Optical File Transfer
betaThis free optical file transfer tool moves a file between two devices using nothing but a screen and a camera: one device displays a stream of animated QR codes and the other reads them with its camera. There's no network, no server and no accounts — the file never travels over the internet.
Transfer a file between two devices with just a screen and a camera — no network, no accounts, nothing sent to any server. One device shows animated QR codes; the other reads them.
How to use Optical File Transfer
- 1 On the sending device, choose Send a file and drop the file to beam.
- 2 The screen shows an animated QR code that loops until the file is fully received.
- 3 On the second device, choose Receive a file and allow camera access.
- 4 Point the camera at the animated code and hold steady until the progress bar completes, then download the received file.
Frequently asked questions
Is my file sent over the internet or to a server?
No. The file is encoded into QR codes shown on one screen and read by the other device's camera — nothing is uploaded, and no network connection is used at all.
How big a file can I transfer this way?
It's best for small files like text, keys, docs and small images. Larger files (beyond about 256 KB) still work but the optical channel is slow and can take several minutes, so keep both devices steady.
Why does the QR code keep animating and looping?
The file is split into blocks sent as a fountain-coded stream, so the code cycles through frames continuously; the receiver collects enough frames to rebuild the file and verifies it with a checksum.
Do both devices need to be online?
No. Because transfer happens purely through screen and camera, it works fully offline — and as a PWA the tool keeps running once the page has loaded once.