Microsoft Testing Tweaks on Windows That Make Sharing Files to Android Easier

Microsoft allows for greater synergy between a Windows PC and a smartphone, letting users reply to text, receive and make calls and check their phone notifications directly from the computer. The Phone Link app on PC, which syncs both Android phones and iPhone with Windows, also lets users share files between devices. Now, Windows is making file sharing from PC to Android more streamlined.

Windows share feature

As part of the new Windows Insider Preview, Microsoft is rolling out the ability to quickly share content to an Android phone from a share window on Windows PC. With the feature, hitting share on a file will now show up a quick share window that will display the user's Android phone that has been paired with the PC.

According to Microsoft, users must have their smartphone paired to their Windows PC using the Link to Windows app on Android and Phone Link on their PC for the feature to work. Only paired Android smartphones will show up in share window and there's no indication yet if the feature will be extended to iPhone.

Currently, right clicking on a file on Windows and selecting Share opens the share window with the options to quickly send the file to your email contacts or share it via Nearby Share feature or other applications.

The feature was announced as part of updates rolling out to the Beta Channel with Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3785. These features may take time to be widely available to all Windows 11 users.

Windows 11 Preview Build

Other improvements being tested with the Preview Build include tweaks to the Windows Spotlight feature, in addition to other fixes for known issues. The update will make it easier for users to change images and engage with the Windows Spotlight experience on desktop.

Windows allows users to share files between Android devices and PC via cross-device copy and paste feature within the Phone Link app. The feature, however, is available only on Surface Duo and select Samsung, Honor, Oppo, and Asus devices.

Last month, a Windows Central report had claimed that the Phone Link app on Windows would soon be getting a new optical character recognition (OCR) feature that would enable users to copy text from images.