Share a Folder Between Two Computers

Your first KeibiDrop session, start to finish. About 10 minutes.

What we will do

We connect two computers on the same network. A shared folder appears on both. We put a file in on one computer and watch it appear on the other. Then we edit it from the second computer and watch the change come back.

No account is created. No file is uploaded to a cloud. The two computers talk to each other.

What you need

Two computers on the same home or office network. A guest or hotel network does not work for this lesson; it blocks device-to-device traffic.
KeibiDrop installed on both: macOS, Linux, or Windows, in any combination.
The FUSE driver installed on both, from the same install pages. The driver is what makes the shared folder possible.

Step 1: Open KeibiDrop on both computers

Start the KeibiDrop app on each computer. Each shows the connect screen, with a code field and a network toggle.

Step 2: Turn on the network toggle

On both computers, turn on the toggle that says "Same WiFi? Toggle to find your peer automatically".

Notice that each computer now shows a line like "You appear as: Swift Penguin". That is this computer's temporary name for this session. After a few seconds, the other computer appears in the "Nearby devices" list under its own temporary name.

Step 3: Connect

On one computer, click Connect next to the other computer's name.

Both screens change to the connected view. It says "Connected · FUSE mounted" and "Shared folder is live".

Checkpoint. If you see file cards and a drop area instead of "Shared folder is live", the FUSE driver is missing on that computer. Finish the driver step on its install page, restart the app, and connect again.

Step 4: Open the shared folder

Click Open Folder on both computers.

A folder window opens on each: Finder on macOS, Explorer on Windows, your file manager on Linux. On macOS it is the KeibiDrop volume. On Windows it is a drive letter such as K:. The folder is empty. Both windows show the same, still empty, shared space.

Step 5: Put a file in

On the first computer, copy any file into the shared folder. A photo is a good choice.

Look at the second computer's folder window. The file appears there within a moment.

Notice that the file appeared without a transfer dialog. The name and size arrive first; the content streams over when the file is opened. Open the photo on the second computer and it displays.

Step 6: Edit it from the other computer

On the second computer, open the file in the shared folder with any editor. For a photo, a paint app works. Change something and save.

Look at the first computer. Open the file there: it has the change. Edits made in the shared folder flow back to the other side after each save.

Step 7: Disconnect

Click Disconnect on either computer. Both return to the connect screen, and the shared folder empties.

Each side keeps its own files: the first computer still has the original file, and everything you pulled or saved stays where you put it.

What you learned

Two computers on one network connect with one click each. No account, no setup.
The shared folder is a normal folder to every program on your computer.
Files appear on the other side immediately, and content streams when it is read.
Saved edits travel back on their own.

Where next

Different networks, different cities: How to connect two computers covers the internet path with the one-time code exchange.
Prefer a terminal? A first session in keibidrop-cli.
Why this works the way it does: How KeibiDrop works.

A first session in keibidrop-cli →