The cable is never where you left it
Then come the drivers, the "Allow access?" prompt on the phone, and the hunt for the right folder.
Pathau पठाउFree for Windows · Open source · No app needed on the phone
Send files between your phone and PC over Wi-Fi. No cable.
Scan a QR code and move photos, videos, folders and text between your phone and Windows PC, or between two PCs, at full Wi-Fi speed. Nothing goes through the internet, and nothing gets compressed.
- Free forever
- No account
- Works without internet
- ~12 MB, no installer
localhost:8765 · Pathau
Still emailing photos to yourself?
WhatsApp shrinks your photos
Sending to yourself on a chat app compresses photos and videos, and big files hit a size limit.
Cloud uploads burn your data
Google Drive or OneDrive uploads every file to the internet and back down again, just to cross the room.
Pathau sends files straight from one device to the other over the Wi-Fi you already have. No cable, no cloud, no chat app in between.
How it works
Set up in under a minute
How to transfer files from your phone to your PC with Pathau
- 1
Run Pathau on your PC
Download one small .exe and open it. No installer, no admin rights, no account. It shows a QR code.
- 2
Scan the QR code on your phone
Your phone's camera opens Pathau in the browser. Click Allow on the PC once, and the phone stays paired.
- 3
Send
Pick photos, videos or files on the phone, or drop files on the PC. They go straight across your Wi-Fi.
Features
Everything you need to move files
Pathau features
Phone to PC, original quality
Photos, videos and documents arrive exactly as they left the phone. Nothing compressed, any size, even many GB.
PC to phone
Drop files or whole folders on Send to phones. Every paired phone sees them under Files with a Download button.
PC to PC, checked twice
Other PCs running Pathau show up automatically. The receiver clicks Accept, and every file is SHA-256 verified on arrival.
Text, links and OTPs
Paste on the phone and it lands on the PC clipboard, ready for Ctrl+V. From an OTP message, only the code is copied.
A real file browser
Received files, files sent to phones and shared folders, in grid or list view, sorted by size, date or name, with search.
Pause, resume or cancel
Control any transfer from either device. Resume picks up from the same byte. Cancel deletes the half-received file.
Read-only shared folders
Share a folder once and your phone can browse and download from it, but never change or delete anything.
Always ready
Starts with Windows and sits in the system tray. Notifications tell you when files or texts arrive.
Pair once, safely
A new phone needs the code in the QR and your Allow on the PC. Remove any device to lock it out instantly.
Screenshots
See it on PC and phone
Real screenshots of Pathau with sample files.
Pathau screenshots
Pathau vs. a cable, WhatsApp and the cloud
Short answer: Pathau is the only one that keeps full quality, uses no data and needs no cable.
| Feature | Pathau | USB cable | WhatsApp / Messenger | Google Drive / OneDrive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original photo and video quality | Yes | Yes | No, compressed | Yes |
| Uses internet or mobile data | No | No | Yes | Yes, up and down |
| Works without a cable | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Send whole folders | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Files stay on your own network | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| File size limit | None | None | Yes | Your storage plan |
| Cost | Free, open source | A cable | Free | Free up to a limit |
Privacy and security
Your files never leave your network
- Local only: no internet, no accounts, no tracking. Files never leave your network.
- New phones need the passcode in the QR code and your Allow on the PC. Each passcode works once.
- 10 wrong passcodes pause that device for 5 minutes.
- Shared folders are read-only, and file paths can't escape them.
- Programs received from another device are never launched with one click.
- No admin rights, no background scripts, and every release is built in public on GitHub with SHA-256 checksums.
Download Pathau
Free, no sign-up. Download the .exe from GitHub, run it, and click Allow when Windows Firewall asks (private networks).
If Windows shows "Windows protected your PC", click More info then Run anyway. It appears for new apps that aren't code-signed yet.
Requirements
- PC
- Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit (Intel/AMD or ARM)
- Phone
- Any Android phone or iPhone with a browser
- Network
- Phone and PC on the same Wi-Fi or router
- Internet
- Not needed
- Size
- About 12 MB, no installer
Like Pathau? Give it a star.
Pathau is free and open source. A star on GitHub helps more people find it, and following me gets you my next free apps and tools first. Found a bug or have an idea? Open an issue.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pathau free?
Yes. Pathau is free and open source under the MIT license. There are no ads, no account, no license key and no paid version.
Do I need to install an app on my phone?
No. Your phone uses its normal browser: scan the QR code on the PC and Pathau opens. You can add it to your home screen so it's one tap next time. On iPhone it then opens full screen, like an app.
Does it work with iPhone and Android?
Yes, with any phone that has a modern browser: Chrome on Android and Safari on iPhone. On iPhone, choose Options, then Current in the photo picker to send photos in their original format.
Does Pathau need the internet?
No. The phone and PC only need to be on the same Wi-Fi or router. It works with no internet connection at all and uses no mobile data.
How big can the files be?
There is no size limit. Files stream straight to the disk, so videos of many gigabytes work, with live progress and speed. The speed depends on your Wi-Fi.
Is it safe to use?
Pathau only works on your local network, and a phone can only connect after you click Allow on the PC. Shared folders are read-only, and you can remove any paired device at any time. The full details are in the security policy on GitHub.
Why does my phone's browser say "Not secure"?
Browsers show that label for every http:// address. Secure certificates (the padlock) can't be issued for home network addresses like 192.168.1.5. Your Wi-Fi password still encrypts the traffic, pairing controls who can connect, and nothing leaves your network.
Windows says "Windows protected your PC". What do I do?
Windows SmartScreen shows this for new apps that aren't code-signed yet. Click More info, then Run anyway. Every release is built from the public source code on GitHub, with SHA-256 checksums you can check.
Can I send files between two computers?
Yes. Run Pathau on both PCs on the same network and they find each other. Click Send files or drag files onto the other computer, which clicks Accept. Every file is checked with SHA-256 when it arrives.
Does it run on Mac or Linux?
The official download is for Windows 10 and 11. Because Pathau is open source, it also builds and runs on macOS and Linux from the source code, without the tray icon for now.
Made by Aryan Pariyar
Need software like this for your business?
I designed and built Pathau end to end: the Windows app, the phone web app, security and the release pipeline. I do the same for clients, from websites and web apps to SEO and content. More about me.
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