A link does its job the moment the other person can actually use what arrives. If the format is wrong or the file is too heavy, fix it first — these tools run in the browser on LimeWire, free and without an account.
ShareDrop moves files from one device to another without an app, a cable or an account. Open the page on your phone and your computer: when both are on the same Wi-Fi they show up on each other's screen. Drop a file onto the other device and it goes across directly, browser to browser, at the speed of your local network.
The files are not uploaded. They travel over an encrypted peer-to-peer connection, the same WebRTC technology browsers use for video calls. Sharing a link through LimeWire is still here for people who are not nearby, and it happens only when you press the button.
If you used ShareDrop years ago, you remember the avatars in a circle and dropping a file onto someone else's. For a while that was replaced by an upload page, and many of you told us it was not what you came for. Direct transfer is back, rebuilt from scratch: devices on one Wi-Fi find each other again, and this time devices on different networks can be linked with a code, so a VPN or mobile data no longer locks you out.
| Direct transfer | Share link | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the file goes | straight to the other device | uploaded to LimeWire |
| Both devices online | yes, at the same time | no, the link waits |
| Size | about 500 MB to a phone, a few GB to a computer | up to 4 GB without an account |
| How long it lasts | nothing is stored | 3 days without an account |
| Account | not needed | not needed; an account keeps files longer |
Paid LimeWire plans raise link storage and daily traffic and are listed on the LimeWire pricing page.
A direct transfer is encrypted end to end between the two browsers (DTLS, part of WebRTC). Our server only introduces the devices to each other: it sees device names like "Lime Fox" and passes the connection setup between them, but never the files. There is no relay in the middle; if the two devices cannot reach each other directly, ShareDrop says so instead of quietly routing your files elsewhere.
A share link works differently: the file is stored by LimeWire and anyone holding the link can open it, so send it only to the person it is meant for. A link made without an account removes itself after three days together with the file.
No. Both devices just open sharedrop.io in the browser. An account only matters for share links, where it raises the limits and keeps files from expiring.
They are probably not on the same network as far as the internet is concerned: a VPN, mobile data, a guest Wi-Fi or an office network separates them. Press Connect with a code on one device and enter the 6 digits on the other. If a direct connection is still impossible, ShareDrop tells you and offers to send a link instead.
Not in a direct transfer: they go from browser to browser over an encrypted connection. Files are uploaded only when you press Share a Link or choose to keep a copy online.
Directly, about 500 MB at a time to a phone and a few gigabytes to a computer: the receiving browser has to hold the file in memory. Bigger files are safer as a share link, up to 4 GB without an account and much more on paid plans.
Yes. Any two devices with a modern browser work together: Safari, Chrome, Edge and Firefox on phones, tablets and computers.
As a share link, yes: Upload a folder takes the folder as it is. A direct transfer sends files; select the files inside the folder.
Yes, on both devices until a direct transfer finishes. On a phone, keep the screen on and the page in front: a phone browser pauses pages in the background. A share link only needs the tab open while the upload runs.
For moving files between your own devices or to someone in the same room, yes, and it also works across platforms where AirDrop does not: iPhone to Windows, Android to Mac, a Chromebook to anything.
ToffeeShare streams a file between two open tabs through a link. ShareDrop does the same directly, and devices on one Wi-Fi do not even need a link: they see each other. When the other person cannot be online at the same time, use a share link instead.
Anything illegal where you are, and anything you do not hold the rights to. Files reported for abuse are removed and the link stops working.
ShareDrop is part of LimeWire. Blog · Write for us · Pricing · Support