# Drop files between your devices

> Drop is a free, private way to move a file, clipboard text or image, or a snippet between your own devices. It connects the two devices directly in the browser over WebRTC, so nothing is uploaded to a server and there is no relay. Pair them by scanning a QR code (or pasting a short code), then send. It works best on the same Wi-Fi, with no app, no account, and no sign-in.

Live tool: https://lofttools.com/tools/network-tools/drop

Category: Network & Sysadmin


## What it does

- Direct device-to-device — files never touch a server, no relay, nothing stored
- Send a file, clipboard text, a clipboard image, or a typed snippet
- Pair by scanning a QR code, or paste a short code when there is no camera
- End-to-end encrypted on the wire (WebRTC DTLS); integrity-verified on arrival
- Works best on the same Wi-Fi; an optional toggle pairs across the internet
- No app, no account, no sign-in — open the page on both devices and go

## How it works

1. **Open Drop on both devices** — Open this page on the two devices you want to move something between — for example your phone and your laptop.
2. **Pick Send and Receive** — On the device that has the file, choose Send. On the other device, choose Receive.
3. **Scan to pair** — The sending device shows a QR code. Scan it with the receiving device's camera (or paste the code), then scan the reply back. No camera? Use the paste box on either side.
4. **Send it** — Once connected, choose a file, your clipboard, or type a snippet and send. The receiving device verifies it and lets you save or copy it.

## FAQ

### Does anything get uploaded to a server?

No. Drop connects your two devices directly in the browser over WebRTC. The bytes flow straight from one device to the other, encrypted with DTLS, with no relay and no storage. There is no server in the path — open your browser's Network tab and watch it stay empty during the transfer.

### It won't connect — what's wrong?

Drop only uses a direct connection (there is no relay), so some networks block it. Put both devices on the same Wi-Fi, or turn off any VPN, and try again. On different networks, switch on 'Over the internet' before pairing — though strict corporate or cellular firewalls can still prevent a direct link.

### Which browsers and devices work?

Any recent Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari on desktop or mobile. Pairing uses the camera to scan a QR code, with a paste-the-code fallback when there is no camera. Saving large received files straight to disk works best in Chrome and Edge.

### Is there a file size limit?

Sending streams the file from disk, so large files work — just keep the tab open until it finishes. The transfer is chunked and integrity-checked, so a dropped connection fails clearly instead of handing you a corrupt file.

### Can other people use this to send me files?

Drop is built for your own devices: pairing needs a code that one device shows and the other scans, so a stranger can't connect without it. There is no public directory and nothing is stored. You are responsible for what you send.

## Tips

- **Same Wi-Fi is fastest** — On one network the connection is a direct LAN hop — no internet round-trip, and it works even with Wi-Fi but no internet.
- **No camera? Paste the code** — Every QR step has a paste box. Copy the code on one device and paste it on the other — handy for a desktop with no webcam.
- **Nothing leaves your device** — There is no server and no relay. Open DevTools, watch the Network tab stay empty, and send with confidence.
- **Move your clipboard** — Copy a link, password, or command on one device and paste it on the other — pick the Clipboard mode and send.

## Privacy — what we do not do

This tool runs entirely in the browser via WebAssembly. Your file never reaches a Loft Tools server. Specifically:

- **No upload.** The file bytes load into the browser tab's memory and process on your own CPU. Open DevTools → Network and observe zero outbound requests carrying file data while Drop files between your devices runs.
- **No AI training on your file.** Loft does not train models. We could not train on a file we cannot see.
- **No content scanning.** No virus, copyright, or content-moderation pass against your file. The bytes are not accessible to us.
- **No server-side log of file contents, filenames, or EXIF metadata.** Cloudflare edge captures URL and truncated IP for abuse defense (standard CDN behaviour). Cloudflare Web Analytics records anonymous page hits, no cookies, no PII. Nothing about your file content reaches any log.
- **No retention.** Close the tab and the file leaves browser memory. No backups exist on our side because no copy ever existed on our side.
- **No account.** No email, no signup, no auth, no telemetry tied to you.
- **Offline-capable after first visit** (PWA). Once you've loaded a tool, it caches; later sessions work without internet. For high-sensitivity files, run the tool once online to warm the cache, then disconnect before processing.

Compare with upload-based services: each transmits your file to a processing server. Even over HTTPS, each has logs, retention windows, and subpoena exposure. Loft has none of these because the server architecture does not include your file.

## More

- All tools: https://lofttools.com/tools
- Category: https://lofttools.com/tools/network-tools
- LLM index: https://lofttools.com/llms.txt