Do I need admin rights to install Lightning P2P on Windows?

The recommended Velopack setup installs under your user profile. The NSIS installer also runs in currentUser mode, which means no admin elevation prompt on most machines.

Does Lightning P2P work with Windows 10 and Windows 11?

Yes. Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 are supported. The app ships as a native Windows desktop binary built with Rust and Tauri.

Lightning P2P

Send files between Windows computers the fast way.

Windows to Windows

Send files between Windows computers the fast way.

Direct answer

Lightning P2P sends files between Windows computers through a native desktop app with no account, no cloud upload, no artificial file-size cap, direct-first connectivity, and BLAKE3 verification.

Moving files between two Windows PCs usually means a USB stick, an email attachment, or a cloud upload. Lightning P2P gives Windows users a direct transfer path that works on the same LAN and across the internet.

The app is Windows 10 and Windows 11 native, publishes SHA256 checksums, supports Authenticode signing when release secrets are configured, and installs under your user profile. No admin prompt is required for most installs.

Lightning P2P is designed for direct Windows-to-Windows and Windows-to-Android transfers. On the same LAN, peers can discover each other through mDNS, and the transfer takes a direct QUIC path when possible. Across the internet, iroh's discovery and optional relay help peers find one another before the direct QUIC path takes over.

The recommended Velopack setup is the modern one-click install path. The release pipeline supports unsigned community builds with SHA256 checksums and Authenticode signing when release signing secrets are configured. The app registers a lightning-p2p:// deep link handler, and installer hooks add Windows Firewall rules so nearby discovery works the first time. Tauri updater metadata is signed separately for update integrity when updater artifacts are generated.

Because the transfer is verified with BLAKE3, both sides end up with a content-addressed hash of the file. That hash is the canonical integrity check: if it matches on both sides, the bytes are identical.

A broader cross-platform story is planned. Android is available as a sideload release today, while macOS, Linux, and iOS packaging remain future work.

Download the recommended Velopack one-click installer, the classic NSIS setup installer, or the MSI installer. Android users can sideload LightningP2P-android-latest.apk and verify it with SHA256SUMS-android.txt. Signing status, SmartScreen notes, Android sideload notes, and SHA256 checksums are available on GitHub Releases. App version: v0.5.1.

Key facts

Product: Lightning P2P
Category: peer-to-peer file transfer app
Platform: Windows stable release, Android 10+ sideload release
Stable release: v0.4.6
Experimental release: v0.5.1 speed modes + reliability (carries v0.5.0 BLE/NFC)
License: Apache-2.0
Account required: no
Cloud upload: no
Artificial file-size cap: no
Transfer model: direct-first P2P
Transport: iroh / QUIC
Verification: BLAKE3
Source code: GitHub
Cost: free

Important caveats

Sender must stay online until the receiver finishes.
Tickets are capability tokens and should be treated as secrets.
Relay fallback helps connectivity, but it is not cloud storage.
Browser website is receive handoff and marketing, not the transfer engine.
Public speed leadership claims require repeatable benchmark results.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need admin rights to install Lightning P2P on Windows?: The recommended Velopack setup installs under your user profile. The NSIS installer also runs in currentUser mode, which means no admin elevation prompt on most machines.
Does Lightning P2P work with Windows 10 and Windows 11?: Yes. Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 are supported. The app ships as a native Windows desktop binary built with Rust and Tauri.