Between devices
Send files from your phone to a PC without a cable or an app
Compare AirDrop, Quick Share, Phone Link, email and cloud drives, then send photos and files from iPhone or Android to a Windows PC in a browser.
A USB cable still works, but it is rarely within reach when you need one photo, a screenshot or a PDF on your computer. Phones and PCs each have built-in wireless options, and every one of them covers only certain pairs of devices. Start with what your devices already support; when nothing connects them, a short browser session can bridge the gap.
Built-in ways to send files from phone to PC, and their limits
Before installing anything, find your phone and computer below. Each built-in route is quick when it fits, and each one stops at a different boundary: the platform, the distance between the devices, or the network they share.
- AirDrop: Apple describes it as sharing with nearby Apple devices, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on for both. It is the quickest route from an iPhone to a Mac, but it does not reach a Windows PC.
- Quick Share (formerly Nearby Share): Google’s Quick Share app for Windows exchanges files with Android phones. Google lists 64-bit Windows 10 or later, Bluetooth on both devices, the same network, and the devices within about 5 meters of each other.
- Phone Link: Windows sends files to and from Android 10 or later through the Link to Windows app; on the phone, choose Share, then Link to Windows – Send to PC. Drag and drop works only with select phone brands on the same Wi-Fi network, up to 100 files at a time and 512 MB per file.
- Phone Link with an iPhone: Microsoft is gradually rolling out a Send Files option in the Windows 11 Start menu for an iPhone connected over Bluetooth, which also requires a Microsoft account.
- Email to yourself: works on every device, but attachments are size-limited, and a copy stays in your mailbox until you delete it.
- A cloud drive: dependable for large or many files, but both devices need the same account signed in, and the files remain there afterwards.
When a browser handoff is the fastest choice
Built-in tools win when they already work on your devices. A browser handoff covers the gaps between them: an iPhone and a Windows laptop, an Android phone and a Mac, or a work or shared computer where you cannot install software or sign in to your own accounts.
It also helps when the devices cannot see each other. Google notes that some Wi-Fi networks, such as those in offices, do not allow device-to-device sharing, and a phone on mobile data is on a different network from the laptop altogether. For a few photos or a single document, setting up a cable or a cloud folder can take longer than the transfer itself.
Step by step: transfer files from Android or iPhone to a PC online
TempGenerator’s Share between devices tool pairs two browsers through our server. Each device only needs an internet connection, so the phone can stay on mobile data while the PC uses office Wi-Fi. There is nothing to install and no account to create.
- On the PC, open the sharing tool and choose Start a sharing session. A QR code and a 6-character code appear.
- On the phone, scan the QR code with the camera. If that is awkward, open the same page on the phone, choose Join with a code and type the code. It works until one device connects, and only one other device can join.
- Check the label of the connected device, such as “iPhone · Safari”, so you know the right phone joined.
- On the phone, choose Add files, select several photos or documents at once and send them. Once an upload finishes, the phone can close the page.
- On the PC, images appear as previews. Download files one by one or choose Download all (.zip); the phone shows Downloaded on your other device for each file the PC saves.
- When you are done, choose End session on the PC. A session lasts 15 minutes, and the device that started it can add time up to one hour; when it ends, everything in it is deleted.
Limits, and what not to send
The session is built for quick handoffs, not backups. Each file can be up to 10 MiB, and a session holds 25 MiB and 30 transfers in total. Photos, screenshots and PDFs usually fit; most phone videos do not, so use a cable, Quick Share, Phone Link or a cloud drive for those. For a larger batch of photos, start another session.
Transfers are stored on our server until the session ends and are not end-to-end encrypted. Anyone who has the connection link can read and send in the session, so keep it to your own devices, and do not send passwords, identity documents, banking details or confidential work files. Open received files only when you expect them: programs and scripts can harm your device.
Common questions
Do my phone and PC need to be on the same Wi-Fi?
Not for the sharing session. Transfers go through our server, so mobile data on the phone and any connection on the PC both work. AirDrop, Quick Share and Phone Link drag and drop do need the devices nearby or on the same network.
Can I send photos from an iPhone to a Windows PC this way?
Yes. Start the session on the PC, scan its QR code with the iPhone camera and add the photos in the browser. Each file can be up to 10 MiB, and the PC can download them one by one or as a single zip.
How many files can I send in one session?
Up to 30 transfers and 25 MiB in total, counting both directions. Every file or message is one transfer, and you can send several files at once. When you reach either limit, start a new session.
What happens to the files afterwards?
They are deleted when the session ends: after 15 minutes, up to an hour if the device that started it added time, or straight away when that device ends the session. Save anything you want to keep before then.
Sources & further reading
Provider requirements can change. Check the official source before relying on a particular feature or offer.