Google simplifies file sharing between Android and Windows – Not available in Sweden

Nearby Share is an Android feature that has been around since 2020 and makes it easy to send and receive files from other Android users. Google is now extending the functionality to also apply to Windows, with an extension Open beta which has been made available to users almost all over the world.

The regions that have so far been exempted from the beta are the 27 European Union member states and the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine. Hence Swedish users have to be patient. Google has not disclosed why EU countries are not included in the beta.

When installing the program, it is possible to send files from the computer to Android devices in the surroundings and vice versa. Users can set who they want to open file sharing from: everyone, contacts, private devices, or nothing at all. Files can be received even when the program is in the background.

To send a file from your computer: drag and drop into the Nearby Share window or right-click and select Nearby Share. Between two devices signed into the same Google account, the file is sent automatically, but between different accounts, the recipient must first agree to share the file. The devices must be within about five meters of each other and both must have Wifi and Bluetooth turned on.