What you need to know
- Microsoft’s new feature for Windows 10 and 11 is intended to compete with Apple’s AirDrop and make file sharing between PCs and Android devices super easy.
- Integrated into the Phone Link app, it simplifies file transfers when you update both the Phone Link and Link to Windows apps.
- Currently, this feature is only available to members of the Windows Insider program (Release Preview Channel), but a wider release is expected soon.
Apple’s AirDrop is hard to beat for file sharing, but Microsoft is catching up with a new feature that is designed to make file transfer between PCs and Android devices a breeze.
Microsoft has introduced a new feature in Windows 10 and 11 that mimics Apple’s AirDrop for Android, first spotted by Windows Central. It’s built into the Phone Link app so you can easily share files between your PC and your phone. Just update Phone Link and the Link to Windows app and you’ll be able to share files effortlessly.
The new file sharing feature improves on the Phone Link and Link to Windows apps, which already manage calls, screen mirroring, and notification and message syncing. Microsoft explains this new feature in detail in a support document.
Before this update, Phone Link mainly handled notification mirroring, app usage, and call management.
To transfer files from a Windows PC to an Android phone, simply select “Phone Link” as the destination in File Explorer. Conversely, use the regular Android sharing menu and select “Link to Windows” as the sharing method.
Regardless of the direction the file moves, the receiving device is notified of the incoming transfer.
For smooth file sharing between your Windows PC and your Android device, make sure you have Phone Link app version 1.24032.156.0 or higher installed on your PC and Link to Windows app version 1.24032.518.0 or higher installed on your phone.
To send a file from Windows, open File Explorer, right-click the file, and select Share from the menu. In the Share window, select Phone Link as the vehicle.
To share a file from your Android device, tap any file, then tap the Share icon. In the sharing options, select “Link to Windows,” then select the name of your PC.
While Google’s Nearby Share already lets you transfer files between Windows and Android devices, Microsoft’s new feature promises to make the process even smoother and more efficient.
According to Windows Central, this AirDrop-like feature is currently only available to those in the Release Preview Channel of the Windows Insider program, which tests near-finished updates, but it’s safe to assume that a wider release for everyone is on the way.
