Private home networking · no cloud

Your home computers,
finally talking.

HearthWire turns the PCs and Macs in your home into one simple, private network. Send popup messages, share and sync folders, run programs from another computer, and help family by viewing or controlling their screen, with permission. No cloud, no accounts, no setup. It lives quietly in your tray and everything stays on your home network.

🛍 Get it on theMicrosoft Store 🍎 Download on theMac App Store 🖱 Free add-on to control a MacMac Helper 📱 Bring your phone in tooHearthWire for Android 📲 iPhone and iPad tooHearthWire for iOS 📺 Your films on the big screenHearthWire TV $24.99 one-time · Windows 10 & 11 · macOS 12 or later

💻 Install HearthWire on each computer you want to connect: Windows PCs from the Microsoft Store, Macs from the Mac App Store. They all join the same home network, and an Android phone, an iPhone or iPad, or an Android television can join it too. You buy it once per store, not once per computer (up to 10 Windows PCs on the same Microsoft account, and every Mac you own on the same Apple ID).

🌐 Available in English, Français, Deutsch, Español, Português, Italiano, Nederlands, Polski, 日本語, עברית, and العربية · the Mac app speaks the first nine

HearthWire main window: computers at home, shared folders, and quick messages

Everything your home network should just do

One small app on each PC, and the computers in your home start working together.

💬

Popup messages

Send a message that pops up on another computer. Ask for a reply and it stays on their screen until they answer.

📁

Share folders

Share a folder so family can open your photos and files from their own PC, no cloud, no uploads.

🔄

Sync on every PC

Keep a folder copied and up to date on every computer, so it's there even when yours is turned off.

💽

Run programs from another PC

Map a folder as a network drive and open programs installed on a different computer, with no reinstalling.

🎬

Stream movies, no waiting

Map your movies folder as a drive and play straight from the other PC. It starts instantly, and nothing is copied.

📥

Send files in a drag

Drag a file onto a computer to send it. It lands in your Downloads, under a folder named "My Network Files."

🖨️

Share printers

Plug a printer into one PC and use it from every computer in the house. It shows up in all your apps, with no drivers to hunt down.

📜

Message history

Every message you send and receive is kept on your PC, so nothing gets lost. Read past conversations and copy them with one tap.

🖥️

See and fix their screen

With their permission, view or take control of a family member's screen to help them out. They can stop it anytime.

🩺

Network Doctor

One click checks and fixes the Windows settings that usually keep home computers from finding each other.

🔔

Live health indicator

A small dot tells you everything is connected, or flags exactly what to fix when a computer can't be reached.

🏠

Zero setup

It finds the other computers by itself. Create a network on one PC, then the others ask to join and you approve with a tap.

🍎

Windows and Mac, together

The Mac app joins the same home network: messages, shared folders, the family gallery, voice calls, and helping a PC user with their screen.

🔒

Stays on your network

No cloud, no accounts, no tracking. Messages and files travel directly between your PCs, encrypted.

🌐

11 languages

Fully translated and switches live, following your Windows language automatically. Change it anytime.

See it in action

A friendly, plain-language app the whole family can use.

Browsing another computer's shared files with a photo gallery view — **Open shared files**Browse what others share, with a photo gallery view.

Network drives window for running programs from another PC — **Run programs from another PC**Map a shared folder as a drive, just like at the office.

Printers window: share a printer or add one from another PC — **Share a printer**Plug it into one PC, print from every computer at home.

Message history window with past conversations as chat bubbles — **Message history**Read past conversations and copy them in one tap.

Network Doctor checking and fixing Windows network settings — **Fix the network in one click**Network Doctor finds and repairs what blocks a home network.

Onboarding screen to create or join a home network — **Create or join in seconds**One PC creates the network, the rest ask to join and you approve.

Tips and tricks window inside HearthWire — **Helpful tips built in**Little tips that help everyone get the most out of it.

Set up in under a minute

No account, no fuss. Install it and your computers find each other.

Install on each computer

Put HearthWire on every computer at home: Windows PCs from the Microsoft Store, Macs from the Mac App Store.

Create or join

On the first PC, create a home network. On the others, choose "Join", then approve the matching number that pops up.

That's it

Message, share, sync, and help each other. HearthWire runs quietly in your tray, always ready.

Questions people ask

The things families check before setting up HearthWire.

What is HearthWire?

HearthWire is a small Windows app that links the computers in your home into one simple, private network. You can send popup messages, share and sync folders, run programs from another PC, share a printer, and, with permission, view or control a family member's screen to help them. There is no cloud and no account, and it runs quietly in your system tray.

Does it work on Mac?

Yes. HearthWire has a full Mac app on the Mac App Store, and Windows PCs and Macs join the same home network. From a Mac you can send and receive messages and files, share folders and open what others share, see the family gallery, make voice calls, and, with permission, view or control a PC to help. A few Windows-only extras, like printer sharing and mapping network drives, stay on Windows. And to let family fully control a Mac as well, add the free HearthWire Mac Helper.

Do I need the internet or an account?

No. HearthWire works over your home network, whether Wi-Fi or cable. There is nothing to sign up for and nothing in the cloud, and your computers talk directly to each other.

Do I need to install it on every computer?

Yes. HearthWire has to be on each computer you want to connect, because that is how they find and talk to each other. There is no central box and nothing to install on your router. You set up the first PC, then the others ask to join and you approve them, about a minute in all.

I have three PCs at home. Do I pay three times?

No. You buy it once per store, not once per computer, and it then installs on the machines signed in to that same account. Microsoft allows a purchased Store app on up to 10 Windows PCs on one Microsoft account. The Mac App Store puts no number on it at all: the licence covers the Apple products you own or control, on the same Apple ID. So a house with four PCs and two Macs pays for the Windows app once and the Mac app once.

How do I help family with their screen?

On the PC that needs help, they press I need help and choose whether to let you just see their screen or fully control it. You only get in after they approve, a red bar with a Stop button shows them what is happening, and they can end it at any moment.

Does my data leave my home?

No. Messages and files travel directly between your computers over your local network, encrypted. There are no servers, no cloud, and no accounts, so we never see your messages, files, or settings.

See all questions in the full FAQ →

Your home computers,
finally talking.