Sending Files with the Floe Web App

Open floe.one in any modern browser. No account or installation required.

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Add files

Drop files onto the dashed drop zone inside the transfer card, or click it to open the file picker. Dropping a file anywhere else on the page makes your browser open that file and navigate away from Floe. You can add:

• A single file of any type.
• Multiple files at once (the picker accepts multi-select).

Once files are queued, the large drop zone shrinks to an Add more files strip above the file list. There is no file size limit on direct connections. Relay connections are capped at 2 GB per session. See The 2 GB Relay Limit.

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Network relay fallback

Once at least one file is queued, a Network relay fallback checkbox appears below the file list and directly above the Create secure link button. It is on by default and recommended for most users. Unchecking it shows an amber warning that transfers may fail if either device is on mobile data or a restricted network. The checkbox disappears once you create the link, so set it before you click Create secure link. The choice lasts for the current session only and is not remembered between visits. Turn relay off only if you need to be certain files never pass through a relay, for example for compliance reasons. You do not need to turn it off to send more than 2 GB: the cap applies only when the connection actually ends up relayed, so leaving fallback on costs a direct transfer nothing.

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Create the link

Click Create secure link. The button carries the count you are about to send, for example “Create secure link (3 files)”. Your browser generates the room id itself, joins that room on the signaling server, and shows the share panel once the server confirms the join. The panel holds the link, a live status line, and three controls:

• Copy puts the link on your clipboard.
• Show QR reveals a QR code, which is hidden by default. Scan it with a phone camera to open the link instantly. Press Hide QR to collapse it again.
• Share opens your device’s native share sheet. It appears only on browsers that expose one, mostly mobile.

The link has the form https://floe.one/?s=<nonce>#room=<uuid>. The room id sits in the fragment, so it never reaches the server. The ?s= nonce only makes each link a distinct page, so scanning a new QR code cannot reuse a stale tab. The link stays valid for as long as your browser tab is open, but it admits exactly one recipient. Once someone has joined the room, anyone else opening the same link gets a “Link Invalid” card. Create a fresh link for each person you want to send to.

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Connection indicator

The top-right of the transfer card shows a status dot with a label, plus a live ping readout that only senders see. Hover or tap the info icon next to Direct or Relay for a short in-product explanation. The dot tracks your own link to the signaling server until the peer connection resolves, so it does not tell you whether the recipient has arrived. The status line under the share link does that: it reads “Waiting for peer”, then “Peer joined. Starting transfer”.

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Transfer

The transfer starts on its own a couple of seconds after the recipient opens the link. You do not need to click anything. Floe checks the path before sending any bytes, so two things can stop it:

• If the only available path is the relay and you turned relay fallback off, the card shows the error Connection failed. Enable “Network Relay” to connect across restrictive networks. and the connection is torn down.
• If the path is relayed and your queue is over 2 GB, the status line reads Transfer blocked. Relay limit exceeded. and nothing is sent. Remove files, or move to a network that allows a direct connection.

Keep the browser tab open and active for the entire transfer. If you close or navigate away from the tab, the session ends immediately and the recipient loses the connection.

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Short codes

The browser sender does not create a short code. floe send and Floe Desktop both register one when the send starts, and both floe receive and the Floe Desktop Receive tab can resolve one. A browser recipient always needs the full link or the QR code. If you want a short code, send from the terminal or from Floe Desktop instead. See floe send or Sending Files with Floe Desktop.

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Tips

• On mobile, keep the browser in the foreground. Background tabs may be throttled and slow the transfer.
• If the status line under the share link stays on “Waiting for peer” for more than 30 seconds after the recipient has opened the link, see Troubleshooting.
• For large files on a corporate or university network, try a personal mobile hotspot to get a direct connection instead of relay.