Access Android Phone storage using File Explorer in Microsoft Windows 11

Microsoft launched the Mobile Devices part in Microsoft Windows 11 and Microsoft Windows 10 to deeply combine Android telephones. You can use your telephone’s digital camera as a webcam and get latest screenshot notifications. Now, it’s doable to entry your telephone’s storage in File Explorer on Microsoft Windows 11.

It’s stunning that such a helpful characteristic wasn’t part of Microsoft Windows, regardless that Microsoft has been engaged on bettering the Android integration for fairly some time. You might entry and transfer photos by way of the Phone Link app, however accessing all of the information nonetheless required a USB connection.

Microsoft Windows 11’s latest “show mobile device in File Explorer” characteristic lastly addresses the priority. In our checks, Microsoft Windows Latest noticed that the characteristic requires the newest model of the Cross device expertise host package deal from the Microsoft Store. You’ll additionally want to affix the Microsoft Windows Insider Program, however any channel works.

As proven within the above screenshot, you could open the managed device settings web page and allow the “Show Mobile Device in File Explorer” possibility. This is essential for the characteristic to work in your PC.

If you haven’t paired the telephone beforehand, you’ll have to take action using the Link to Microsoft Windows app, which is accessible within the Google Play Store.

Is the characteristic any good?

Once you open File Explorer, your Android telephone will seem on the facet menu. Click on it to entry the telephone information.

It is just like what you see whenever you join your telephone by way of the USB cable with the file entry permissions, however it works wirelessly, due to Phone Links integration.

You can see the standing of the connection on the handle bar of the File Explorer. Clicking the cell identify reveals its storage capability and out there area. You can use the Refresh button to pressure it to resync the information.

We encountered no hiccups whereas opening folders and transferring information backwards and forwards. Although file switch speeds aren’t spectacular as a result of it makes use of Wi-Fi, it’s nonetheless helpful for transferring small information and paperwork reasonably than unexpectedly looking for the USB cable.

Note that File Transfer additionally works in case your PC doesn’t have a Wi-Fi connection, however it’s going to eat up your knowledge plan.

For now, the characteristic is just out there on Microsoft Windows 11. There’s no indication of it arriving in Microsoft Windows 10.

But we have now excessive hopes as a result of the “Get latest photo notifications” characteristic shipped with the August 2024 updates.

You can edit screenshots captured out of your cell in your PC using the Snipping Tool.

In addition to Android telephone integration in File Explorer, Microsoft Windows 11 23H2 might get one other characteristic known as “Continue from Phone”. It’s unclear how the characteristic works, however references noticed by Microsoft Windows Latest recommend that it’s associated to OneDrive.

For instance, “Continue from Phone” might enable you proceed enhancing your doc in your PC that you just beforehand edited in your telephone, however it requires the file to be synced to OneDrive.