Questions about Pasa File
Straight answers, including the ones where the answer is "no". If you want the mechanism rather than the summary, the how it works page walks through a transfer end to end.
Do my files get uploaded to your server?
No. File contents travel directly between the two browsers over a WebRTC data channel. The server is only used to introduce the two devices to each other — it passes the connection details they need, then stays out of the way. It never receives, stores, or forwards the bytes of your file.
Do both devices have to be on the same Wi-Fi?
For the intended experience, yes. Pasa File is built for two devices on the same local network, which is what makes the transfer fast and keeps the data on your own network. The connection is negotiated with public STUN servers and no relay server is configured, so a transfer between two networks will often fail to connect at all.
Does it work without an internet connection?
No. Even though the file itself moves across your local network, both devices need internet access to load this site and to exchange the connection details that let them find each other. A completely offline network will not work unless you host Pasa File on that network yourself.
Is there a file size limit?
There is no artificial cap and no upload quota, but there is a practical limit: the receiving browser collects the whole file in memory before saving it. On a desktop with plenty of free RAM, multi-gigabyte files are fine; on a phone, a very large file can exhaust the tab's memory and fail. If you are moving something enormous, a wired copy is still the better tool.
Is the transfer encrypted?
Yes. WebRTC data channels are encrypted with DTLS by default — it is not an option that can be switched off. That protects the file in transit between the two devices. It is transport encryption, not end-to-end encryption of a file at rest, because there is no "at rest" here: the file only exists on the two devices.
What is the room password for?
It stops someone who guesses or overhears the six-character code from walking into your room. Set one if you are on a shared or public network. Note that the password is stored on the server for as long as the room exists so that it can be checked — treat it as a door code for that room, not as a secret you reuse elsewhere.
How long does a room last?
Rooms expire 1 hour after they are created. After that the code stops working, and the room record is deleted entirely within about a day. There is no history and nothing to clean up yourself.
Can I send a file to someone and have them pick it up later?
No. Both devices have to be in the room at the same time, because the file goes straight from one browser to the other with nothing in between. If you need someone to collect a file at their convenience, you need storage — that is a different kind of tool.
Do I need an account or an app?
Neither. There is no sign-up, no email, and nothing to install. Both devices just open the site in a browser that supports WebRTC, which includes current versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari on both desktop and mobile.
How many devices can be in one room?
More than two can join the same room, and you choose which device in the list to send each file to. In practice it is designed around two devices — a phone and a laptop, or two laptops — and that is where it behaves best.
Can I resume a transfer that failed?
Not yet. If the connection drops mid-file, the transfer is marked failed and has to start over. A checksum is verified at the end of every file, so a partial or corrupted transfer is reported as a failure rather than quietly handed to you as a broken file.
Can I share text as well as files?
Yes. A room has a text box for pasting a quick snippet — a code, a link, a note — and sharing it sends it to every connected device over the same peer-to-peer channel as files, so the server never sees it either. It is one-shot, not a live shared document: sending it pushes the current text to everyone at that moment, and it is not saved anywhere, so a device that joins the room afterward will not see snippets shared before it connected.
How much does it cost?
Nothing. Pasa File is free, has no paid tier, and does not run ads or trackers.