Turbodrop
📱
Zero-install phones
iPhone, iPad and Android send and receive in the browser after one QR scan. Works without the App Store.
Like AirDrop, for every device.
Send files between Windows, iPhone, Android, Mac and Linux. The phone scans a QR code and sends and receives right in the browser — no app, no account, no cloud, no internet.
macOS · Linux · CLI
0apps on the phone
E2Eencrypted, every byte
136 MiB/smeasured, encryption on
12languages, RTL included
Everything AirDrop does. On everything AirDrop doesn’t.
⏯️
Never start over
Wi‑Fi dropped? Phone locked? App restarted? The transfer resumes from the last chunk.
🔒
End-to-end encrypted
XChaCha20-Poly1305 on every byte. The key lives in the QR code and never crosses the network.
📁
Folders, intact
Send whole folders and keep the structure — on every side.
🗜️
Save all as ZIP
Fifty photos, one tap on the phone. With previews and long-press to save to Photos.
♻️
Smart duplicates
Already there? Skipped. Same name, new content? Saved next to it, never overwritten.
🖱️
Right-click to send
“Send with Turbodrop” in Windows Explorer, a tray icon, start with Windows, native notifications.
💬
Text & links
Send a Wi‑Fi password or a link in one click. Links open, text copies.
📡
Finds everyone
Nearby computers appear on a live radar. QR codes for Wi‑Fi, Ethernet, hotspot and Tailscale.
✅
You decide
Approve unknown devices, compare a 4-emoji code, trust your own machines.
🌍
12 languages
Including Persian and Arabic with full right-to-left layouts and native digits.
⌨️
A real CLI
QR code in the terminal, JSON output, Windows/macOS/Linux. Script your transfers.
Three steps. Ten seconds.
- 1
Open Turbodrop on the computer
Windows app, or the CLI on macOS/Linux.
- 2
Scan the QR code with the phone camera
Same Wi‑Fi, or the computer’s hotspot.
- 3
Drop files on either side
They fly over, encrypted, at full Wi‑Fi speed.
Designed for Windows 11. Loved on the phone.
How it compares
| Turbodrop | LocalSend | PairDrop / Snapdrop | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone without installing anything | ✓Send and receive | ~Browser can only download, one file at a time | ✓ |
| Works without internet | ✓ | ✓ | ✕Needs a signaling server |
| Resume after a dropped connection | ✓ | ✕Requested (#1191) | ✕ |
| Skip files already there | ✓ | ✕Requested (#443) | ✕ |
| Send folders | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Save all as ZIP on the phone | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ |
| No certificate warnings in the browser | ✓ | ~Self-signed HTTPS warning | ✓ |
LocalSend is excellent when both sides have it installed. Turbodrop is for when the other side has nothing.
Questions
How do I send photos from an iPhone to a Windows PC without an app?
Install Turbodrop on the PC, open the Phone tab and scan the QR code with the iPhone camera. Tap “Send files”, pick the photos — they land in Downloads\Turbodrop. No iTunes, cable, cloud or App Store app.
Is it really free? What’s the catch?
It’s MIT-licensed open source by Pouyam. No ads, no accounts, no tracking, no servers — your files never leave your network.
Does it need internet?
No. Only a shared local network: Wi‑Fi, Ethernet, or the PC’s mobile hotspot.
Is it secure?
Every byte is encrypted end-to-end with XChaCha20-Poly1305. Computers pair with X25519 and show an emoji code. Read the full threat model on GitHub.
What if the transfer gets interrupted?
It resumes. Turbodrop moves files in 4 MiB chunks and remembers where it stopped, even across app restarts.
Android to iPhone?
Yes — connect both phones to Turbodrop on a computer and send through it, or send between phone and computer directly.