Sending a file from one device to another

1. Open this page on the device that has the file. Press Upload Files, or drop the file anywhere on the page. Upload Folder takes a whole folder at once.
2. Let the upload finish. It runs in the browser tab — nothing to install, no account, no pairing code and no need for both devices to be on the same network.
3. Open the link on the other device. The share link appears when the upload is done. Mail it to yourself, put it in a chat, or scan it across — whatever is quickest.

Whoever opens the link does not need an account either. Files are stored by LimeWire and the link opens on limewire.com, where the file can be viewed or downloaded.

Why a link instead of a direct connection

Phone to laptop, laptop to someone else's desktop, work machine to home machine — the awkward part is rarely the file itself. It is that the two devices run different systems, sit on different networks, or belong to different people. AirDrop needs two Apple devices. A cable needs the right cable. A direct browser-to-browser connection needs both tabs open at the same moment on the same network.

A link has none of those conditions. The file is uploaded once and waits. The other device picks it up a minute later or the next morning, over mobile data, from another country, on whatever operating system it happens to run.

What you get without an account

These are the limits the uploader on this page actually enforces. They come from the service that stores the files, not from this page.

• Up to 4 GB per transfer
• Up to 20 files and 4 GB of uploads per day
• A share link stays alive for 3 days
• A file can be downloaded 10 times a day, and one link serves 12 GB in total before it stops

A free LimeWire account raises this to 40 GB of storage and 10 GB and 50 files a day. Paid plans lift a single transfer to 250 GB or 500 GB, give 2 TB or 4 TB of storage and drop the three-day expiry altogether — the table is on the LimeWire pricing page.

Questions people ask

Do both devices have to be on the same Wi-Fi?

No. The file goes up to storage and comes back down from a link, so the two devices never have to see each other. Different networks, different countries and different operating systems are all fine.

Do I need an account or an app?

Neither, on either end. The page is the whole thing.

Is it free?

Yes. Sending a file and getting a link costs nothing. Paid LimeWire plans exist for bigger transfers and longer-lived links, but nothing on this page is behind them.

How long does the link last?

Three days when the upload is made without an account. After that the link stops working and the file is removed.

How big a file can I send?

Up to 4 GB in one transfer without an account, and up to 4 GB and 20 files per day.

Can I send a folder?

Yes — Upload Folder next to the upload button takes a folder with everything inside it.

Who can open the link?

Anyone holding it. The link is unguessable but it is not a password, so send it only to people who should have the file. Without an account it expires after three days by itself.

What happened to the old peer-to-peer Snapdrop?

Snapdrop is part of LimeWire now and transfers run through LimeWire storage instead of a direct browser-to-browser connection. In exchange the two devices no longer have to be on the same network or online at the same time.

More

The Snapdrop blog covers file sharing, device-to-device transfers and online safety. Guest posts are welcome through Write for Us.