HOW TO · FREE
From a PC to a phone with no internet, no cable and no Bluetooth
The PC shows the file as a stream of codes on its screen; the phone reads them with its camera. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is paired, and the PC does not need a network connection or a camera.
Written by Taha Bayar, a biologist working on laboratory data handover. The steps use Kionel's free personal edition.
What you need
- The PC with the file, its screen and keyboard. It opens kionel.com once, or runs the offline package if it can never go online.
- A phone or tablet with a camera and a current browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari).
- No account, no app to install.
Step by step
- On the phone, open kionel.com/transfer.html, tap Receive, then Sender has no camera — show a code. A 12-character code appears.
- On the PC, open the same page, press Choose file (up to 5 MB in the free edition), type the phone's code under This PC has no camera? and press Send with this code. Accept the flashing-images warning.
- Point the phone's camera at the PC screen, 30 to 50 cm away, with the whole code in view. The bar fills; when it is full, the phone offers the file to download.
How long it takes
In our tests a 117 KB file arrived in 10 to 24 seconds with the phone reading live. Text files such as CSV shrink before sending, so they go faster than their size suggests; photos and ZIP files do not shrink. The page shows its own estimate for your file before you start.
Why the code is typed on the PC
A screen can only show, not listen. The code is how the PC learns whom to encrypt for: the file is locked with a key derived from it, so another phone filming the screen gets nothing it can open.
Limits, honestly
- It suits documents, results and configuration files, not videos or photo albums. For those, a cable is faster when one is allowed.
- The free edition sends up to 5 MB and reads live. Larger files, the faster recording and colour-code modes, and signed records come with a business licence.
- The phone must see the whole code clearly; glare and distance matter more than the phone model.
Other ways, and when they fit
| Way | Fits when |
|---|---|
| USB cable | The PC allows removable devices and you have the cable. |
| Bluetooth | Both have it switched on and pairing is allowed. |
| E-mail or cloud | The PC is online. |
| A single QR code | It is a few hundred characters of text, not a file. |
| Screen to camera (above) | None of the above is possible or allowed. |