Zapdrop

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How to send files to a computer

Zapdrop turns your phone into a small web page that any computer on the same WiFi can open. Nothing to install on the computer, no cable, no account.

What you need

  • Your phone with Zapdrop.
  • A computer with a modern browser: Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox, on Windows, Mac, Linux or a Chromebook.
  • Both on the same WiFi, or the computer plugged into the same router by cable. No WiFi? The computer can join your phone's hotspot.

Step by step

  1. Open Zapdrop and tap To computer

    It is on the home screen, next to Receive.

  2. Tap Start

    The phone shows an address like http://192.168.1.23:8899 and a 6-digit PIN. Keep this screen open while you use the computer.

  3. Type the address into a browser on the computer

    Click the address bar at the top of the browser, type the address exactly as the phone shows it, including http:// and the number after the colon, then press Enter.

  4. Enter the 6-digit PIN

    Type the PIN from the phone. The phone then shows the computer as connected.

  5. Send files to the phone

    Drag files or whole folders onto the page, or click the drop area to choose them. They arrive in Zapdrop's Inbox on the phone. If the connection drops, the upload carries on where it stopped.

  6. Get files from the phone

    On the phone, tap Add items and pick photos, videos or files. They appear on the page under On the phone: click one to download it, or Download all (zip) to get everything in one file.

  7. Copy text across

    Type or paste into the clipboard box on the page and it appears on the phone. Text the phone sends with Send my clipboard shows up in the same box, ready to copy.

Auto-save new items: turn this on in the page and anything new the phone shares downloads straight to the browser's download folder. Your browser may ask once whether the page can download several files: choose Allow.

The page shows the phone's name, a drop area for files and folders, the files already sent to the phone, the items the phone shares with a Download all (zip) button, and a clipboard box.

Notes for your computer

Windows

  • Works in Edge, Chrome and Firefox.
  • Drag files or folders from File Explorer onto the page.
  • Downloads go to your Downloads folder.
  • A PC connected to the router by cable works too.

Mac

  • Works in Safari, Chrome, Edge and Firefox.
  • On macOS 15 or later your Mac may ask whether the browser can find devices on local networks: click Allow.
  • Safari may unzip "Download all" by itself. To keep the zip, turn off "Open safe files after downloading" in Safari's settings.
  • Drag files or folders from Finder onto the page.

Linux

  • Works in Firefox, Chrome and Chromium.
  • Drag files or folders from your file manager onto the page.
  • The computer only makes outgoing connections to the phone, which firewalls allow by default.

Chromebook

  • Use Chrome, and drag files from the Files app onto the page.
  • Downloads appear in Files > My files > Downloads.
  • School and work Chromebooks may block local addresses.

A tablet, or a friend's phone without Zapdrop, can use the page too: open the same address in its browser.

Is it secure?

  • The page exists only while To computer is running on your phone, and only on your local network. It can't be reached from the internet.
  • No one can use it without the 6-digit PIN shown on your phone. After 5 wrong tries a browser has to wait, and after many wrong tries the phone makes a new PIN.
  • The computer sees only what you add with Add items. It can't browse the rest of your phone.
  • The session ends by itself after 10 minutes without activity. You can choose 5, 10 or 30 minutes in Settings.

The page uses plain HTTP on your network so that computers don't show certificate warnings. That also means it isn't encrypted: on public WiFi, such as in a café, hotel or airport, connect the computer to your phone's hotspot instead. Zapdrop shows a warning on public WiFi.

Stopping

When you are done, tap Stop on the phone. The page and the PIN stop working straight away. Closing the browser tab alone does not stop it; if you forget, it stops by itself after the idle time.

Page won't open? See the computer can't open the page.