Offline transfer
Share files with no internet connection
Send a file between two devices with no internet, WiFi, or Bluetooth. One device flashes animated QR codes, the other scans them with its camera.
Offline transfer sends a file between a phone and a PC with no WiFi, Bluetooth, or internet connection at all: one device displays a sequence of QR codes on screen and the other scans them with its camera to rebuild the file.
- Works anywhere, even with both devices in airplane mode.
- No pairing, no app install, no account.
- Best for smaller files, it trades speed for needing zero network access.
- For larger files with an internet connection, use Peer-to-peer or Server upload instead.
How it works
1. Choose Send on one device
Open Share-The-Doc on the device that has the file, and switch to Send.
2. Pick the file to transfer
The file is split into small chunks, each encoded as its own QR code.
3. Choose Receive on the other device and point its camera at the first screen
The sender loops through and displays the QR codes one after another. The receiver's camera scans continuously and decodes each chunk it sees, in any order.
4. Wait for every chunk to be scanned
A missed or blurry frame is simply caught on the next loop. Once every chunk has been seen, the file is reassembled and downloads automatically.
Frequently asked questions
No. It works with no network connection of any kind. The sending device flashes a sequence of QR codes on its screen and the receiving device's camera scans them: that's the entire connection.
The file is split into small chunks, each encoded as its own QR code. The sender loops through and displays them one after another; the receiver's camera scans continuously, decodes each chunk, and reassembles the original file once every chunk has been seen, in any order.
Nothing is lost. The sender loops the sequence continuously, so a missed or blurry frame is simply caught on the next pass. Each chunk is checksum-verified, so a bad scan is discarded rather than corrupting the file.
Small files work best: screen-flashed QR transfer trades speed for needing zero network access, so it's suited to documents, photos, and similar files rather than large videos.