There are numerous file transfer apps on the App Store, such as the SHAREit, ZAPYA, Xender, and so on. We will give a brief introduction to these free file sharing apps for iOS and attach the links to download them at the bottom of this post for your choice. In another article, we have reviewed the free and lightweight documents and data sharing app to iPhone iPad users, the MFiles file transfer. Today, we will show you how to use this free tool to quickly send files from computer to iPhone iPad or the other way around.
With MFiles, you have three options to share files between your Mac or PC computer and iOS devices. You can download the companion app on the computer for the file sharing, enable the HTTP server in MFiles on iOS device for the file sharing, or activate the WebDAV server in MFiles on iPhone iPad to transfer files. In this guide, we will show you how the HTTP and WebDAV file transfer modes work. And if you use the file transfer tool a lot in your daily life, we recommend you download and install MFiles on your desktop or laptop as well which will make the file sharing process even easier.
MFiles works over Wi-Fi or hotspot. If you have a local Wi-Fi network, connect both your iPhone/iPad and PC/Mac to the same Wi-Fi. Otherwise, turn on Hotspot on your iPhone or iPad, then connect your computer to the hotspot.
Once the two device are connected to the Wi-Fi. Run MFiles on your iPhone or iPad, we will use this free file sharing app on iPhone in this demo below. Tap on the Menu button at the top left corner, then choose Server from the list, you can then choose to enable HTTP Server or WebDAV server on iPhone. See below screenshot.
iPhone and computer transfer through HTTP Server
Start the HTTP Server in MFiles on iPhone, you will get the addresses of the HTTP Server which you can use to access the server from other devices or computers. One address is numeric and the other is alphabetic.
Launch your web browser on the PC or Mac, such as Safari, Edge, Firefox, Chrome. Then visit one of the above addresses to access the HTTP Server for file transfer and management. Note that do NOT close the Server page or screen in MFiles on the iOS device during the whole process.
The MFiles web server interface is very clean and easy to use. Drag & drop files on this window or use the Upload Files button to upload new files from PC or Mac to iPhone or iPad. Click the Download button before the files to download them from iOS device to computer. You can even create folder, delete files from the web interface.
iPhone and computer transfer through WebDAV Server
File transfer through WebDAV is similar. Firstly activate WebDAV Server in MFiles on iPhone and get the server addresses. Likewise, you will have both numeric and alphabetic addresses. on the computer end, launch the file explorer or Finder to access the WebDAV Server through its address.
If you want to share files between iPhone and Mac, open the Finder on Mac, from the top menu bar, click Go > Connect to Server, then type in the WebDAV address to connect. To upload or download files is very straightforward, simply copy and paste files between your Mac and iPhone just like how you copy files from one location or folder to another on the local machine. Do NOT close the Server page or screen in MFiles on the iOS device during the whole process.
Other FREE file sharing apps
As we have mentioned at the first beginning of this article, we have lots of other free file sharing options. Here are some of the most popular ones you may choose.
- Xender: the fastest all-in-one file transfer and sharing app. It can send anything you want, from documents, photos, to videos, in an instant with a few taps. Support cross platform file transfer and sharing between Android and iOS, and to PC/MAC as well.
- Zapya File Transfer: free, cross-platform, wireless, fast file and data transfer app.
- SHAREit: a free file transfer tool for iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets, Windows phones, Windows PC, Mac computers.