filetrx

filetrx is shorthand for file transfer.

Fast phone-to-laptop transfer for files, links, and quick notes over Wi-Fi.

A lightweight, local-first web app for transferring files, links, and notes from your phone to your laptop on the same Wi-Fi, with archive/unarchive and one-click path copy.

Important: filetrx currently supports one-way transfer only: phone -> laptop/PC. Sending files from laptop/PC to phone is not implemented yet.

What it does

• Runs as a local web server on your laptop/desktop
• Shows local network URLs you can open from your phone
• Lets you upload a file, paste a link, and add an optional note
• Updates the laptop inbox instantly with no account, no cloud, and no database
• Can be launched from Windows without using npm start

Latest features

• Inbox + Archived tabs in Recent Drops
• Archive / Unarchive on each drop (items are kept, not deleted)
• Get path button to copy the full local path for uploaded files
• Mixed file rendering: image preview for images, file placeholder card for non-images
• Cleaner card headers without the old top type label
• Hide setup / Show setup toggle for the Open On Your Phone card (state remembered in browser)
• Version footer so you can confirm what build is running
• More reliable launcher with startup logging (launch-filetrx.log)

Easiest launch options

Windows

• Double-click launch-filetrx.cmd to start the server if needed and open the app.
• If you want it available after every Windows login, double-click enable-filetrx-autostart.cmd once.
• If launch fails, open launch-filetrx.log in the project root to see why.

Phone

• Open the app from your phone browser using the laptop Wi-Fi URL.
• Add that page to your phone home screen from the browser menu for one-tap access later.
• The laptop still needs the filetrx server running, so laptop autostart is the easiest setup.

Typical workflow

1. Send files, links, or notes from your phone.
2. In Recent Drops, open image previews or file placeholders as needed.
3. Click Get path to copy the local file path.
4. Archive older drops and unarchive later when needed.

Run it manually

npm start

Then open the printed local URL on your laptop and one of the printed Wi-Fi URLs on your phone.

Notes

• Both devices need to be on the same Wi-Fi network.
• Shared items are stored under data/, which is ignored by git.
• This version is intentionally local-only and has no authentication, so it is best used on a trusted network.