Transfer Files Between Linux and Windows

Sharing files between a Linux machine and a Windows PC usually means setting up Samba — configuring shares, users, and firewall rules just to move a folder. Microsoft's own cross-device tool, Phone Link, doesn't help: it connects phones to Windows, not Linux. And cloud uploads mean handing your files to someone else's server. Clipcroft skips all of it: open clipcroft.com in any browser on each computer and send any file, any size — no Samba, no setup, no account, nothing to install.

Samba vs Clipcroft

Send a file from Linux to Windows in three steps

1. On your Linux computer, open clipcroft.com in any browser and click Create a new online clipboard. You'll get a clipboard name like "coolfox07".
2. On your Windows PC, open clipcroft.com, enter the same clipboard name, and click Open. Both computers are now connected.
3. On your Linux computer, drag one or more files onto the page (or click the icon to pick them). They start transferring to your Windows PC right away. Click Save on each received file — or use the sidebar's Export content option to save them all at once.

Send a file from Windows to Linux

The flow is identical in reverse. On your Windows PC, drag one or more files onto the page (or click the icon to pick them). On your Linux computer, click Save on each received file — or use the sidebar's Export content option to save them all at once.

Browser support

Linux

Any modern browser on Linux — Chrome, Chromium, Firefox, Brave, Edge, and others — on any distribution, including Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, Arch, and Linux Mint. No package to install, no Samba to configure.

Windows

Any modern browser on Windows — Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and others. No installer, no Microsoft account, no network shares to set up.

Why this works without Samba or Phone Link

Clipcroft uses WebRTC — the browser-to-browser technology behind Google Meet and most modern web video calls. Once both computers are on the same shared clipboard name, the browsers connect peer-to-peer. Files travel browser-to-browser between the Linux machine and the Windows PC and are never uploaded to or stored on our servers — no network shares, no Microsoft account.

What that means in practice:

• No Samba shares, no SMB configuration, no firewall rules to open
• No Phone Link — which connects phones to Windows, not Linux
• No account: no Microsoft account, no Google account, no email
• Works between any Linux distribution and any version of Windows
• Works across different networks: the two computers don't need to be on the same LAN

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to set up Samba or a network share?

No. Samba means installing and configuring a server — shares, users, and firewall rules — just to move a file. Clipcroft needs none of that: open the same clipboard name in a browser on each computer and send the file. There's nothing to mount and nothing to leave running.

Doesn't Phone Link already do this?

Phone Link connects an Android phone (and, in a limited way, an iPhone) to Windows — it has no Linux client, so it can't move files between a Linux computer and a Windows PC. Clipcroft works in the browser on both, so the operating system doesn't matter.

Do I need to install anything or turn off my antivirus?

No. There's nothing to install on either computer — Clipcroft runs entirely in the browser — so there's no executable for antivirus to scan or block. There's also no account to create.

Do both computers need to be on the same network?

No. The two computers can be on completely different networks. Your Linux machine can be at home and the Windows PC at the office; Clipcroft connects them over the internet.

Is it private? Does it upload my files to a server?

Your files travel browser-to-browser and are never uploaded to or stored on our servers. If you want, set a password when you create the clipboard and everything is encrypted end-to-end before it leaves your browser.