Moving a video to another computer or sending a project folder to a colleague should be straightforward. With croc, the workflow is simple: select your files, share a short code phrase, and enter it on the receiving computer.

The open-source tool supports Windows, macOS, and Linux, with a compatible browser client. It handles individual files, multiple files, and folders, without requiring you to configure port forwarding. GitHub repository

1. Install croc

On macOS, install it with Homebrew:

brew install croc

On Windows, you can use Scoop:

scoop install croc

For Linux and other installation options, follow the official installation guide or download the appropriate package from the releases page.

2. Choose what to send

On the sending computer, open a terminal and run:

croc send "video.mp4"

To send an entire folder:

croc send "project-folder"

You can also include several files in one transfer:

croc send "report.pdf" "video.mp4" "project-folder"

croc generates a code phrase for the transfer. Share that phrase privately with the recipient and keep the sender running.

3. Enter the code on the receiving computer

On Linux and macOS, pass the phrase through an environment variable:

CROC_SECRET="your-code-phrase" croc

Replace your-code-phrase with the code generated by the sender. This method keeps the secret out of command-line arguments displayed in process listings.

On Windows, use:

croc your-code-phrase

Follow the prompts to receive the files. For this standard live-transfer workflow, both computers need to remain online while the transfer runs. Usage instructions

The code phrase also helps secure the connection.

croc uses password-authenticated key agreement, or PAKE, to establish a shared secret for end-to-end encryption. Keep the phrase private: it is the credential used to join the transfer.

The tool supports direct connections with relay fallback, interrupted-transfer resumption, and cross-platform transfers. These features make it useful for moving large files between computers or sharing folders across operating systems.

Prefer to skip installation?

The browser client at getcroc.com can send and receive files and is compatible with the command-line version, according to the project documentation.

For a first test, send a small file between two computers. Once that works, use the same workflow for a video, a batch of documents, or a project folder.

Open-source project: schollz / croc

Sources & references