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Exportlab Connect is the Mac app for the work after the export. Files straight to your iPhone, share links for everyone else, and time tracking that notices what you are working in.

Download for macOSDownload for iPhone

Connect runs in the menu bar and does three things. What you drag decides which one happens.

  • 01

    Straight to the device

    Mac and iPhone on one network. No upload.

  • 02

    Share as a link

    For everyone else. With a PIN if you want.

  • 03

    Track time

    Notices your app and asks for the project.

For the way between your own devices: two devices on the same network have no reason to route through a data centre. Connect transfers directly — the speed depends on your network, not on your upload rate.

  • 01

    Straight over the local network

    The devices find each other over Bonjour and transfer directly from there. Media never lands on an Exportlab server at any point.

  • 02

    TLS 1.3 with SPKI pinning

    The connection is encrypted end to end and bound to the key it expects. Every transfer is verified with sha256 on both sides.

  • 03

    Picks the thread back up

    Transfers run in chunks. If the connection drops, it continues from where it stood rather than starting over.

  • 04

    A few kilobytes of backend

    The server only handles identity, the device registry and waking a sleeping iPhone. It never sees the file itself.

The same drop area also produces a link. All it needs is a signed-in account, no second device.

  1. 01

    Drop

    Two targets: device or link.

  2. 02

    Name it

    Pre-filled with the filename.

  3. 03

    PIN

    Optional. Shown once.

  4. 04

    Share

    Up to 25 GB, valid 30 days, survives dropped connections.

The link looks like thisstudio.exportlab.io/e/8Kd2p4Qm

Built and designed to be fast, reliable, and easy to use.

Finder
Safari
Messages
Exportlab Connect
FaceTime
Notes
Calendar

You pick the apps, Connect does the rest.

Automatic detectionAssign to a project30-second ruleBreaks drop outShortcut ⌃⌥TMac, iPhone, webKeeps going offline

The same direct transport between your devices, three ways to trigger it.

Drag a file onto the icon

The file goes to the iPhone and is saved there. For the moment when AirDrop refuses again.

The window has four areas: Send, Time, Transfer and Settings. When dragging onto the menu bar icon is faster, that is enough on its own. Close the window and Connect keeps running in the menu bar.

  • A drop area for files and folders
  • Activity with progress per transfer
  • Times with daily totals and a breakdown per app
  • The menu bar icon as the shortest path
  • Watched folders per project

That depends on which way you choose. Between a Mac and an iPhone on the same network the transfer runs directly from device to device; the backend only knows identity, the device registry and the wake-up call to a sleeping iPhone. A share link is the opposite of that: the file is uploaded for it, because the link should still work when your Mac is off. Which of the two you take is decided when you drop the files.

Access to Connect runs through the Beta Programme: the workspace owner accepts the beta terms and requests Connect. Time tracking is part of Planning and is enabled separately from that.

See all featuresDownload for macOS
Exportlab Connect – the Mac app for transfers, share links and time tracking