AirDrop for Windows: iPhone to PC and back

How SendTheStuff will pair your iPhone with a Windows PC

SendTheStuff will turn the PC's browser into a drop zone for your iPhone. The PC will show a QR code, and the iPhone's Camera app will open it, the way it opens any QR link. You'll confirm the PC's browser on the iPhone, such as Chrome on Windows, then pick photos, videos or files and send.

• Both directions: SendTheStuff will also send from the PC to the iPhone, once both devices use the same email. The PC will show the code, and the iPhone will scan it.
• Size: SendTheStuff will take up to 5 GB and 1,000 files in one send. SendTheStuff will give device sends their own allowance of 5 GB in any 24 hours.
• Text too: SendTheStuff will carry up to 10,000 characters of text, so a long note or a code won't need a self-addressed email.
• The code: SendTheStuff's pairing code will work once, for 2 minutes. SendTheStuff will end a pairing after 12 hours at most, or sooner, for example when either side ends it.
• iPad too: SendTheStuff will pair an iPad the same way, which Phone Link can't do.

SendTheStuff will take each item off both screens 1 hour after it's picked up. The PC won't need an app, or your email, just to receive. The iPhone will need its Camera app, a browser and your email address.

Why Windows has no AirDrop

AirDrop is built into Apple's own devices and nothing else. Apple's guide lists it for an iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and a Windows PC never shows up in the AirDrop list. Windows' own sharing tools, and Google's sharing app for Windows, can't reach an iPhone either.

• Windows Nearby sharing works between PCs that are running Windows. Your iPhone won't appear in it.
• Quick Share for Windows is Google's Windows app for sharing with nearby Android devices. It's no help with an iPhone.
• Bluetooth file sending doesn't help either. Apple's list of the Bluetooth profiles iPhone supports covers headsets, car kits, speakers, keyboards and game controllers, with no profile for sending files.
• Intel Unison, which once linked iPhones to Windows laptops, has reached its end of support.

So every route between an iPhone and a PC goes through an app, a cable, a cloud drive or a link.

Phone Link, iCloud, the Apple Devices app or a cable

These are the real options today. Each works for some files, in some directions:

SendTheStuff will skip the setup in the first three rows. It will need a browser on the PC, and the camera and your email on the iPhone.

Phone Link: Microsoft's nearest thing to AirDrop

Phone Link is built into Windows, and its iPhone partner is Microsoft's Link to Windows app from the App Store. Microsoft's listing for that app includes "Share files between your phone and PC" among its features. It needs an iPhone with iOS 16.6 or later and a PC with Bluetooth Low Energy support.

• iPhone to PC: select the files on your iPhone, tap the share icon, then tap Link to Windows, then your PC.
• PC to iPhone: right-click files saved on the PC and choose Share > My Phone. If My Phone isn't listed, Microsoft says to pick Phone Link.
• What it can't do: it won't link an iPad. Microsoft states plainly: "Not available for iPad". Its steps also cover only files saved on the PC itself.

Microsoft rolled the feature out gradually. If your iPhone was paired before it arrived, set it up at aka.ms/addAccount on the PC. Phone Link links your own iPhone to your own PC, so it's no way to hand a file to a friend's laptop.

iCloud for Windows and the Apple Devices app

Apple makes two Windows apps of its own, both from the Microsoft Store.

iCloud for Windows puts iCloud Drive and iCloud Photos on the PC. Anything you save to iCloud Drive on the iPhone shows up there once it syncs, and anything you drop into it goes the other way. The catch is room: iCloud includes 5 GB free, and Apple says the latest version needs Windows 11 or later.

Apple Devices is the app Apple lists for managing an iPhone or iPad on Windows, leaving iTunes for podcasts and audiobooks. Connect the device, select it in the sidebar, then choose Files. You'll see the apps that accept files, and you drag files onto one. Apple's warning matters: "You can't access these files from other apps or locations on your device."

For photos and videos only, a cable is still the most direct route to a PC. Apple's steps install Apple Devices, connect the iPhone with USB, and import with Microsoft's Photos app. If you use iCloud Photos, Apple says you must download the original, full resolution versions to the iPhone first.

A shared PC folder your iPhone can open

The iPhone's Files app can open a folder shared from a Windows PC on the same Wi-Fi. That covers documents in both directions, with no cloud in the middle.

1. On the PC, right-click a folder. In Windows 11, choose Show more options > Give access to > Specific people; in Windows 10, Give access to is right on the menu. Pick yourself or Everyone.
2. In Files on the iPhone, tap Browse, tap the More button, then Connect to Server.
3. Type the PC's network address, such as smb://192.168.1.20. Connect as Registered User with the PC's user name and password.
4. Copy files in either direction, like any other folder in Files.

Until SendTheStuff launches

Pick the route that fits the direction and the device.

iPhone to PC, any file:

1. Install Link to Windows on the iPhone and pair it with Phone Link on the PC.
2. Select the files, tap the share icon, then Link to Windows, then your PC.

PC to iPhone, any file:

1. With Phone Link paired, right-click the files on the PC and choose Share > My Phone.
2. Or drop them into iCloud Drive in iCloud for Windows, and open them in the iPhone's Files app.

PC to iPad:

1. Phone Link won't work, so use iCloud Drive, or the shared folder steps above.
2. For files one app needs, such as a video for a player app, use Files in Apple Devices.

Lots of photos from iPhone to PC: install Apple Devices, connect a USB cable and tap Trust on the iPhone. Then import them with the Photos app on the PC.

What arrives on the PC, and in what format

With SendTheStuff, files will arrive in a browser tab on the PC, ready to download. Until then, it depends on the route:

• Phone Link: a Windows notification shows the file was received.
• iCloud for Windows: files appear in iCloud Drive in File Explorer, and photos in iCloud Photos.
• The Photos app over USB: photos and videos copy into a folder on the PC, chosen during the import.

iPhone photos and videos are often HEIC and HEVC files, which older Windows apps may not open. For new shots, set Settings > Camera > Formats to Most Compatible, which records JPEG and H.264. Over USB, the iPhone converts photos for the PC unless you turn on Settings > Apps > Photos > Keep Originals.

When it doesn't work

• The PC can't see the iPhone over USB. Unlock the iPhone and look for the Trust This Computer alert, then tap Trust. If you tapped Don't Trust before, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Location & Privacy and reconnect.
• The Photos import shows nothing, or only some photos. With iCloud Photos on, the originals may still be in iCloud. Download them to the iPhone first, then import.
• Windows says "Bluetooth file transfer not completed". You tried sending from the PC to the iPhone over Bluetooth. The iPhone can't receive files that way, so use Phone Link or iCloud Drive instead.
• Link to Windows is missing from the share sheet. Check that the iPhone runs iOS 16.6 or later. If it was paired before file sharing arrived, set it up at aka.ms/addAccount on the PC.
• The iPhone can't connect to the PC's folder. Make sure both are on the same Wi-Fi and the PC's network is set to Private. Search Settings for Manage advanced sharing settings and turn on File and printer sharing.