takes advantage of the bigger screen and keyboard. Here is what you actually get once it is installed — every item works the same on Windows, macOS and Linux.

• Two-way transfers. Send from PC to phone and receive from phone to PC without changing any settings.
• Drag-and-drop sending. Drop files straight onto the window to queue them for the selected device.
• Folder support. Send an entire directory and the structure is preserved on the other side.
• Encrypted by default. Every transfer uses HTTPS/TLS encryption, so files are protected even on shared office Wi-Fi.
• Custom save location. Choose where received files land so your Downloads folder does not turn into a dumping ground.
• No account or cloud. Nothing uploads anywhere; the app needs only local-network permission to work.

Key features when using LocalSend on a computer

A few things about the desktop experience are worth calling out because they are the reason people keep it open all day rather than launching it only when they remember it exists.

1. It finds your phone automatically

As long as both devices are on the same Wi-Fi, the desktop app lists your phone by name within a second or two of the phone app opening. There is no pairing code to type or Bluetooth handshake to wait through — discovery is instant and local.

2. Large files finish fast

Because the data never leaves your network, a multi-gigabyte video that would take ten minutes to upload to the cloud copies across in a fraction of that time. On a 5 GHz network the speed is limited mostly by your storage, not your internet plan.

3. It respects your privacy

There is no telemetry and no advertising SDK bundled into the desktop build. The open-source code is the same one packaged for every platform, so you can verify that claim yourself rather than taking it on faith.

4. It handles text and links too

Need to send a long URL or a Wi-Fi password from your PC to your phone? Paste it into LocalSend and it arrives as tappable text — much nicer than retyping a forty-character string on a touchscreen.

5. It works when the internet is down

A dropped connection does not stop a transfer, because there was never a server in the loop. As long as the two devices can see each other on the local network — even a phone hotspot with no data — the send goes through. See our full guide on transferring files without internet for more on how this works.

6. One tool across every machine

If you own a Windows laptop and a Mac, the app behaves identically on both, so there is nothing new to learn when you switch computers. That consistency is a quiet luxury once you are used to it.

System requirements

LocalSend is undemanding on the desktop. It runs happily on older hardware because it does no heavy processing — it simply moves bytes. The table below covers the minimum you need and what makes for a smoother experience with very large transfers.

Method 1 — Install the native Windows app

This is the recommended route on a PC because it is the real desktop program, not a workaround. The whole thing takes about a minute. Read the short note first: Windows may show a SmartScreen prompt for any newly downloaded installer, which is normal.

1. 1
   Download the Windows build

   Grab the LocalSend desktop installer for Windows (from this page or the official releases).

2. 2
   Run the installer

   Open the downloaded file and follow the prompts. If SmartScreen appears, choose More info → Run anyway.

3. 3
   Allow through the firewall

   When Windows asks, tick "Private networks" so the app can discover devices on your Wi-Fi.

4. 4
   Open LocalSend

   Launch it from the Start menu. Your PC now appears in the device list of any phone running the app.

5. 5
   Open the app on your phone

   Make sure the phone is on the same network and launch LocalSend there too.

6. 6
   Send a test file

   Pick a file on either device, choose the other device from the list, and accept the request to confirm it works.

Method 2 — Install on macOS

On a Mac the process is just as quick. Because the app is distributed outside the App Store as a signed build, Gatekeeper may ask you to confirm the first launch — a one-time step.

1. 1
   Download the macOS build

   Get the LocalSend .dmg for macOS 11 or newer.

2. 2
   Drag it to Applications

   Open the .dmg and drag the LocalSend icon into your Applications folder.

3. 3
   Approve the first launch

   If Gatekeeper blocks it, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click "Open anyway".

4. 4
   Allow local network access

   macOS will ask for permission to find devices on your network — approve it.

5. 5
   Start transferring

   Open the phone app on the same Wi-Fi, select your Mac, and send.

Method 3 — Run the Android app on PC (emulator)

You almost never need this, since the native desktop app is better in every way. But if you specifically want the Android build running on your computer — for testing, or to keep a phone-style interface — you can load the APK inside an Android emulator. It is heavier and slower than the native app, so treat it as a last resort.

1. 1
   Install an Android emulator

   Download and set up BlueStacks, MEmu, Nox or LDPlayer on your PC.

2. 2
   Sign in and finish setup

   Complete the emulator's first-run setup so it can install apps.

3. 3
   Load the LocalSend APK

   Drag the downloaded APK onto the emulator window, or use its built-in "install APK" button.

4. 4
   Grant network permission

   Open the app inside the emulator and allow local-network and storage access.

5. 5
   Connect to your phone

   Ensure the emulator shares your PC's network, then discover and send as usual.

Best Android emulators for LocalSend

If you do go the emulator route, these are the four most reliable choices. Each runs Android on your PC; the differences come down to performance and how heavy they feel on older machines.

How to use LocalSend on PC day-to-day

Once installed, the workflow becomes muscle memory. Here is the loop I run dozens of times a week when pulling photos off my phone or pushing a PDF to it.

1. 1
   Keep both apps on the same network

   Your PC and phone must share the same Wi-Fi or hotspot for discovery to work.

2. 2
   Open LocalSend on both

   Each device advertises itself the moment the app is open.

3. 3
   Choose files to send

   Drag files onto the desktop window, or tap the send button on the phone.

4. 4
   Pick the destination device

   Select the target from the list of nearby devices by its name.

5. 5
   Accept on the other end

   The receiving device shows a request; approve it to start the transfer.

6. 6
   Find your files

   Received files land in your chosen save folder, ready to open.

Native app or emulator — which should you use?

If you take one thing from this guide, let it be this: for almost everyone, the native desktop app is the correct answer, and the emulator method is a niche fallback. The native build is lighter, faster, and integrates with your operating system the way any normal program does — it opens instantly, uses barely any memory, and drag-and-drop just works. An emulator, by contrast, boots an entire virtual Android device in the background, which can eat a couple of gigabytes of RAM and add noticeable lag before you have moved a single file.

So when would you reach for the emulator at all? Really only two situations. The first is if you are a developer or tester who specifically wants to see how the Android version behaves on a big screen. The second is if you are attached to the phone-style layout and prefer it over the desktop interface. Outside those cases, installing the native Windows or macOS app will always give you a smoother, more reliable experience — and it is the version I would put on a family member's computer without a second thought.

Pros & cons of LocalSend on PC

The desktop app is excellent, but it is worth knowing its limits before you rely on it. Here is the honest balance.

Frequently asked questions

Conclusion

Reviewed and updated by Nadia Karim · July 2026