Lanlord

AirDrop for Windows, and the closest AirDrop alternative for Windows PC users.
Send photos, videos and files between your iPhone or Android and your Windows 10/11 PC
over Wi-Fi. No cable, no iTunes, no cloud, no account, no app to install on the phone.

_{A free Shortcut, then Share → Lanlord from Photos or any app, like AirDrop.}

Quick start · Connect your phone · Features · FAQ · Troubleshooting

What is Lanlord?

Lanlord is a free, open-source app that turns your Windows PC into a private file drop for your phones. It moves photos, videos and any other files between an iPhone, iPad or Android phone and a Windows 10/11 PC over your home Wi-Fi, at full quality and with no size limit. The phone needs nothing installed: Lanlord is a web page your PC serves, which you add to your Home Screen like an app.

• Push, like AirDrop: share from your phone and the file appears on the PC a moment later.
• Pull, which AirDrop can't: everything lands in one shared folder on the PC. From the couch, open Lanlord on your phone and grab any file in it, without touching the PC.
• Stays in the house: files go straight across your network and are stored as plain files on disk. Nothing is uploaded anywhere, and it works with no internet at all (e.g. on your PC's mobile hotspot).

How it compares

	Lanlord	AirDrop	Nearby Share (Quick Share)	Cloud drives	LocalSend
iPhone ↔ Windows	✅	❌	❌ (Android only)	✅	✅
Nothing to install on the phone	✅	✅	needs Google app	❌	❌
Files never leave your network	✅	✅	✅	❌	✅
Original-quality video from iPhone	✅ ¹	✅	n/a	depends on settings	✅
A folder you can browse later, from any device	✅	❌	❌	✅	❌
Works with no router	PC hotspot	✅	✅	❌	❌
Send from the Share sheet	iPhone Shortcut	✅	✅	✅	✅

¹ iOS converts video when a web page picks it from the photo library. See Getting original quality from an iPhone.

Quick start

1. Download Lanlord-...-windows.zip from the latest release.
2. Right-click it → Extract All, into a folder where it can stay (for example Documents\Lanlord). Your shared files will live in its shared folder.
3. Double-click Install Lanlord and allow it to make changes. Lanlord now starts with Windows, and the page opens in your browser: go to Settings to find the QR code for your phone.

To remove it, double-click Uninstall Lanlord, then delete the folder.

Windows may say it "protected your PC" because the scripts aren't signed: click More info → Run anyway. The optional extras below (ffmpeg, Git for Windows) work the same with the zip.

Run from source

You need a Windows 10/11 PC with Node.js 24. Optional but recommended:

• ffmpeg (winget install Gyan.FFmpeg): previews of iPhone HEVC/HEIC files in PC browsers that can't show them, turning MKV/AVI into phone-friendly MP4, and the Compress action.
• Git for Windows: brings openssl, which Lanlord uses to set up https (needed for Copy image and Save to Photos on the phone; see below).

git clone https://github.com/donerfolk/Lanlord.git
cd Lanlord
npm install
npm start

The console prints the addresses to open, the passcode, and where it saved a QR code (connect-qr.png).

Keep it running (Windows service)

To have Lanlord start with Windows, run this once from PowerShell as Administrator in the Lanlord folder:

node install-service.js

After updating Lanlord, restart it with Restart-Service lanlord.exe (elevated). Remove it with node uninstall-service.js.

Connect your phone

1. Put the phone on the same Wi-Fi as the PC.
2. Scan connect-qr.png with the phone's camera. It opens Lanlord and unlocks it in one step: the passcode is part of the link.
3. In Safari: Share → Add to Home Screen. You now have a Lanlord app icon.

Later you can also reach it at http://<your-pc-name>.local:8811, which keeps working when your PC's IP address changes. The Settings tab shows every address, the passcode, and the QR code for pairing the next device.

Send from the iPhone Share sheet (Shortcut)

The iPhone doesn't let web pages appear in its Share sheet, so Lanlord uses a Shortcut:

1. On your iPhone, add the Lanlord Shortcut.
2. When it asks for your upload link, open Lanlord → Settings → iPhone Shortcut and tap the link to copy it.
3. From Photos, Files or any app: Share → Lanlord. The PC shows the file as it arrives.

Getting original quality from an iPhone

Tested on an iPhone 15 Pro Max with a 4K HDR video (48 MB HEVC on the phone):

How you send it	What arrives
Lanlord → Upload → Photo Library	❌ 7 MB H.264 copy: iOS converts it before the page gets it
Share → Lanlord Shortcut	❌ the same converted copy, unless:
Share → Options → Current → Lanlord Shortcut	✅ the original, byte for byte
Photos → Save to Files, then Lanlord → Upload → Browse	✅ the original

iOS forgets the Options → Current choice after each share, so pick it every time you want the original. Photos arrive at full resolution with their date and camera details on every route; through Photo Library they arrive as JPEG rather than HEIC.

On Android

Tested on a Samsung Galaxy S8 with Chrome:

• Photos and videos arrive as they were shot: full resolution, capture date, camera details and location.
• Chrome's photo picker renames photos to a long number (e.g. 1789844531191….jpg). The date inside the photo is unchanged. Videos keep their names.
• Use the IP address or the QR code: Android often can't open <pc-name>.local addresses.
• Get saves into Chrome's Downloads folder. Google Photos lists it under device folders, not in the main photo grid.
• Lanlord only appears in Android's Share menu once it's installed from the https address (see below); over plain http, Chrome can only add a shortcut.

Saving and copying on your phone (https)

Browsers only allow Copy image and Save to Photos on secure (https) pages, so Lanlord also runs on https, port 8812, with a certificate it makes itself. Trust it once on the phone:

1. On the phone: Lanlord → Settings → Save & copy on this phone → Install the Lanlord certificate → Allow. Then iOS Settings → Profile Downloaded → Install.
2. iOS Settings → General → About → Certificate Trust Settings → turn on Lanlord CA.
3. Open the https://… link shown in Lanlord's Settings and add that page to your Home Screen instead.

The certificate authority is valid for 10 years. The server certificate renews itself when your PC's address changes, so this is a one-time job. The private keys stay in certs/ on your PC; never share that folder.

Features

• Upload from the phone (Photo Library or Files), or drop files and whole folders onto the page on the PC. Paste a screenshot with Ctrl+V. Uploads can be paused, resumed and retried.
• Folders: create, open, rename, move (drag onto a folder or breadcrumb, or Move to…), and download as a zip.
• Search the whole share, sort and filter by type, list or grid view.
• Select many (shift-click for a range, Ctrl+A for all) to zip, move or delete them together.
• Preview photos, video and audio full-screen, with previous/next and Copy link.
• Compress a photo or video, with a live estimate of the new size. It never keeps a result that's bigger than the original.
• Download as JPEG (iPhone HEIC photos): a full-size JPEG copy with the date and camera details, for PCs that can't open HEIC. The original stays as it is.
• Delete with Undo. Deleted files wait a week in Settings → Recently deleted.
• Send text: push a link or note to your other devices and tap to copy it there.
• Live updates: files appear on every device the moment they arrive, including files you drop into the shared folder in File Explorer.
• You are told what arrived: a file or a text from another device shows a message with View, Show or Copy. Arrivals while the tab is in the background are counted in the tab title and told in one message when you come back.
• Devices tab: see what's online, name your devices, forget old ones.
• Phone gestures: press and hold for the menu, swipe a row right to download, left to delete. In the full-screen photo view, swipe sideways for the next file and down to close.
• PC keyboard: / search, Esc clear, Ctrl+A select all, Delete delete, arrow keys in the preview.
• Light, dark or automatic appearance, per device.
• MKV, AVI and similar videos are turned into MP4 automatically, so phones can play them. All audio tracks and text subtitles are kept, and the original goes to Recently deleted, unless the MP4 can't hold something in it (e.g. Blu-ray subtitles). In that case the original stays next to the MP4.

Everything lives in the shared folder as ordinary files, so File Explorer works on it too.

Security

Lanlord is built for a home network you trust:

• Every device except the PC itself needs the passcode once. It's then remembered in a cookie. After 10 wrong tries from one address, that address is blocked for 10 minutes.
• To change the passcode, delete auth.json and restart (every device has to enter the new one), or set your own with LANLORD_TOKEN.
• Uploaded files are served in a way that stops them running scripts inside Lanlord, and no request can reach files outside the shared folder.
• It is not meant to be exposed to the internet. For access from outside, use a VPN such as Tailscale rather than opening a port on your router.

Known limits, to be fixed in a later version:

• Over plain http, files and the passcode cross your network unencrypted. The cookie a device keeps is the passcode, and the http port is always open, so someone who can watch your Wi-Fi traffic could pick it up even if you mostly use the https address. Forget on the Devices tab doesn't revoke it; changing the passcode does.
• The Windows service runs as SYSTEM, the most privileged account. Anyone who can edit the Lanlord folder (your own Windows account can) could get their code run with full rights at the next restart. That's no change for an administrator account, but on a PC where you use a standard account, keep the Lanlord folder somewhere only administrators can write to.

FAQ

Is there an AirDrop for Windows?

Not from Apple: AirDrop only works between Apple devices. Lanlord gives a Windows 10/11 PC the same everyday result. Share a photo or video on your iPhone and it appears on the PC over Wi-Fi a moment later, and the phone can take any file back from the PC.

How do I transfer photos and videos from an iPhone to a Windows PC without a cable or iTunes?

Start Lanlord on the PC, scan its QR code with the iPhone camera, and tap Upload. For videos in their original quality, send them from the Share sheet with Options → Current, as described in Getting original quality from an iPhone.

Do I need to install an app on my phone?

No. Lanlord is a web page served by your PC, and you add it to the Home Screen so it opens like an app. The only optional extra is the free Shortcut that puts Lanlord in the iPhone Share sheet.

Does Lanlord need an internet connection?

No. The phone and PC only need to be on the same network. It even works on the PC's own mobile hotspot with no internet at all. Files are never uploaded to a server or a cloud.

Does it reduce the quality of my photos and videos?

No. Lanlord copies files byte for byte, with no size limit. The one catch is on the iPhone: iOS itself converts videos (and HEIC photos to JPEG) when a web page picks them from the Photo Library. The routes in the table above get the original.

Does it work with Android phones and iPads?

Yes. Any phone or tablet with a modern browser can connect. Android is tested with Chrome on a Samsung Galaxy S8; see On Android for the details.

How is Lanlord different from Nearby Share (Quick Share)?

Google's Nearby Share (renamed Quick Share) works well between Android and Windows, but it doesn't support iPhone, and requires the Google app installed on both sides. Lanlord works with any phone that has a browser, including iPhone, and keeps everything in a folder your phone can browse any time, not just while you're actively sending.

How is Lanlord different from LocalSend, Snapdrop or PairDrop?

LocalSend needs its app on every device. Snapdrop and PairDrop send between two open browser pages, so both devices have to be ready at the same moment, and nothing is kept for later. Lanlord keeps everything in a folder on your PC, so any phone can browse and download from it whenever it wants, with nothing installed on the phone.

Is Lanlord free?

Yes. It's open source under the MIT license, with no account, no subscription and no ads. If it saves you time, you can buy me a coffee.

Is it safe to use?

It's made for a home network you trust: every device needs a passcode, files stay on your PC, and https is available. It should not be opened to the internet; use a VPN such as Tailscale for access away from home. See Security, including its known limits.

Troubleshooting

The phone can't reach the PC

• Are both on the same Wi-Fi? Guest networks and some mesh or hotel networks stop devices from seeing each other.
• Windows: Settings → Network & internet → your Wi-Fi → Network profile type must be Private. On Public, Windows Firewall blocks the phone.
• A VPN on the phone or PC can route the connection away from your home network. Pause it.
• If http://<pc-name>.local:8811 doesn't load (common on Android), use the IP address shown in Settings or in the console.

Everything asks for the passcode again: the passcode was changed (see Security), or the browser cleared its cookies. Enter the passcode shown in the console or on the PC's Settings tab.

A video shows as black on the PC: your browser can't decode it (HEVC often isn't supported on PCs without the right graphics hardware). Lanlord makes a playable preview automatically if ffmpeg is installed.

Configuration

Environment variable	Default	What it does
LANLORD_PORT	8811	http port
LANLORD_HTTPS_PORT	http port + 1	https port
LANLORD_TOKEN	random, saved in auth.json	the passcode
LANLORD_DIR	shared, next to the code	the shared folder, absolute or relative to the Lanlord folder
LANLORD_FFMPEG	your own WinGet install (the service installer saves the path it found)	path to ffmpeg.exe
LANLORD_OPENSSL	found automatically	path to openssl.exe
LANLORD_HOSTS	none	extra names the PC may be reached by, comma-separated (e.g. pc.lan). Lanlord only answers to this PC's own name, .local name and IP addresses, so a page on another site can't pretend to be it

Development

• Start with CONTRIBUTING.md: running a development copy without touching the one you use, the tests, the rules, and how to report a bug.
• node selftest.js runs the tests (also run on every push by GitHub Actions).
• To test without stopping the service, run a second copy on other ports: $env:LANLORD_PORT=9911; node server.js. It uses the same shared folder.
• ARCHITECTURE.md explains how the code is laid out.
• No build step: the whole front end is public/index.html.

Support Lanlord

Lanlord is free and open source. If it saved you time or money, a coffee is a great way to say thanks. A ⭐ on GitHub helps other people find it too.

License

MIT