LocalShare — share Mac files, scan a QR code to view or save them in your phone's browser

简体中文 | English

A small macOS app that moves files and text between your Mac and other devices (phone, tablet…) over WiFi, with optional browser-only remote sharing — the other end just uses a browser, with no client to install.

• Pick a file or folder, scan the QR code that appears (or just open the link), and browse the files in your phone's browser (HTML, PDF, Markdown, images…)
• Two-way text transfer — type some text and share it via a QR code, or send text back from the phone to the Mac

Home

Share Files

Transfer Text

Features

• Share files and text by QR code, or just by opening the link
• Serves HTML / PDF / video / images; previews Markdown / JSON / CSV
• After you share, the other end can send files and text back
• Shows who's currently viewing
• localshare command line: bring up the window to share, or --headless to print the link and QR code in the terminal
• Optional internet sharing with a built-in relay for files and text; self-hosting is also supported

Why this app exists

• When AirDrop is flaky, or the other device isn't an Apple device
• iPhone Safari can't open local HTML files directly, so previewing the web pages you vibe-coded is awkward
• No need to spin up python3 -m http.server
• No need to install a client like LocalSend
• Preview only — no need to actually save files onto the phone
• Quickly pass text around, without relying on flaky Handoff

GUI usage

Scan the QR code, or open the LAN address directly. If macOS shows a firewall prompt on first launch, click "Allow".

The QR code points to something like http://192.168.x.x:8080/?t=<random-token>: the link carries a one-time token, so whoever scans it gets in seamlessly, while anyone who only knows the IP:port cannot access it.

⚠️ Traffic is plain HTTP (unencrypted). Best avoided on public networks like airports and cafés.

Remote browser sharing

Choose files or send text, then turn on Internet in the address list and send that group’s share link to a visitor. LAN, Internet, and detected Tailscale entries share one list; click an address row to change the scan entry. The built-in service is https://share.fairydog.net; first use registers an independent device credential in Keychain. Keep your Mac online. Public connections use HTTPS/WSS, and the relay can read shared content. Remote files are read-only; receiving text over the internet is separate and off by default. LAN permissions remain independent. For self-hosting, enter your Server address in Settings → Network. An administrator-issued enrollment key is required unless the Server enables automatic registration with --registration, in which case you can leave it blank. See the Client connection guide.

Terminal usage

In Settings → Command-Line Tool, click "Install". After that you can share from the terminal in one command:

localshare a.html b.pdf        # bring up the LocalShare window to share these files
localshare ~/Documents/report  # folders work the same; mix and match multiple items
localshare --headless ./dist   # no window — print the link and QR code in the terminal (Ctrl-C to stop)

Download

https://github.com/rrbe/LocalShare/releases

Notes

The app is ad-hoc signed, so opening it may be blocked by Gatekeeper (warning that it's "damaged" or "can't be opened").

• In System Settings → Privacy & Security → Security, find the prompt and click "Open Anyway"; or
• run the command below in the terminal to strip the quarantine attribute, then open the app normally:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/LocalShare.app

License

MIT — see LICENSE.

Credits

This project was inspired by:

• localsend
• dufs