Transfer files between two computers
A USB stick still works. It is just slower than the network you already have.
On the same network, one computer serves the file and the other downloads it over local Wi-Fi or ethernet at full speed, with nothing touching the internet. If they are in different places, the same file can be sent as an encrypted link that works from anywhere.
Same building
Both machines on the same router is the fast case and the simplest. The sending computer runs a small server; the receiving one opens a link in its browser. No pairing, no accounts, and the file never leaves the building. Speed is whatever your network carries, which on wired gigabit is far more than any internet transfer will give you.
Different places
Internet mode produces a link that works from anywhere. The file is encrypted before it leaves the sending machine and decrypted by the receiving browser, so nothing in between can read it. The ceiling is the sender's upload speed.
Compared with the alternatives
| Method | Speed | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| USB stick | Fast, if it is a good one | Two walks and a copy at each end |
| Cloud storage | Bounded by your upload, then their download | Account, quota, and a copy left behind |
| Direct over your network | Full network speed | Drop the file, open the link |
Whole folders
A folder is bundled into a single archive automatically, so it arrives as one download with its structure intact rather than as a hundred separate files you then have to arrange.
Try it
Free, no account, and the person receiving the file installs nothing.
Download Zen-ShareOr send one straight from your browser, with nothing installed on either side.
Common questions
- Do both computers need the app?
- No. Only the sending computer. The receiving one uses a browser.
- Does it work between Windows and a Mac or Linux machine?
- Yes in that direction. Sending is Windows today, and anything with a browser can receive.
- Is there a file size limit?
- No. There is no upload and no storage quota, so there is nothing to fit inside.