OnionShare
Open-source tool to host temporary onion services for file sharing directly from the user's computer without a central upload server.
OnionShare turns an ordinary computer into a temporary Hidden Service: select a file, and the tool serves it at a v3 onion address that exists only while the app runs. The recipient needs nothing but Tor Browser. Because the file never touches a third-party server, there is no provider whose logs, breaches, or takedowns can expose the transfer — the reason newsrooms and activists adopted it for sensitive material.
Where the trust moves to
Removing the middleman does not remove risk; it moves it to the endpoints. The sender’s machine must stay online for the transfer, and its security is now the security of the service. The address itself is a capability — anyone who has it can reach the share — so it belongs in an authenticated channel, not a public post. A common mistake is sending address and context over the same monitored channel the tool was meant to avoid.
OnionShare is free and open-source software, originally developed by Micah Lee. Later versions added receiving files, chat, and static sites — always on the same principle: your machine, your service, your responsibility.
Category: Tools