Send Files Between Two Computers on the Same Network, Fast

You have a video project on one laptop and need it on another one, three metres away. The obvious tools all make it harder than it should be. A USB stick has to be found, formatted for both systems and walked across the room. A cloud drive makes every byte travel to a data centre and back. Network shares in Windows or macOS work, but only after you have worked out sharing settings, user accounts and firewall rules. There is a simpler way: let the two computers talk to each other directly.

Why local transfers are faster than you think

Home and office Wi-Fi routinely carry hundreds of megabits per second between two devices in the same building, and a wired connection carries a gigabit or more. Your internet connection, on the other hand, often uploads at a fraction of that. When you use a cloud service you are limited by the slowest link in the chain, which is almost always your upload speed. When the two computers talk across the local network, that bottleneck disappears and the transfer runs at the speed of your own network.

How PeerFlow connects the two computers

PeerFlow uses peer-to-peer file transfer. It introduces the two devices to each other and then steps aside, so the files travel straight from the sender to the receiver. If both computers are on the same network, the connection stays on that network. If they are not, the same code still works over the internet, only slower.

Step by step

1. On the computer that has the files, open PeerFlow in a browser or in the desktop app and choose Choose files.
2. Pick one file, many files or a whole batch. A short code and a QR code appear.
3. On the other computer, open PeerFlow and enter the code. If the second device is a phone or tablet, scan the QR code with its camera instead.
4. The two sides connect within a second or two. Both screens show progress, and the receiver saves the files to its downloads folder.

There is also Share nearby, which lists devices on the same network so you can connect without typing a code at all.

Tips for the best speed

• Use a wired connection if you can. For a very large transfer, plug both computers into the router by cable. Wi-Fi is good, a cable is better.
• Sit close to the access point. On Wi-Fi the speed drops quickly with distance and with walls in the way.
• Pause other heavy traffic. A running video stream or a big download on the same network competes with your transfer.
• Keep the page open. The transfer runs while PeerFlow is open. Closing the tab or putting the laptop to sleep stops it, and you can simply start again.
• Prefer 5 GHz Wi-Fi. If your router offers it, the 5 GHz band is much faster than 2.4 GHz at close range.

Local network methods compared

Is it safe on a shared network?

On a busy office or café network the files are still protected. The connection between the two devices is encrypted, and the code you share only works for one session, so someone else on the same network cannot simply take the file. For the technical details see how PeerFlow keeps connections secure.

When the two computers are not in the same place

Everything above also works when the computers are in different buildings. The code connects them over the internet, and the speed is then set by the slower of the two connections. For a one-off file that is usually still faster than uploading to a cloud drive and downloading again, because there is only one trip instead of two. If you often move files between your own devices, read the guide to sending large files for free with no size limit.

Ready to try it? Open PeerFlow on both computers, or install the Windows and Android apps, and send your first batch in under a minute.