LAN file sharing
LAN file sharing for the Mac: discover devices automatically, send with one click, bind trusted devices, share from the clipboard, and hand off to system AirDrop between Apple devices. Devices without the app send and receive in a browser through a QR code or short code.
Feature tour
Better Share overview showing service status, drag-and-drop selection, the QR code and LAN access card, quick send, and clipboard monitoring
Better Share download share page showing the shared folder, access link and QR code, service control with bound interface and port, and guest upload policy and PIN settings
Better Share receive page showing the inbound overview, receive session, filtered receive queue, browser upload preview, and save location
Better Share devices page showing nearby devices, bound devices, the QR pairing assistant, and device details
Better Share clipboard page showing monitoring status, detected items, monitoring rules, the privacy notice, and the event log
Local-firstNo servers, no analytics, no crash reporting, and no internet requests; data moves only inside your LAN.
Trusted device bindingBind with a QR scan plus a 6-digit verification code; pairing keys stay in the macOS Keychain and direct transfers are TLS-PSK encrypted.
Browser send and receiveA QR code or short code opens the share page for downloads or uploads, with an optional guest PIN; guest uploads wait for your confirmation by default.
Resumable transfersChunked transfer, resume after interruption, SHA-256 verification, review before receiving, and the quarantine attribute after.
Three channels
Two Macs running Better Share find each other over Bonjour. Bind once with a QR scan and a matching 6-digit code, then pick files on the Overview page and click a device to send.
A phone, tablet, or Windows PC without the app scans a QR code or enters a short code to download what you share, or to upload files to your Mac from the browser.
When the other side is an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, switch from the send panel to system AirDrop without choosing the files again.
Use cases
Discover and bind two Macs on the same LAN, then send selected files over an encrypted direct transfer for everyday device-to-device work.
Let a phone, tablet, or Windows PC scan a QR code or enter a short code to download or upload in a browser without installing Better Share.
When the other side is an Apple device, reuse the current selection and switch from the send panel to the familiar system AirDrop path.
Boundaries
Privacy & security
Better Share has no servers, no analytics, no crash reporting, and makes no internet requests. Bonjour broadcasts only an editable display name (your Mac's name by default), the first 8 characters of a random device id, capabilities, and the OS type; no hardware identifiers. History is stored on your Mac (browser uploads record the browser name and LAN IP) and can be cleared or exported as CSV / JSON at any time.
Pages
From Overview to Settings, each page does one job.
Help
Use the browser channel. Once a share is running, the other person scans the QR code with a phone or PC, or enters the short code on the same LAN, and downloads or uploads in the browser with nothing to install.
Open the pairing assistant on the Devices page, scan the code with the other Mac, then compare the same 6-digit verification code on both sides and confirm. The resulting pairing key is stored in the macOS Keychain, and direct transfers between the two devices are TLS-PSK encrypted and mutually authenticated from then on.
No. There are no servers, no accounts, and no internet requests. Files travel only between your Mac and the other device, and the browser share page is served by your Mac directly on the LAN.
That is your call. The guest upload policy can require confirmation, accept automatically, or refuse; it requires confirmation by default. Before receiving, you see each file's name, size, extension-based risk hint, destination, and free space, and you can accept only some of them.
No. The risk column is a heuristic based only on the file extension, there to flag executables and scripts; it does not replace malware scanning. Files from the network receive the macOS quarantine attribute, so the system asks again the first time they are opened.
Monitoring is off by default. When on, it reads only the type, size, filename, and the first 80 characters of text to show a prompt; items from password managers and text that looks like keys, certificates, or one-time codes are suppressed. Nothing is shared until you click generate link or send.
A browser share can be pinned to one network interface, and the link is reachable only on that interface's subnet. Better Share warns when other subnets cannot reach it; connect the other device to the same network, or pin a different interface.
It is free, with no in-app purchases.
Read the product guides, or reach us through the support center and email.
