Magic Wormhole
Send files, folders, or short text between two computers using a one-time code.
- Stars
- 23.1k
- Forks
- 769
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Python
- Last update
- 6 days ago
- Type
- CLI
What it is
Magic Wormhole is a library and a command-line tool called `wormhole` for sending files, directories, or short text from one computer to another. The sending machine shows a short code, and you type that code on the receiving machine to connect the two ends. The codes are short, pronounceable, single-use, and do not need to be memorized.
- Send a folder of files from your laptop to a colleague's computer by reading them a code
- Send a short piece of text between two machines
- Script a transfer between two computers using the Python library
Great for
- People who want to send a file to someone without setting up an account or shared service
- Users comfortable with a terminal who want a quick one-off transfer
- Developers who want to script file transfers using the provided library
- Sharing files with someone who can read a code aloud or type it in
Not ideal for
- People who need a graphical app, since the README describes a command-line tool and library only
- Users who need to send files to many recipients at once, since each code is single-use
- Anyone needing hosted, long-term file storage, since this is a direct transfer tool
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Python 3.10 or higher
Install from PyPI
pip install magic-wormhole - 2
Run it
- Install the package with pip.
- On the sending machine, run `wormhole send` with the file or folder you want to share.
- Note the code the sender displays.
- On the receiving machine, run `wormhole receive` and type the code when prompted.
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use tab-completion on the receiving side to type only a few characters of the code
- Send short pieces of text as well as files and directories
- Use the Python library to automate transfers in your own scripts
- Check the full documentation at the project's readthedocs site for options
Downloads
Strengths
- Codes are short and human-pronounceable, with tab-completion on the receiving side
- Works for arbitrary-sized files and directories, per the README
- Released under the MIT license and has a large community (23k+ stars)
Trade-offs
- The README is truncated and gives little detail on the security model or how the relay servers are used
- Requires a working Python install (3.10 or higher) unless installed from an OS package
- Relies on two separate servers (mailbox and transit relay) whose operation is described only briefly here
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| magic-wormhole (this) | 23.1k | CLI | beginner | 6 days ago | People who want to send a file to someone without setting up an account or shared service |
| croc | 40.8k | CLI | beginner | 4 days ago | People who need to send a file to someone without setting up a server, accounts, or port forwarding |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.