Tech Tip: Stop Emailing Yourself Files – Meet LocalSend

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By: VienerX Technology Generalist Bill Lioresis

The following is an opinion piece. VienerX is not affiliated with LocalSend and does not endorse or formally support the product.

In this newsleter, we launch the first in a series of personal recommendations from our VienerX technicians. Today, we are going to discuss a free piece of software that allows you to near instantly transfer files between different devices without emailing yourself.

When we look at the modern worker, the average office employee might have a powerful desktop, a MacBook or laptop, maybe a tablet, and a smartphone. All of these devices are fast, powerful, and built for productivity. Yet somehow, transferring a single file between them can be a hassle. You end up emailing yourself, uploading to a cloud service, or plugging in cables that only work half the time. How did this become such a mess?

In today’s world, simple file transfers between your devices shouldn’t require creating accounts, entering login codes, or exercising a world of patience. It should be as easy as clicking a few buttons. That’s where an app called LocalSend comes in.

LocalSend works much like AirDrop, but without being locked into the Apple ecosystem. It’s available on nearly every major platform: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux. Best of all, it’s simple to install and easy to use.

Installing LocalSend is straightforward. Every device you plan to share files between must have the app installed and open. You can download it from your device’s app store or directly from the website if you are using a desktop or laptop.

Once installed, make sure all devices are connected to the same network. LocalSend works over your local Wi-Fi or LAN, so if devices are on different networks, they will not detect one another.

It’s especially useful for quick transfers, sending pictures, sharing documents, or even copying and pasting text between devices without relying on email or cloud storage.

In business settings, a prominent use case may be meetings. Instead of emailing files during a meeting and waiting for everyone to download it on their own emails on different timelines, a person can just asking everyone to open LocalSend and quickly do a group share. Everyone has the files and the meeting can continue in earnest.

That’s it. No account setup. No complicated configuration. Just install, connect, and send. Happy sending!