Best AirDrop Alternatives for Windows in 2026

Why Windows Still Lacks a Real AirDrop Equivalent

AirDrop only runs on Apple devices. iPhone, iPad and Mac can AirDrop to each other, and some Android phones can now swap files with an iPhone through Quick Share, as long as the iPhone is set to Everyone for 10 Minutes. Windows is not on that list, and Apple doesn't make AirDrop for it.

Windows has its own built-in tool, Nearby sharing, but it only sends between Windows PCs. Google's Quick Share has a Windows app, but on phones it is Android only. So if you have an iPhone and a Windows PC, nothing built in moves a file between them. You need a third-party app.

This post covers five options, how to set each one up, and the limits you run into once you have a real file to move.

What We Compared and How

We looked at the three situations that come up most:

1. Same Wi-Fi. Phone and PC on the same home network.
2. Different networks. Phone on cellular, PC at home.
3. Large files. A video of a few gigabytes, where browser tabs and plan limits start to matter.

The tools: OpenDrop, LocalSend, Snapdrop and PairDrop, Windows Nearby sharing alongside Google Quick Share, and Send Anywhere. What we say about LocalSend, PairDrop, Quick Share and AirDrop comes from their official websites, help pages or GitHub repositories, last checked in October 2026.

We don't publish speed numbers. Transfer speed depends on your router, your phone and how far you are from the access point, so a time measured in one house tells you little about yours. The speed section covers what actually makes a difference.

Tool-by-Tool Setup and Gotchas

1. OpenDrop (Full Disclosure: This Is Ours)

We make OpenDrop, so weigh this section accordingly. It runs on Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad and Android. macOS is coming soon. Sending between your phone and your computer is free and needs no account. Phone to phone and computer to computer need OpenDrop Pro.

Setup on Windows:

1. Install OpenDrop from the Microsoft Store, or download the installer from nfdgames.com/OpenDrop. It needs 64-bit Windows 10 version 1809 or later.
2. Open it. The desktop app runs a small local server (port 8000 by default) and announces itself on your Wi-Fi with mDNS.
3. Install OpenDrop on your phone from the App Store (iOS 16 or later) or Google Play (Android 7.0 or later).
4. In the phone app, scan the QR code shown in the desktop app. That pairs the two. On the same Wi-Fi, the phone finds the PC. Pick your files and send.
5. On a different network, or on hotel or office Wi-Fi that blocks device discovery, the paired phone still reaches the PC over a direct peer-to-peer link or OpenDrop's own encrypted relay. No port forwarding, nothing extra to install.

The QR code holds a private pairing key and the addresses your phone needs to reach your computer. Anyone who scans it can pair with your PC, so don't share screenshots of it.

File contents are encrypted with ChaCha20-Poly1305 on your device before they are sent, on every route. Relay servers carry only the encrypted contents, though they can see transfer details such as file names, sizes and device names.

Gotcha: Windows Firewall can stop your phone from seeing the PC. The first time OpenDrop runs, Windows may ask whether to allow it; allow it on private networks. If the phone still can't find the PC on the same Wi-Fi, check two things. In Windows Security, open Firewall & network protection, then Allow an app through firewall, and make sure OpenDrop is allowed on Private. Then check that your Wi-Fi connection is set to Private, not Public, in Settings. Windows is stricter on Public networks, and mDNS discovery (UDP port 5353) is often the first thing blocked.

2. LocalSend

LocalSend is a free, open-source app (Apache 2.0) for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android. It finds other LocalSend devices on your local network and sends files directly between them. No account needed.

Setup:

1. Download it from localsend.org.
2. Open it. Each device gets a random name, which you can change in settings.
3. Install LocalSend on your phone.
4. With both devices on the same network, pick files, tap the target device, and accept on the receiving end.

Limits: LocalSend works on the same network only. Its own FAQ says it does not work over the internet, so if your phone is on cellular and your PC is at home, it can't help. It is also send-only: you can't browse files on the other device. Since version 1.18.0 it has a command line interface.

3. Snapdrop / PairDrop

Snapdrop was the original browser-based AirDrop clone: open a web page on two devices on the same network and send files between them. Its open-source code hasn't changed since August 2024, and snapdrop.net is now run by LimeWire and shows ads. PairDrop is the open-source fork to use instead.

Setup:

1. Open pairdrop.net in a browser on your PC.
2. Open it in a browser on your phone.
3. On the same network, both devices show up as icons. Click or tap the target and pick a file.

Nothing to install, which is the whole appeal. PairDrop can also connect devices on different networks if you pair them first or join the same public room.

The catch: it runs in a browser tab. The tab has to stay open on both ends until the transfer finishes, and mobile browsers often pause a tab once you switch away from it. That's fine for a few photos and less fun for a large video. You also can't browse the other device's files.

4. Windows Nearby Share and Google Quick Share (built-in)

Windows 10 and 11 include Nearby sharing. In Windows 11, it lives under Settings > System > Nearby sharing.

Setup:

1. On both PCs, turn on Nearby sharing: Settings > System > Nearby sharing on Windows 11, or Settings > System > Shared experiences on Windows 10.
2. Choose "My devices only" or "Everyone nearby."
3. In File Explorer, right-click a file, choose Share, and pick the other PC.

The limit is in step 1: both ends must be Windows PCs, and both need Bluetooth. It doesn't talk to iPhone or Android. Use it to move a file between two PCs in the same room.

Quick Share is Google's tool and a separate thing. (Google's version used to be called Nearby Share, which doesn't help the confusion.) Google makes a Quick Share app for 64-bit Windows 10 and 11 that sends to and from nearby Android phones. If you have an Android phone and a Windows PC, it's free and worth trying first. There's no iPhone app, and it only works between devices that are near each other, not across networks.

5. Send Anywhere

Send Anywhere uses a 6-digit key. Pick a file on one device, get a key, type it on the other device, and the file transfers.

Setup:

1. Install Send Anywhere on both devices. It has phone and desktop apps, plus a website.
2. Select a file on the sending device. You get a 6-digit key and a QR code.
3. Enter the key or scan the code on the receiving device.

It works across networks, and the short key is easy to read out to someone over the phone. The trade-off is that transfers can be relayed through Send Anywhere's servers, and the free version has limits that change over time. Check its current plans before you count on it for very large files.

Transfer Speed: What Actually Decides It

On the same Wi-Fi, native apps like OpenDrop and LocalSend send straight from one device to the other, so your network is the limit, not the app. These things make a bigger difference than which tool you pick:

• Plug the PC in. If both devices are on Wi-Fi, every byte crosses the air twice: phone to router, then router to PC. Connecting the PC to the router with Ethernet removes the second hop.
• Use 5 GHz or 6 GHz. 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi is slower and more crowded. For a big transfer, sit closer to the router.
• Prefer a native app for big files. Browser tools like PairDrop also send directly on a local network, but the tab has to stay open and in front for the whole transfer.
• Across networks, upload speed rules. When your phone is on cellular, a transfer can't go faster than the phone's upload speed, whatever tool you use. Any relay in the middle adds its own limits.

For OpenDrop specifically: on the same Wi-Fi, Free and Pro both stream files directly at full speed with no chunking. Away from your Wi-Fi, Free is speed-limited and has a weekly allowance on the shared relay, and Pro uses a faster relay with no weekly limit. Either way, a dropped connection picks up where it left off.

Cross-Platform Support: Where Most Tools Fall Apart

Here is what each option runs on and whether it works when your devices are on different networks.

Send Anywhere is left out because its platform list and plan limits change; check its site. LocalSend, PairDrop, Quick Share and AirDrop all encrypt transfers in transit too, so encryption alone isn't a reason to pick one over another.

A table hides how each one feels to use. A browser tool works on a phone, but it can't receive in the background and the tab has to stay open. LocalSend covers every desktop, Mac included, but only when the devices share a network. Quick Share and Nearby sharing are free, but Nearby sharing only reaches other Windows PCs and Quick Share has no iPhone app.

OpenDrop aims at the gaps: iPhone or Android to a Windows or Linux PC, on the same Wi-Fi or across the internet. The desktop app has a GUI and a command line, and it can run headless with opendrop serve. Phone to computer is free. Phone to phone (iPhone and Android) and computer to computer come with Pro, and two Pro phones on the same account can also send over Bluetooth when there's no Wi-Fi.

Which One to Use

It depends on your devices and where they are.

Two Windows PCs in the same room: Nearby sharing. It's already installed.

An Android phone and a Windows PC, side by side: Quick Share. It's free, made by Google, and probably already on your phone.

A few small files, no installs: PairDrop in a browser. Open the page on both devices and send. For large files or regular use, a native app holds up better.

Mixed devices including a Mac, always on the same network: LocalSend. It's open source, needs no account, and runs on every desktop and phone platform. It just won't help once you leave the house.

iPhone or Android to a Windows or Linux PC, at home or away: OpenDrop. On the same Wi-Fi it streams files at full speed with no size cap. Away from home it picks a peer-to-peer link or its own encrypted relay, with no port forwarding. You can also browse your PC's OpenDrop folder from your phone. On Free, each phone pairs with one computer by scanning its QR code, and you don't need an account. Pro adds phone to phone, computer to computer, subfolder browsing, full-speed remote transfers, and photo and video conversion that runs on your computer. See Free vs Pro for the full list.

We make OpenDrop, so read that last pick with that in mind. It is closed source, and the Mac app isn't out yet. If either of those matters to you, LocalSend is the better fit.