How to use Nearby Share for Windows

While my PCs have been mostly Windows and my Android phones I use a Mac for work, I’ve always been jealous of the ease with which people in the Apple ecosystem can transfer files from one device to another using AirDrop. Google introduced a similar feature called Nearby Share in 2020, but it only shares files between Google products. Now, Windows has finally introduced its version of Nearby Sharing, currently in beta, that lets you easily transfer files between Windows and Android platforms.

I installed the Nearby Sharing beta on Windows 11 and used it to transfer photos between that and my Pixel 6, and it worked like a charm. Here are some step-by-step instructions on how to set up Windows Nearby Sharing. (Note: The feature is available on Windows 10 and later but not on ARM-based Windows laptops.)

Before you start installing Nearby Sharing on your Windows laptop, you might want to make sure that you can use it with your phone or another Android device. While Google offers Nearby Sharing as a feature in the Files by Google app (which is already installed on most Android phones), you can also receive files without having to use the Files app (we’ll get to that in a moment). You can find out if the feature is enabled in two ways. If you have the Files app:

• Open the Files app and tap File Three lines of code at the top left.
• He chooses Settings > Nearby Sharing.
• switch on Use nearby sharing (if it is not already running).

If you don’t have the Files app but still want to use Nearby Share to receive files:

• Go to your Android phone settings.
• He chooses connected devices > Communication preferences > Close share (or Google > Devices and Sharing > Nearby Share) and turn it on.

By the way, if you intend to use Nearby Sharing frequently, you can enable/disable it using a button in your phone’s quick settings menu (the one you get by swiping down from the top). If you don’t see the Nearby Sharing button in your Quick Settings menu, scroll down twice, and tap pencil icon In the corner of the button, find a file Share button nearby And move it to the active Quick Settings menu by tapping and sliding it up.

The app is still in beta, but it’s publicly available, and as far as I can tell, it works pretty well.

• To get started, you can find the Nearby Share beta download here. Click start.
• You will download a file (it will be named something like BetterTogetherSetup). Click on it to start the installation.
• Once the app is installed, a popup will invite you to either sign in to your Google account or use the app without an account. Out of curiosity, I clicked Use without an account.

• Regardless of whether you are logged in, the following window is Set up a close postwhere you can give your computer a name and choose who, if any, can share with you – this is specified under the subheading Receive. (At this point, if you wish, you can also uncheck the box that sends usage information and crash reports to Google.)
• When you see the setup window for the first time, Receive will be assigned to no one In other words, you will not share with anyone, and your device will not be visible to any other devices. Since you installed this for file sharing, you’ll probably want to change that.

• Click the box below Receive To get a dropdown called device vision. It will give you the option to share files or folders with everyone, with your contacts, with your devices, or with no one. I choose your devices – And I was notified that I need to sign in to my Google account. So I did. If you choose ContactsLogically, you’ll have to be logged in as well.

• On the other hand, if you choose everyoneyou will then be given two options: to allow everyone to share files with you all the time or to enable this option for a few minutes.
• Once you’ve signed into your Google account (whether it’s at this point or earlier in the process), you’ll be asked to check your phone and press volume down to verify your identity. You can then go back to your Windows PC and the Nearby Sharing app.
• If you choose to enable sharing with your contacts or with your devices, you will now see a message at the bottom Receive To let you know that your contacts can now share with you as long as you agree to the requests but you won’t need to agree to share with devices that are signed in with the same Google Account.
• Once you are satisfied with your choices, make your selection Finished.

Now that it’s set up, nearby sharing is ready to go. The app will display an animated blue geometric image to show that it’s ready to be picked up and an open space where you can drop (or select) the folders or files you want to share with others.

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Now you can easily share a file between your Android phone and Windows PC. To send a file from your Android phone:

• go to files application, select a file, and then click Involved icon.
• The selected file will now appear with a titled button nearby under it. push the button.
• a Close share A window will appear with one or more shareable devices (such as your Windows PC) listed under it. Click on the person you want to share with.
• A check mark will indicate that the file has been shared. You will find the file on your computer downloads Folder.

To send a file from your computer to your phone:

• In the Close share application, select a file. You may get a notification on your phone that a nearby device is trying to share.
• Still in the Device Sharing app near My Computer, tap the button that lists the device you want to send the file to. It should only take a few seconds until you get a notification that the file was sent successfully.
• If you send it to a phone, you will receive a notification on the phone that the file has been received. It will be stored in a file downloads Folder.

This all might sound a little complicated, but once you install Nearby Share, you’ll be able to share files between your Windows PC and Android phone without having to resort to email, Google Drive, or other workarounds.

Update April 7, 2023 at 3:30 PM ET: This article was originally published on April 5th, 2023, and has been updated to explain how to receive Nearby Sharing files without installing the Files by Google app.

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