Free forever
No trial, no premium tier, no “upgrade to send big files.” Dropwire is free and open source, today and later.
Free & open source · No accounts · End-to-end encrypted
Send files straight to the other device.
Dropwire is a free, private, peer-to-peer file transfer app. Your files travel directly from your device to theirs — encrypted end to end, with no account to create and no server holding your data. Think of it as AirDrop for Windows, Mac, and Linux — but it works across the internet, not just the same Wi-Fi.
Free forever — no trial, no paywall. Prebuilt apps for Windows, macOS & Linux are coming; build from source today.
See it in action
Watch a transfer end to end, then look at every screen up close.
A transfer, start to finish
Just over a minute: drop a file, share the one-time code, and watch it land on the other device. Every screen is the real app.
Pick a file, get a code and QR
Drag in a file or a whole folder. Dropwire hands you a one-time transfer code and a matching QR. The moment the transfer starts, the picker collapses to a bar so the transfer is the subject of the screen.
See what is coming, before you accept
Names, sizes, and count, verified by the code so the sender cannot fake them. Untick anything you do not want. Nothing is saved until you accept.
On the same network, skip the code
Tap a device and it asks them first. Both sides confirm, and each shows a pairing code you read aloud to check you are talking to the right machine. Turn sharing off and you are invisible.
Everything in flight, and everything before
One place for what is running and what already ran, stored on your device only. An interrupted download offers to resume from where it stopped, and any row opens the full detail: route, timing, and the verified file list.
A window, not a web page
One fixed frame that draws its own title bar on all three platforms, so it looks the same everywhere. Nothing scrolls out of view, nothing needs resizing, and there is a light theme.
It stays out of the way
Closing the window keeps Dropwire running, so people can still reach you.
Installs clean on Windows, macOS & Linux
Linux ships as an AppImage, .deb, or .rpm.
How it works
Three steps. No sign-up, no upload to anyone’s cloud — peer-to-peer, encrypted end to end.
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Pick a file or folder
Drag it in or browse. Whole folders go as one resumable transfer — nothing is copied to a server first.
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Share the code, or tap a nearby device
Dropwire gives you a one-time transfer code and a matching QR. Copy the code into any chat, or have them scan the QR. On the same network you can skip the code entirely: the other device shows up under Nearby devices, and you just tap Send here.
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They preview, accept & receive
They see exactly what’s being sent — names, sizes, count — and accept. Then it moves device to device, end-to-end encrypted, with a live progress bar.
Why Dropwire
Free, open-source, and truly private — no servers, no tracking, peer-to-peer by design.
Truly private
Every transfer is end-to-end encrypted (QUIC / TLS 1.3). There’s no account to make and no profile to mine. The code is your key.
Nearby devices, no code
On the same network, Dropwire apps find each other automatically and show up as one-tap targets. Tap a device, they confirm, and it sends. Both sides confirm every transfer, and each shows a pairing code you can read aloud to be sure it’s really them. Switch nearby sharing off and your device is invisible.
One code, one recipient
A code isn’t a public link. It’s served to the first device that connects — everyone after that is turned away. Your file goes to the person you meant, not whoever forwards the code.
See before you accept
The receiver previews exactly what’s coming — names, sizes, and count — and approves before a single byte downloads. Not what you expected? Decline in one tap — the sender is told right away. Both sides see when the other device connects, live.
Take only what you want
Sending a folder? The receiver can untick anything they don’t need and download just the files they choose — the rest is never transferred.
Direct peer-to-peer
Your bytes go straight from one device to the other. Devices find each other over the public Mainline DHT and n0’s free relay is only a fallback — there are no servers we run, and no middle server stores or sees your files in the clear.
Resumable
Lost Wi-Fi mid-transfer? Reconnect and Dropwire picks up where it left off — it re-sends only the missing pieces, verified as it goes.
Many at once
Send and receive several transfers at the same time. Each gets its own live card with its own progress, route badge, and controls.
Open source
Every line is public. Read it, audit it, build it yourself, or send a patch. No black boxes — trust by inspection.
History that stays on your device
Past transfers are listed only on your machine — never in any cloud. Resend a file in a click, or pick up an interrupted download right where it stopped.
Feels like a desktop app
One fixed window that draws its own frame on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Nothing scrolls out of view, nothing needs resizing, and one thing is on screen at a time.
Lives in the tray
Closing the window keeps Dropwire reachable. The tray icon reports what is happening, and its panel takes a dropped file or a pasted code without opening anything.
Works across the internet
Not a LAN-only tool. Send to someone in the next room or another continent — Dropwire connects across networks, no shared Wi-Fi needed.
Honest answers
The questions worth asking about anything that touches your files.
Is it really free?
Yes — genuinely free, and open source. There’s no paid tier, no file-size paywall, and no ads. Because your files travel directly between devices, there’s no storage bill to pass on to you.
How is it private?
Transfers are end-to-end encrypted using QUIC over TLS 1.3. The connection is authenticated and encrypted between the two devices, so only the sender and receiver can read the contents. You don’t create an account, and there’s no profile or contact list to harvest. Treat the share code like a one-time key: it’s served to the first device that connects, and others are refused — so share it with the person you mean to.
What if a direct connection can’t be made?
Most transfers connect directly, device to device. When a network (some strict firewalls or mobile carriers) won’t allow that, Dropwire falls back to a free, shared relay from the open iroh network so the transfer still completes — we don’t run any servers ourselves. The relay only forwards already-encrypted data — it cannot read your files, and it doesn’t store them. You’ll see a clear “direct” or “relayed” badge so you always know how a transfer is travelling.
What if the sender is offline or the code has expired?
You won’t be left waiting. If the sender isn’t online or the code is no longer being shared, Dropwire tells you clearly instead of spinning forever — so you know to ask for a fresh code rather than wonder if it’s stuck.
Do I need an account?
No. There’s nothing to sign up for, no email, no password. Install Dropwire, pick a file, share the code. That’s the whole flow on both ends.
Is my data stored anywhere?
No. Dropwire doesn’t upload your files to a cloud or keep copies. The data moves directly from your device to the recipient’s. Even in the relay-fallback case, the relay only passes encrypted bytes through in transit — nothing is retained after the transfer finishes.
How is Dropwire different from WeTransfer?
WeTransfer uploads your files to its servers during transfer and limits file size on the free tier. Dropwire sends files peer-to-peer, directly from your device to theirs — nothing is uploaded to anyone’s cloud, there’s no size limit, and it’s free and open source. WeTransfer is web-based; Dropwire is a desktop app for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Is there an AirDrop alternative for Windows and Linux?
Yes — Dropwire. AirDrop is Apple-only and works on the local network. Tools like Snapdrop and LocalSend add Windows, Linux, and Android but stay LAN-only. Dropwire gives you the same nearby-device experience on a local network, where the other machine simply appears in a list and you tap it, and it also works across the internet with a share code. One app covers both cases instead of two.
Can I send to a device on the same network without a code?
Yes. With nearby sharing on, Dropwire apps on the same network find each other automatically and appear as one-tap targets, so you don’t need to copy a code around. Nothing is sent until both sides confirm: you tap a device, they get a dialog showing what’s coming and can accept or decline. Each device also shows a short pairing code you can read aloud to check you’re connected to the right machine. If you turn nearby sharing off, your device stops advertising itself and refuses incoming requests.
How is Dropwire different from Send Anywhere?
Send Anywhere is free to use but closed-source and runs its own servers, with a paid tier for more. Dropwire is open source and peer-to-peer — we run no servers ourselves; the open iroh relay is only a fallback and can’t read your encrypted data. Dropwire is free forever, and you can audit or modify the code.
Download Dropwire — free & open source
For Windows, macOS & Linux. Grab the latest build from GitHub, or build it from source — it’s quick.
Windows · macOS · Linux · Open source · No account
Building from source? The README walks you through it.