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qr-filetransfer

Open source

A Python command-line tool that serves files from your computer over local WiFi and shows a QR code so a phone can download or upload them.

Open-source alternative to

git.io
qr-filetransfer homepage screenshot
GitHub stars
1k
Last commit
2 yr ago
Repository age
8 years
Licence
MIT
Self-hosted
Yes

About qr-filetransfer

qr-filetransfer is a small Python tool for moving files between a computer and a smartphone without cables, cloud accounts or messaging apps. You run it in the terminal, point it at a file, and it displays a QR code that the phone scans to start the transfer. Both devices must be on the same WiFi network.

It can send a single file or a whole directory, which is zipped before transfer, and it can also receive a file uploaded from the phone to the computer. Installation is done with pip, either globally or locally, or directly from Git, and the optional extras can be dropped if the install runs into trouble. Stopping the program is a single key press in the terminal.

The project is MIT licensed and was inspired by an earlier Go project of the same name. Its topics list Linux and macOS, and it suits anyone who occasionally needs a quick local transfer without installing an app on the phone.

Key features

  • QR code shown in the terminal
  • Send a single file to a phone
  • Zip and send whole directories
  • Receive files uploaded from a phone
  • Works over the same WiFi network
  • Install with pip

Good fit for

  • →Moving photos or documents between phone and laptop
  • →Quick local file sharing without cloud services
Built with
Python
Tags
file-transfer
qr-code
wifi
python
cli
terminal
file-sharing
mobile

qr-filetransfer: questions and answers

What is qr-filetransfer used for?
qr-filetransfer is a Python command-line tool that serves files from your computer over local WiFi and shows a QR code so a phone can download or upload them. It is a good fit for moving photos or documents between phone and laptop, and quick local file sharing without cloud services.
Is qr-filetransfer open source?
Yes. qr-filetransfer is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at sdushantha/qr-filetransfer and is written mainly in Python.
Is qr-filetransfer free?
Yes. qr-filetransfer is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
What is qr-filetransfer an alternative to?
qr-filetransfer is an open-source alternative to Send Anywhere. Other open-source alternatives to Send Anywhere include Airshare, croc and Magic Wormhole.
Is qr-filetransfer actively maintained?
The most recent commit to qr-filetransfer was on 10 April 2024. The project has 1k stars on GitHub.

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