How to share files between Mobile and PC using Phone Link

In this complete guide, learn how to transfer files between your mobile device and computer by using the Phone Link feature on Windows 11. You can do so much more with your mobile smartphone and a Windows PC when you use the Phone Link software to link the two. You can view images, make calls, use the camera as a webcam, and even check your alerts on your PC. At this point, using the Phone Link app installed on the Windows PC and the Link to Windows software on the Android phone, transfer of files is now possible between our PC and Android device, vice versa.

With an already set-up Bluetooth connection, you can share files from your phone onto your computer using Windows 11's Nearby Sharing feature. On the other hand, with the Phone Link app, you can transfer files without connecting to Bluetooth at all. You can share any type of file: DOCX, DOC, JPG, PDF, MP4, APK, ZIP, PNG, and so on. Sharing of a folder is not currently an option, but sharing of multiple files at once is.

Before proceeding, you must have the following requirements to start using Phone Link app's file sharing feature:

Mobile device running Android 9.0 or later

The linking of the Windows program should be at least version 1.24032.518.0

Personal computer running Windows 11 or Windows 10 (with the May 2019 update or later), and

Phone Link desktop app software version: 1.24032.156.0 or higher.

How to transfer data between a mobile device and a desktop computer using Windows 11's Phone Link

Get the Phone Link app for Windows and the Link to Windows software for Android to set up file sharing between your mobile and desktop devices. The next step is to install the Phone Link app on both your PC and mobile device. Additional rights, such as the ability to send and receive notifications, access to mobile files, and more, must be granted.

Once you have paired or linked both the devices, you can transfer files from your PC to Android and vice-versa. We have divided the process of transferring files into sub-steps and further provided steps for each to guide you through the process.

Get instant access to your Windows 11 files on any mobile device with the help of Phone Link.

To start transferring files from your computer to your mobile device using the Windows 11 Phone Link feature, you will need to unlock your phone. Then follow these steps:

Pick out some files from your computer's storage, whether that's the Desktop, a folder, or somewhere else. Only files saved locally on your PC can be shared. Sharing files stored in the cloud will only result in the sharing of links to those files.

You may access the context menu by right-clicking.

Find and click the "Send to My Phone" button.

The application Phone Link will get the files ready and send them to your phone. An update notification will appear in the bottom right corner of your desktop.

If you have an Android phone, there will be a notification saying Files received. You can tap that message and in real-time see the update and then access those received files through your phone's File Manager.

You will see all the received files saved in the Downloads folder, under the Send from my PC or the Sent from my PC folder.

Check out: How to use Google's Quick Share on Windows PC

How to use Phone Link to move files from mobile to computer.

Leave your laptop unlocked and your phone and laptop paired with the Phone Link app. To share or transfer files from an Android phone to a laptop or PC on Windows 11, follow these steps:

Start sharing files by opening the File Manager or going directly to the Gallery.

Tap the icon that says "Share" or "Send".

Tap the Send or Share drawer and select "Link to Windows—Send to PC." You can also tap its name to share files from your computer, if it is available.

The File Share screen opens. Your computer is listed as linked. Tap the PC icon.

Once the files are ready to be shared, the transfer will start. You must remain on the File Share page for the duration of the procedure.

A warning will pop up on your Windows 11 computer if it detects a file transfer from your mobile device.

All of the received files are saved in the folder Downloads > Phone Link.

If you want to transfer files from your Android device to your Windows 11 computer, you can change the default save location.

To do this, follow these steps:

Open Phone Link.

Click on the gear icon. It could also be called Settings.

From the left menu, select Features.

Alternatively, select the Change Folder menu item and click it.

Now, select a folder of your choice.

We hope this tutorial helped you and you could understand in the simplest way how to share files between your mobile and PC by using Phone Link.