One of VNC Viewer's most useful features over plain VNC is built-in file transfer. During a live session you can copy files in either direction without email, cloud storage or a physical drive. Here's how to use it.
What you need
File transfer requires the VNC Viewer server component on the host and the viewer application on your side — third-party viewers may not support this feature. Make sure both are the VNC Viewer components and that you're connected with full control, not view-only.
Open the file transfer window
- Connect to the host as normal with the VNC Viewer application.
- Open the file transfer tool from the session toolbar or menu.
- You'll see a two-pane window: your local files on one side, the remote machine on the other.
Send and receive files
Browse to the folder you want on each side, select the files, and use the send or receive buttons to move them across. Transfers happen inside the same session, so there's nothing extra to configure.
Tip: For large transfers over a slow link, compressing files into a single archive first is faster and less error-prone.
If file transfer isn't available
- Confirm both ends are VNC Viewer (not a mixed third-party viewer).
- Make sure you connected with full control, not the view-only password.
- Check that file transfer isn't disabled in the server's properties.
- See the troubleshooting guide for connection issues.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. VNC Viewer includes built-in two-way file transfer between the viewer and server during a live session.
It requires VNC Viewer on both ends and a full-control connection. A view-only session or a third-party viewer may not offer it.
Practical limits come from your connection speed and disk space rather than the tool. Archiving large sets first helps.
Remember: always download VNC Viewer from the
official project source, keep it updated, and never expose a raw VNC port to the
internet without a VPN or SSH tunnel. When you're ready,
head to the download section.
