Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Open QuickBridge on your Mac
Go to quickbridge.app in Safari, Chrome, or Firefox on your Mac. The QR code appears the moment the page loads. Leave this tab open.
Step 2: Scan the QR with your iPhone
Open the Camera app and hold it over the QR on your Mac screen. A banner appears at the top, tap it, and Safari opens the transfer page on your iPhone.
Step 3: Verify the emoji codes
Both devices display an emoji sequence derived from the DTLS certificate fingerprints used in their WebRTC connection. Comparing the sequences through a trusted channel helps users detect a possible man-in-the-middle attack. The comparison does not indicate whether the connection is direct or uses a relay.
Step 4: Send from your iPhone
Tap the file picker on your iPhone. Safari surfaces the standard iOS sheet: your camera roll, iCloud Drive, and the Files app all show up. Pick what you want and tap Send.
Step 5: Files appear on your Mac
Each file downloads to your Mac
Frequently Asked Questions
AirDrop is right there. Why would I need this?
AirDrop is great when it works, and genuinely unreliable when it does not. Devices need to be unlocked, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth both need to be on, discovery mode has to be set right, and sometimes it refuses to find the other device for no obvious reason. QuickBridge has none of those variables. Scan a QR and it connects. It also works when the two devices are on different networks, which AirDrop never does.
Does this work if my iPhone and Mac are on different Wi-Fi networks?
Yes. QuickBridge uses STUN and TURN to connect across different networks. Your iPhone on cellular and your Mac on a home network will pair and transfer. Speed over TURN is limited by the slower internet connection, but the transfer works.
Can I send Live Photos from iPhone to Mac?
Yes. A Live Photo is a HEIC image plus a MOV video clip. The file picker treats them as separate files. You can select and send both. On the Mac, QuickTime plays the motion clip and Preview shows the still image.
I have iCloud sync turned on. Why not just use that?
iCloud makes sense for things you want in your permanent library. For a one-off transfer, especially a large video, you are eating into your storage quota and waiting for a round trip to the server. QuickBridge transfers directly without iCloud, no storage used, no waiting for sync.
What is the file size limit?
512 MB per file with the standard in-memory browser download on Mac (subject to a 1 GiB aggregate ceiling). To receive larger files, enable auto-save in Chrome for Mac before the transfer. Auto-save uses the File System Access API to stream directly to disk, raising the configured ceiling to 10 GB per file.
Can I also send from Mac to iPhone in the same session?
Yes. The session is bidirectional. Drag a file from Finder into the QuickBridge tab on your Mac and it transfers to your iPhone. Both sides can send and receive without re-scanning. Note that transfers received on iPhone Safari are safely capped at 300 MB to protect iOS tab stability.
Is QuickBridge free?
QuickBridge is free to use, with no subscription required. Advertisements may appear on the site to help support its ongoing operation.
What is QuickBridge?
QuickBridge is a browser-based peer-to-peer file transfer tool. Open the site on both devices, scan the QR code or enter the 6-digit PIN, and files stream directly between the two browsers over an encrypted WebRTC channel. No account, no app install, and no cloud file storage.
Who is QuickBridge best for?
QuickBridge is best for anyone who needs to move files between two devices in real time without a USB cable, account, or app install. Both devices need to have a browser open at the same time. Choose a cloud service like Google Drive or WeTransfer when the recipient will not be online right away, or when you need the same file to reach several people at different times.