Send files from a Windows PC to your phone without a cable
Checked on 4 October 2026. Written by the maker of NotchPixel, a paid app that also does this. It comes last, so weigh it with that in mind.
The best free method depends on the phone. For Android, use Quick Share or Phone Link. For an iPhone, use iCloud Drive. For either phone without an account, use LocalSend.
All the ways at a glance
Requirements as each maker states them, read on 4 October 2026. "Not stated" means the maker's page does not say.
Google asks for 64-bit Windows 10 or later (Windows 11 on ARM-based PCs) and Android 6.0 or later. Both devices need Bluetooth on and the same network, and they must be within 5 metres (16 feet) of each other. Install the app from Google's Quick Share page. Then drag a file into its window, or right-click the file and choose Send with Quick Share, and pick your phone. Google says the files are encrypted. On a Samsung PC, use Samsung's own Quick Share app from the Microsoft Store instead.
Phone Link (free, built into Windows)
Phone Link pairs the PC with the Link to Windows app on the phone. It needs a Microsoft account, and both devices must be on the same Wi-Fi. On Windows 11, or Windows 10 (May 2019 update or later), with Android 10 or later, right-click a file, choose Share, then pick Phone Link. The file lands in Downloads > Sent from your PC. Dragging files into the Phone Link window works only on Samsung, HONOR, OPPO, ASUS, vivo and Xiaomi phones, up to 100 files at a time and 512 MB per file.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth needs no app and no account, but it is slow. Pair the phone, then on Windows 11 go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Devices and, under Related settings, choose Send or receive files via Bluetooth.
iPhone
AirDrop does not work with Windows: Apple describes it as sharing with "nearby Apple devices", and Quick Share for Windows works only with Android. Microsoft began rolling out iPhone file sharing in Phone Link to Windows Insiders on 11 December 2024. I found no Microsoft page that says it has reached everyone, so look in your own Phone Link before you rely on it.
iCloud Drive (free up to 5 GB)
Install iCloud for Windows from the Microsoft Store. Apple asks for Windows 11 to run the latest version. Sign in with your Apple Account and turn on iCloud Drive. It appears in File Explorer, and files you put there show up in the iPhone's Files app. You can also upload at icloud.com in any browser. The free tier is 5 GB. The file goes through Apple's servers, so both devices need internet.
The Apple Devices app (free, from Apple)
Apple's Devices app is also in the Microsoft Store. It copies files into iPhone apps that accept them. Select the iPhone, choose Files and drag a file onto an app. It works over a cable. To use Wi-Fi, connect the cable once, choose General and turn on Show this iPhone when on Wi-Fi.
Either phone: LocalSend (free, open source)
LocalSend runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS under the Apache 2.0 licence. It sends over your local network with no account and no internet, and its readme says data goes over HTTPS. On 4 October 2026 it had about 93,000 GitHub stars, and the latest release was 1.18.2 (21 August 2026).
Usually you install it on both devices. With Share via link, a phone without the app can download the file in its browser. With Receive via link (added in 1.18.0, 10 August 2026), that phone can send files back. For most people, this is the free one to try first.
Email and cloud drives
These work with any phone, through the internet. Gmail attaches up to 25 MB and turns bigger files into a Google Drive link. An Outlook.com email can be 25 MB in total, and a OneDrive link can point to a file of up to 2 GB. Free storage is 15 GB with a Google Account and 5 GB with a Microsoft account.
Intel Unison is no longer an option
Older guides recommend Intel Unison. Intel ended it on most PCs at the end of June 2025 (Lenovo Aura Edition PCs kept it through 2025) and now lists it as end-of-life.
If the phone cannot reach your PC
Use home Wi-Fi or your phone's hotspot. Guest, hotel, campus and office networks can stop devices from seeing each other.
Windows 11 sets a new network to Public when you first connect. On a network you trust, change it in Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi > your network > Network profile type > Private network. Some apps, NotchPixel among them, get through the firewall only on Private networks.
Pause your VPN and try again.
The paid option: NotchPixel's shelf
I'm the developer of NotchPixel, so read this section with that in mind.
How the shelf sends a file
NotchPixel is a notch at the top centre of the screen for Windows 10 (version 2004 and later) and Windows 11, x64 only. Rest the pointer on it and it opens a card; move away and it is gone. One part of it is a file shelf:
Drop a file on the notch. It goes onto the shelf.
Press Send to phone. A QR code appears beside the card.
Scan it with the phone's camera. The phone opens a plain web page, with no script, served by your PC. Tap the file to download it.
It works the other way too. Press Receive, and photos and files sent from that page land in Downloads\NotchPixel and on the shelf; text you send lands on the PC's clipboard. The phone needs no app and no account. Both devices must be on the same network, and Windows must call it Private; if it is Public, the code says so and links to the setting. Each code uses a random port and a random 16-character code in its address, and it stops when you close it or after 15 minutes.
To be fair, LocalSend's link modes do the same job for free. NotchPixel is for people who want it one drop away, next to the rest of the notch: now playing, clipboard history, one key that mutes the microphone in every app, and a slim FPS strip in fullscreen games. It is $9.99 once in the US on the Microsoft Store (local prices elsewhere), with no subscription and no account. It uses about 13 MB in Task Manager and 0% CPU at idle (version 0.5.64, 3 October 2026; how it was measured). If all you need is to move files, the free options above are enough.
Get NotchPixel
$9.99 once. No subscription, no account.
US price; the Store shows the price for your country. The Microsoft Store installs and updates it.
Questions
Is there AirDrop for Windows?
No. AirDrop is Apple's, and Apple describes it as sharing with nearby Apple devices. From a Windows PC to an iPhone, use iCloud Drive, the Apple Devices app or LocalSend. To an Android phone, use Quick Share, Phone Link or LocalSend.
Do I need an app on the phone?
Not for Quick Share (built into Android), Bluetooth or iCloud Drive (the Files app). Phone Link needs Link to Windows. LocalSend needs its app unless you use a link mode. NotchPixel needs only the phone's browser.
Do the phone and PC need to be on the same Wi-Fi?
For Quick Share (same network), Phone Link, LocalSend and NotchPixel, yes. Email and cloud drives go through the internet. Bluetooth needs no network.
Is it safe to send files over Wi-Fi?
With the local methods, the file stays on your network. Google says Quick Share transfers are encrypted, and LocalSend uses HTTPS. NotchPixel's page is plain HTTP: it is protected by a random address that stops working when you close it or after 15 minutes, not by encryption. Use it on home Wi-Fi or your own hotspot.
