Transfer files between Android and computer using Xender for free

If you want to send files from phone to computer or other other way around, there are various free, cross-platform file transfer apps you can choose, such as SHAREit, Zapya, Send Anywhere, etc. Xender is one of the best options.

About Xender file sharing

It is free, cross-platform, compatible with Android, iOS, Windows, Mac and more. It supports both WiFi and hotspot connection and file transfer, free of network connection, no mobile data usage.

Method 1. Transfer files between your phone and computer over Wi-Fi

Connect your Android device and computer to the same Wi-Fi network. It doesn’t matter if your wireless router is connected to the internet or not as the file sharing occurs in your local area network.

Run the free file sharing app on your mobile phone or tablet. Tap on the Menu (three horizontal lines icon) at the top right corner, choose Connect PC from the drop-down menu list. Xender for Android supports both hotspot and Wi-Fi connections with PC, each has its advantages and disadvantages.

#1. Hotspot Mode

It does not require a Wi-Fi network. Go to the system Settings app on your Android phone to create a hotspot and set a password for the hotspot network; then connect your computer to the hotspot network; finally visit the Xender Web address in your desktop web browser to upload and download files.

#2. Web Mode

It requires a Wi-Fi network. However internet connection is not necessary though. As we mentioned above, the file transfer happens in your local area network, no data will be uploaded or downloaded to or from the internet.

Tap on or swipe up to bring up the Web Mode from the bottom on the Connect to PC screen. Here you can see your current network name, the web address you can access your mobile phone from computer.

On your PC, launch a web browser to access the above web address or IP address. You’ll be asked to confirm and accept the connection on your phone. After that, you will see Xender web transfer interface like this.

Upload files from computer to mobile phone

Simply drag and drop files from your computer to the phone frame in the Xender Web interface. Or open the corresponding category in Xender for web to initiate the file uploading.

Download files from phone to computer

Open the category in Xender for Web to access your files on the phone from computer, preview, select and download files from Android phone or tablet to your Windows PC or Mac computer.

Method 2. Transfer files between your phone and computer over Hotspot

When no Wi-Fi network available, you can go to create Hotspot network on your phone. After that, connect your computer to the hotspot network, open a web browser on your computer to access the web address displayed in Xender app on the phone. Accept the connection from your computer on the mobile. Start the file transfer using Xender for Web on your PC or Mac.

Create hotspot on Android phone:

Settings can vary by phone. You may see the process to enable hotspot varies on different phone brands, models. Here are some step-by-step tutorials you can follow to setup Wi-Fi hotspot on some Android mobile phones.

• Set up mobile hotspot on Tecno phone;
• Set up mobile hotspot on Infinix phone;
• Create mobile hotspot on Huawei phone.

Update Oct 2022: this article was originally published in Dec 2019 and has since been updated; updated the screenshots to reflect the changes with Xender version 12.2.0.Prime (1000010) for Android, the latest version as of writing; added tutorials to turn on Wi-fi hotspot on some Android devices.