If you need to share a file without exposing your identity, IP address, or metadata to a cloud provider, OnionShare is one of the most powerful tools available. It runs a temporary Tor onion service directly on your machine, allowing recipients to download files through the Tor Browser without any intermediary server ever seeing the data in transit.
What OnionShare Actually Does
OnionShare is an open-source application that creates on-demand onion services for four distinct use cases: sending files, receiving files, hosting a static website, and running a private chat room. Unlike services such as WeTransfer or Dropbox, there is no central server involved. The file never leaves your machine until the recipient explicitly downloads it — and they do so over an encrypted Tor circuit.
When you start a share, OnionShare generates a .onion address that looks something like http://ahkmpm6z3s4ywzqw.onion/jungle-talkative. The two-word code at the end is an additional password layer. You send this address to your recipient out-of-band (via Signal, for example), and they open it in the Tor Browser to download the file.
Installing OnionShare
OnionShare is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Linux (Ubuntu/Debian):
sudo apt install onionsharemacOS (via Homebrew):
brew install --cask onionshareWindows: Download the installer from onionshare.org. The app bundles its own Tor binary, so you do not need a separate Tor installation.
Sending Files Anonymously
- Open OnionShare and click Share Files.
- Drag files or folders into the window.
- Choose whether to stop sharing after the first download (recommended for sensitive files).
- Click Start Sharing. OnionShare will connect to the Tor network and generate your onion address.
- Copy the address and private key, then send them to your recipient via an end-to-end encrypted channel.
The recipient opens Tor Browser, navigates to the address, and downloads the file. Your IP address is never exposed — from the recipient’s perspective, the request goes into the Tor network and emerges at your machine’s onion service.
Options Worth Knowing
| Option | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Stop after first download | Automatically shuts down after one completed download |
| Private key (v3 auth) | Requires the recipient to enter a key before accessing the onion service |
| Schedule start/stop | Lets you set a window of availability |
Receiving Files Anonymously
OnionShare can also act as a drop box. In Receive Files mode, anyone with your onion address can upload files to a folder on your machine. This is useful for journalists who need sources to submit documents without exposing themselves.
Enable Disable submitting text if you only want file uploads and not freeform text. Enable Require private key to restrict who can upload.
Files land in ~/OnionShare/ by default. You can change this in settings.
Hosting an Onion Website
OnionShare’s Publish Website mode lets you serve a static HTML site over Tor. Drop in an index.html and any assets, click start, and you have a functioning onion site — no domain registration, no hosting provider, no DNS records.
This is appropriate for:
- Anonymous journalism or whistleblowing
- Publishing content that might be censored
- Sharing documentation within a team without a public server
The site is only online when OnionShare is running. For persistent onion hosting, you would need a dedicated server running tor with a HiddenServiceDir configured.
Private Chat Rooms
The Chat mode creates a private chatroom that participants join via Tor Browser. Messages are end-to-end encrypted in transit (Tor handles this), and no logs are stored anywhere. When the host closes OnionShare, the room is gone.
This is not a replacement for Signal — there is no message history, no user accounts, and no mobile app. It is best suited for quick, ephemeral conversations where all parties are already running Tor Browser.
Security Model and Limitations
OnionShare’s security relies on Tor’s onion service protocol. Your IP address is protected as long as:
- You do not open the onion address yourself in a regular browser.
- Your Tor connection is not compromised at the application layer (e.g., a malicious Tor exit node cannot affect onion-to-onion traffic).
- You share the address only over channels that do not leak metadata.
Known limitations:
- The share is only available while OnionShare is running and your machine is online.
- Tor is slow. Large files (over a few hundred MB) can take a very long time.
- OnionShare does not protect against an adversary who already knows your identity and gains access to the link.
Comparison to Alternatives
| Tool | Server Involved | Anonymity | Speed | Persistent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OnionShare | No | High (Tor) | Slow | No |
| WeTransfer | Yes | Low | Fast | 7 days |
| Magic Wormhole | No (relay) | Medium | Moderate | No |
| Keybase | Yes | Medium | Fast | Yes |
| SecureDrop | Yes (self-hosted) | High | Slow | Yes |
For maximum anonymity with no account requirement, OnionShare is the strongest option available to end users. For speed and convenience at the cost of privacy, commercial services win. Magic Wormhole is a reasonable middle ground for trusted parties who do not need Tor-level anonymity.
Practical Tips
- Always share the onion address over Signal or another E2E encrypted messenger, not email.
- Enable Private key mode whenever sharing sensitive files — it adds an authentication layer before the Tor handshake.
- If you are a journalist or activist, pair OnionShare with Tails OS to ensure no traces remain on your machine after the session.
- For receiving files from unknown sources, run OnionShare in a VM or on a dedicated machine, and scan received files before opening them.
OnionShare is free, open-source, and maintained by volunteers including Micah Lee. It does exactly what it says with no telemetry, no accounts, and no middlemen.