How to Use Nearby Share to Send Files from Android

Nearby Share On Windows | Sharing files between Android and Windows is still a hassle. To transfer wirelessly, you'll need to rely on a data cable, use cloud storage, or use a third-party service. While Android and Windows both have Nearby Share, they had their own version that didn't work with each other until recently. Google released Near Share for Windows. Now you can seamlessly transfer files between Android and Windows using Google Near Share. In this article, we explain how to set up Near Share on Windows and use it to send and receive files from Android.

What’s Nearby Share

Nearby Share is an Android feature that uses Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi Direct to wirelessly share files between two Android devices. Since Nearby Share itself is now available as a standalone app on Windows, you can also take advantage of the ability to send and receive files between Android and Windows. But before that, you need to set up Near Share on Android and Windows.

How to Setup Nearby Share on Windows

Go to the Nearby Share download page from your Windows browser and click the Get Started button to download the application. As of this writing, the app is still in its beta phase.

Once downloaded, open the downloaded file and click on the Yes option in the pop-up window. Nearby Share will begin to install on your device. After the installation is complete, click the Close button.

The Nearby Share app should start. If not, click on the Windows key and find the Near Share app and open it.

Here, click on the Sign In button to sign in to your Google account. You can continue without an account, but once you're signed in, you can transfer files between devices that are signed in to the same Google account without having to accept them from the other device. Also, your contacts can easily find you.

Open the Google login page in your default web browser, and sign in with your Google account.

After logging in, click the Login option on the next page.

Now go back to Nearby Share and give your PC a name. This name will be shown to other devices when they search for nearby devices.

Now, in the receive section, choose who you want to receive the file from. You can choose from Everyone, Contacts, Your Device, and Nobody. You can also adjust these settings later and click Done directly.

How to Use Nearby Share to Send Files from Windows to Android

There are several ways to share files from Windows to Android using Google Nearby Sharing. When you use Near Share on Windows, you can only send to Android devices. You cannot send files from one Windows to another Windows PC.

First of all, make sure that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are turned on on your Windows PC. You do not need to be connected to any device or network.

Open File Explorer and right-click on the file or folder that you want to share with the Android device.

In the context menu, select the Send with Nearby Share option.

This opens Nearby Share and starts searching for nearby devices. Depending on your visibility settings on other devices, you should see your device name here. Select this to send the file immediately.

Alternatively, you can open Nearby Share on Windows PC and click Select Files or Select Folders option to send the files or folders respectively.

Another way is to simply drag and drop files or folders on the Nearby Share app to discover and start sharing with nearby devices.