Robert Triggs / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Microsoft is giving Windows users a convenient way to wirelessly share files with Android devices from their PC.
- You’ll need both Link to Windows on your Android phone and Phone Link on your PC.
When you’re regularly trying to move files around between your phone and your PC, being stuck tethered to a USB cable kind of stinks. Thankfully, we live in a world where wireless connectivity is ubiquitous, so it was little surprise to see Microsoft working on a way to streamline that sort of access by letting you wirelessly connect to your Android phone through Windows File Explorer. Today the company starts expanding this kind of wireless cross-platform access, with the ability to send files to your phone through the Windows Share screen starting to roll out widely.
While doing transfers the wired way works, extending that functionality to wireless access is a big win for convenience and usability. We got our first sign of Microsoft working in this direction a few months back, and last month testers in the Windows Insider Program were able to start trying it for themselves. Now Microsoft announces that with Windows 11 Preview builds 22621.4112 and 22631.4112, wireless Android access through the Windows Share window is starting to hit the public at large:
[Windows Share] New! You can now share content to your Android device from the Windows Share window. To do this, you must pair your Android device to your Windows PC. Use the Link to Windows app on your Android device and Phone Link on your PC.
We just spotted what’s effectively the Android side of this change a little earlier today, with the Link to Windows app on phones beginning to feature your PC as a Direct Share target in the Android share sheet. With this Windows 11 update, you can enjoy that same sort of easy connectivity on the PC end of the equation.
Just like we’ve seen before, setting this up requires you to install the Link to Windows app on your Android device and Microsoft Phone Link on your PC. Microsoft doesn’t say anything about specific versions here, so while you’re not going to need to be on a beta like before, it’s probably smart to check that you’re on the latest releases of both.
If you’ve already got this Windows update installed and still aren’t seeing this support, sit tight — Microsoft is clear that this is going to be a gradual roll out.
Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at [email protected]. You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
English (US) ·