How to transfer files from your phone to your PC without internet

FileClipSync moves files between your phone and your computer without touching the internet. As long as both are on the same Wi-Fi - even a router with no internet connection at all, or a phone's hotspot - they hand files directly to each other over the local network, end-to-end encrypted. Nothing is uploaded to a cloud, so there is no upload bar to wait on and no copy of your file left sitting on someone else's server.

The annoying bit

The usual way to get a file off your phone and onto a PC is a detour through the internet: upload to a cloud drive, wait, then download on the computer. That is slow, it eats mobile data, and it needs a working connection - useless on a plane, at a cabin, or on a locked-down office network. Cables and vendor sync apps only help when your phone and computer happen to be the same brand.

Step by step

1

Put both devices on the same network

Connect your phone and your PC to the same Wi-Fi. It does not need internet access - a local router, or your phone's hotspot, is enough.
2

Open FileClipSync on each

Launch the app on the computer and the companion on the phone; they find each other on the network.
3

Approve the one-time pairing

Confirm the connection on both devices. Keys are exchanged directly - there is no account to create and no server to sign in to.
4

Send the file

Share a file into FileClipSync on the phone, or drop it on the shelf on the computer. It transfers straight across the local network to the other device.
5

Save it where you need it

Drag the received file into Finder, File Explorer or any app. The transfer never left your local network.

Questions

Does this really work with no internet?

Yes. FileClipSync only needs the two devices to share a local network, and that network does not need an internet connection - a phone hotspot or an offline router works fine.

Is it safe on public or shared Wi-Fi?

Your files are end-to-end encrypted with AES-256-GCM before they leave the device, so even on a shared network no one else on it can read what you send.

Which phones and computers are supported?

iPhone and iPad, Android, and Mac, Windows and Linux computers all connect over the local network, in any direction.

Is there a data or file-size cost?

There is no cloud upload, so you are not spending mobile data and there is no upload-then-download round trip - the file goes directly across the network.

Do I have to pair every time?

No. Once two devices are paired they reconnect automatically whenever they are both on the same network.

← All use cases

Step by step

Put both devices on the same network

Open FileClipSync on each

Approve the one-time pairing

Send the file

Save it where you need it

Questions

Stop hunting for that thing you just copied.