File browsingTheir files,like your own.
No need to send them first. Browse a phone’s or another computer’s files right from your computer and drag them into Finder to copy, or mount them in your system’s file manager and open them in any app.
Getting started
- 1
Connect
Open Whisper on both devices and connect them. The first time, compare the pairing code.
- 2
Open Files
Open Device Details at the top right of the conversation and select Files.
- 3
Get the OK
Once the other device chooses Allow this time or Always allow, its files are there.
Copy in, copy out, as if it were here.
Like Finder
List and icon views, plus new folders, renaming, and deleting. Computers move deleted files to the Trash; phones have none, so they ask once more.
Drag out to copy
Drag files into Finder or File Explorer and they are written as they arrive; drop files from here into the window to copy them over. After a disconnect, copying waits and continues.
Mount on this computer
Turn on Mount on this computer and the files appear in Finder, File Explorer, or your Linux file manager, ready for any app. It mounts whenever the device connects, read-only.
Share links
Give a device without Whisper a link and it downloads in a browser, folders as a zip. Add a password if you like, and turn the link off at any time.
Their call
The other device approves each time, or always; take it back at any time in its details.
From a phone, too
Phones browse computers’ files the same way; long-press an item or an empty area for the menu.
Platforms and requirements
- macOSmacOSBrowses, is browsed, mounts
Mounted files show under Locations in the Finder sidebar.
- WindowsWindowsBrowses, is browsed, mounts
Mounted files show in the File Explorer navigation pane; changes on the other device show within about 5 seconds.
- LinuxLinuxBrowses, is browsed, mounts
Mounting needs fuse3, which most distributions include. The files are in the Whisper folder in your home folder and in the GNOME Files sidebar.
- AndroidAndroidBrowses, is browsed
Others see internal storage. It cannot mount other devices, but can be mounted.
Questions
Can I edit files in a mount?
No. Mounts are read-only: you can open and copy files out, but not change, create, or delete anything there. Use the Files window in Whisper to change the other device’s files.
Which of my files can others see?
Your home folder on a computer (and each drive on Windows), and internal storage on Android. You approve each time unless you chose Always allow.
Are share links safe?
Links only accept devices on the same local network, can have a password, and can be turned off or deleted at any time; with no link on, the file server is not running. Links use plain HTTP, so others on the same network may see what is downloaded. They suit handing files to someone nearby for a while.
What decides the speed of a mount?
Only the parts of a file you open are transferred, so it depends on the network and the other device. Phones usually have slower storage and Wi-Fi than computers, so large files take a little longer to open.
Still curious?