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Browser

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Sender

  1. Open floe.one in your browser.
  2. Drop files onto the page or click to open the file picker. Multiple files are supported.
  3. (Optional) Toggle Network relay fallback on or off. It is on by default and recommended. When disabled, only direct connections are attempted, and transfers may fail if either device is on mobile data or a restricted network.
  4. Click Create secure link. The button also shows the file count, for example “Create secure link (3 files)”.
  5. Floe displays the shareable link with Copy and Show QR beside it. Send the link, or click Show QR to reveal a QR code the recipient can scan.
  6. A connection indicator sits in the top bar of the transfer card. Read its label rather than the dot alone: Offline (red) means your browser is not connected to Floe’s signaling server, Ready (green) means that signaling connection is up, which happens on page load and does not by itself mean anyone has joined, then Direct (green) or Relay (amber) once Floe works out the route. A direct connection always starts transferring. A relayed one starts only if you left relay fallback on and the payload is 2 GB or smaller.

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Receiver

  1. Open the shared link in any modern browser.
  2. The transfer starts automatically once the connection is established.
  3. When all files arrive, download options appear:
    • Download each file individually.
    • Download All triggers individual downloads for every file.
    • Download ZIP bundles everything into a single archive.
    Download All and Download ZIP appear only when the transfer contained more than one file. A single file has just its own download button.
On iOS, use Download ZIP when the transfer has more than one file. Individual file downloads can behave inconsistently on Safari and iOS web views due to browser sandboxing.
The receiver view has a Contribute to global stats checkbox (on by default) that adds only this transfer’s byte count to Floe’s public homepage counter. It is shown while you wait, before the first file arrives, so uncheck it then. Your choice is saved in the browser and applies to later transfers. File names and contents are never sent. See Receiving Files.
The sender must keep their browser tab open for the entire duration of the transfer.

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Desktop (Windows)

1

Install

Get Floe Desktop from the Microsoft Store, or download the installer or the portable zip from floe.one/download. The app is in beta and Windows only today. The GitHub builds are not code-signed, so SmartScreen warns on first run. See Install Floe Desktop.
2

Send

Stay on the Send tab. Drop files onto the window, click Files or Folder to browse, or press Ctrl V to paste files copied in File Explorer or an image from the clipboard. Click Send. Floe shows a Room code and a Share link, each with a copy button, plus a Show QR toggle. Hand over whichever suits the recipient. See Sending Files.
3

Receive

Switch to the Receive tab, paste the code or the link into Code or link, optionally pick a Save to folder with Browse (Downloads by default), then click Receive. Files are written straight to disk as they arrive, so there is no size ceiling on a direct connection. See Receiving Files.

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CLI

1

Install

Install with a package manager: brew install --cask jannskiee/tap/floe on macOS, winget install jannskiee.floe on Windows, or curl -fsSL https://floe.one/install.sh | sh on macOS and Linux. See Installation for every option, including scoop, go install, and direct binary downloads.
2

Send

Terminal
Floe connects, registers a short code, and prints a sharing panel:
Output
Share the link with anyone. Share the code with CLI or desktop recipients, who can paste either form. The short code is valid for 10 minutes.
3

Receive

The recipient runs:
Terminal
Or they can open the link in any browser. Once connected, the CLI shows an incoming summary, a confirmation prompt, and then a live progress bar:
Output
Pass -y to auto-accept without the prompt. Omit -o to save to the current directory instead. Pass --no-report (or set FLOE_NO_STATS=1) to skip contributing the byte count to Floe’s public counter.

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Cross-platform transfers

The browser, desktop, and CLI clients are fully interoperable. Any combination of sender and receiver works. How it works: The browser connects via Socket.IO, while the CLI and the desktop app connect via WebSocket, but all of them share the same room on the signaling server. Signals (WebRTC offer, answer, ICE candidates) are routed between them automatically. Neither side needs to know which client the other is using. Key difference: The browser can only join a transfer by opening the link directly. There is no short-code entry field in the web UI, and a browser sender never mints a short code, only a link. The CLI and the desktop app both accept either the short code or the full link.
Folder transfers work in the CLI and the desktop app. Run floe send ./folder, or click Folder in the desktop send area. All files are transferred recursively, and the directory structure is preserved when the receiver is a CLI or desktop client. A browser receiver gets the same files but sees them as a flat list.

Related topics

Self-Hosting Quick StartYour files never make a stop.Self-Hosted Floe ConfigurationSelf-Hosting Floe OverviewFloe FAQ