As an Android user who runs Linux on their desktop, you have several options for transferring files between your Android phone and Linux computer. Using a USB cable or Bluetooth are two such methods.

However, while these methods can help you transfer files between your devices, they tend to be inefficient when you need to transfer files frequently. File transfer apps, on the other hand, are a much better option, as they facilitate quick and efficient file transfers between devices.

Here are the best apps to transfer files between Android and Linux that you must check out.

1. GSConnect

GSConnect
Image Credit: Andy Homes/GitHub

GSConnect is an implementation of KDE Connect, a multi-platform app that lets you transfer files between devices wirelessly, meant specifically for GNOME Shell. If you plan on using it, its equivalent for Android is KDE Connect, which you can get from the Play Store or F-Droid.

GSConnect works similar to KDE Connect, except that, with it, you don't have to worry about toolkits, dependencies, and desktop environment. Hence, you can use it on a wide range of Linux distros.

Talking about file sharing, GSConnect lets you share files, links, and text between your Android device and Linux desktop without any cables. Besides, you can also send/receive messages, control certain system preferences, and sync notifications using the app.

Additionally, GSConnect provides support for extensions too, like the Nautilus file manager: to facilitate file transfer and the WebExtension for Chrome and Firefox: to simplify opening links and sending SMS.

2. Warpinator

Warpinator

Warpinator is a lightweight and minimal file transferring app for moving files and folders between Android and Linux devices on the same local network. It's open-source and developed by the team behind Linux Mint, which means you'll get continuous support on its forums.

Using Warpinator is pretty straightforward: you just need to install it on both your devices, make sure they have the same group code, edit your firewalls to permit the connection, and send your files across.

And in case you're faced with connection problems, you can configure ports for registration and transfers, change group code, and update firewall rules to fix such issues.

One of Warpinator's unique features is the ability to connect to multiple devices at once, which comes in handy when you need to transfer files simultaneously. Plus, there's the option to use group code to restrict who can transfer/receive files.

3. Feem

Receive a file over Wi-Fi Direct on Windows with Feem

Feem is a cross-platform file transfer app that works offline using Wi-Fi Direct. Since it doesn't involve the cloud or servers, there's no limit to how much data you can transfer using it. Similarly, because all your file transfers happen offline, you don't blow through your bandwidth while sharing files.

Another advantage of being offline—and not involving the cloud—is that you can use it to transfer sensitive files as well. To bolster that security further, Feem promises to encrypt all local transfers with TLS.

Feem claims to be 50x faster than Bluetooth and twice as fast as Dropbox. And, you even get the ability to resume your file transfers where you left off.

Besides file transfers, Feem also includes a chat functionality in the app, which lets you send text and links directly between your devices. This chat auto destroys after 48 hours.

4. EasyJoin

EasyJoin

EasyJoin is a powerful file transfer app similar to Pushbullet and Join. With EasyJoin, you can easily share files between your Android device and Linux desktop. Not only that, you can even create a hotspot and connect all your devices to it to seamlessly exchange files and messages between them.

Related: The Best Free Alternatives to Pushbullet

While EasyJoin uses only your local network to transfer files, you have the option of going online to exchange files with remote devices. All your transfers, as well as other communication on the app, are secured using end-to-end encryption.

Besides file sharing, EasyJoin can also do a bunch of other things. For instance, you can use it to control media on connected devices, send P2P messages to your devices, auto-sync clipboards to copy-paste content between devices, and even read and send SMS and phone calls.

5. Syncthing

Syncthing
Image Credit: tomasz1986/GitHub

Syncthing is another free and open-source file synchronization app. While primarily you can access Syncthing on Linux through its web UI, there are several community-developed GUI wrappers for it that you can check out in case you don't like the web version.

Syncthing uses a P2P connection and lets you sync files between devices on a local network or between remote devices over the internet. Any data transferred between devices is encrypted with TLS. Plus, each device is identified using a cryptographic certificate, so only the devices you've explicitly allowed can connect with your other devices.

One of Syncthing's notable advantages is that it doesn't impose restrictions on file transfers or devices. This means you can transfer as many files and folders to as many devices as you want.

Similarly, it includes a built-in file versioning system to avoid duplicates and ensure you don't end up with multiple copies of the same file/folder on your device.

6. Send Anywhere

SendAnywhere

Send Anywhere is a popular cross-platform file-sharing app. It has clients for various mobile and desktop operating systems, including Android and Linux. You can use it to transfer all kinds of files between your Android phone and Linux computer without affecting their quality.

Ideally, Send Anywhere asks you to use a six-digit key to transfer files. However, if you perform transfers with a particular device frequently, you can skip this verification for it to transfer files quickly.

Similarly, Send Anywhere also provides an option to generate a link when you want to share files between multiple devices at once. This link is time-bound, and its contents get deleted when it expires.

Although Send Anywhere has a client for Linux, it's possible to transfer files to Android using its web UI as well.

7. AirDroid

AirDroid

AirDroid is another app you can use to transfer files between Linux and Android. However, unlike other apps, this one isn't just a file transfer app; it's primarily meant to be a device manager, and its free account has several limitations.

But if you're someone who already uses AirDroid to control their devices, you'll be glad to know that you can use it to transfer files between devices as well. Although, doing so will require you to upgrade to the premium plan to use the app's file-sharing capabilities to their fullest.

Having said that, the file-sharing experience on AirDroid is pretty good, and you can use it to transfer all kinds of files between devices quickly (up to 20MB/s) and smoothly.

Plus, you can use AirDroid's client on your Linux computer to manage your Android and do things like send/receive text, make calls, and view/respond to notifications for various apps right from your desktop.

8. Snapdrop

Snapdrop

Snapdrop is a lightweight web app for transferring files between devices. It runs inside a web browser, and so you can use it on pretty much any desktop or mobile platform, including Linux and Android.

Snapdrop relies on a P2P connection to allow file transfers. It requires devices to be on the same network to be able to share files. And the best part is, it doesn't require you to sign up for the service to use it.

If you end up using Snapdrop quite a lot, you can save its shortcut to your desktop (on Linux) or home screen (on Android) for quick access. Besides, you can enable notifications to get alerted for incoming files and also use the text feature to exchange messages with other users before sharing files.

As for its privacy and security, Snapdrop uses WebRTC, which makes encryption mandatory, and therefore, all files you share on the platform get encrypted in transit.

Linux and Android File Transfer Simplified

Transferring files between Android and Linux is easy if you know the right software to use. This listicle should help you find the best file transfer app that suits your requirement, and you must be able to use it for all file transferring between your Android device and Linux desktop going forward.

That said if you don't like the idea of installing an app, you can use Snapdrop to share files between your Linux computer and Android (or iOS) devices.