After many years of ignoring Windows, Google has finally released Nearby Share for Windows as a beta. With this application, it is very simple to send files from an Android mobile to a Windows computer, but it has another use: share clipboard.
If you want copy something from your mobile and paste it into windows, Nearby Sharing can help. We explain what you need, how it works and the two ways to do it depending on the version of Android you have.
Install Nearby Share on Windows
The first thing you’ll need is, obviously, Nearby Sharing or Nearby Sharing for Windows. This application has been available for Windows in beta version for a few days on its official website, although the download link is hidden in Europe. However, you can use this direct link to download and install nearby share for windows
Setting up Nearby Share for Windows is very simple, basically you only need to Sign in with your Google account and choose the visibility of this PC. By default, this visibility is set so that your contacts can send you files, but you are free to restrict it further so that only you can, for example.
With Nearby Sharing already set up in Windows, you don’t need to do more. Application stay active and wait to receive files or text fragments from the clipboard.
Send your clipboard to Windows
The following steps are done on your mobile and vary depending on the version of Android you have. If you have Android 13, then when you copy something to the clipboard, you get a preview of the content with a button to share it with other devices with nearby sharing. This is then the fastest method.
This way in Android 13 you have to copy something to the clipboard with the corresponding menu, either contextual in the text or in the application, then press the share button with nearby share. We will then see the Nearby Sharing panel with an overview of the contents of the clipboard and our nearby devices, including the Windows PC.
If we have a version earlier than Android 13, we can still do this, albeit in a slightly different way. In such a case, we depend on the application having the context menu Share
In any mode, in seconds you will receive the copied text in nearby share for windowswhich will notify you with a notification.
Unlike files, which are saved in a Windows folder, received texts are not saved anywhere unless you press Copy in the Nearby Share window. This copies the text to the Windows clipboard and you can paste it wherever you want.
Yes, hurry up. Received text is displayed in nearby share only for a few seconds then it disappears, without you being able to recover it other than by sending it back. Currently, it is not possible to send the clipboard from Windows to Android: it is only possible to send files and folders.
In Xataka Android | How to connect the mobile to the TV: so that you can easily share the screen