Use Quick Share Instead of a USB Cable Complete Setup for Phone and Windows
Your Android phone already has a fast wireless file sender built in, and your Windows PC only needs one small free app from Google. Set it up once, and photos, videos and documents move between the two in seconds — no cable, no cloud upload, no mobile data.
🎥 Watch this channel's video for the live setup — this page is the written companion you can follow step by step
The feature is called Quick Share. It began life as two rival systems — Google's Nearby Share and Samsung's Quick Share — and in January 2024 the two companies merged them under the single name Quick Share, so some phones still show the old Nearby Share label for the same feature. The way it works is simple: Bluetooth finds the other device, Wi-Fi carries the file. The transfer stays on your local network, it is encrypted, and nothing is uploaded to the internet. This page sets up both directions — phone to PC and PC to phone — and ends with the small settings that make it work first time, every time.
Quick Share at a glance
PHONE (Android 6.0 and later) WINDOWS PC (64-bit Windows 10 / 11)
Quick Share is built in -> Install the free Quick Share app
Bluetooth finds the PC (Samsung PCs use Samsung's own app)
Wi-Fi carries the file Same network, within about 5 metres
Files received land in Downloads > Quick Share on both sides
👆 The whole system on one card — one free app on the PC, nothing to install on the phone (panel recreated as an illustration)
1
Check the Requirements Before Anything Else
Quick Share asks for very little, but every item on this list is a real requirement — if discovery fails later, it is almost always one of these.
PC: a 64-bit version of Windows 10 or later. ARM-based PCs need Windows 11 or later
Phone: Android 6.0 or later — almost every phone in use today qualifies, and Quick Share is already built in
Both devices: Bluetooth switched on, and Wi-Fi (or Ethernet on the PC) switched on and connected to the same network
Distance: keep the phone and PC within about 5 metres (16 feet) of each other
Samsung PC owners: Galaxy Books use Samsung's own Quick Share app from the Microsoft Store, not Google's app — install that one instead
2
Install Quick Share on the Windows PC
The phone needs nothing; the PC needs Google's app, once.
Download Quick Share for Windows from Google's official Android website — not from a download portal or a search ad
Run the installer and open the app. It sits quietly in the background and waits for transfers
Optional but recommended: sign in with the same Google account you use on your phone. Your own devices then recognise each other, and transfers between them are accepted automatically
Give the PC a name you will recognise in a list — DESKTOP-ANSHU beats a string of random letters when two PCs are nearby
3
Set Up the Phone Side
There is nothing to install. Swipe down twice for Quick Settings and look for the Quick Share tile, or open Settings and search Quick Share. Then set the one option that decides who can see your phone:
Tap Who can share with you
Choose Your devices — your phone is then visible only to devices signed in with your Google account, even with the screen off
Leave Contacts and Everyone for 10 minutes for the times you share with other people; their full explanation is on the visibility page in this series
4
Send Your First File, Phone to PC
Open any photo, video or file on the phone and tap Share
Tap Quick Share and pick your PC from the list of nearby devices
On the PC, a notification asks you to accept — tap Accept. If both devices are signed in with your account, this step happens by itself
The file lands in Downloads > Quick Share on the PC. Keep the phone screen unlocked while receiving until the transfer finishes
That is the complete loop. Everything else in this series is a variation or a fix on these four steps.
5
Send from PC to Phone
Open the Quick Share app on the PC (it must be running — a closed app cannot be found)
Drop the file into the app window, or use the app's select button to pick it
Choose your phone from the nearby devices and accept on the phone if asked
On the phone, received files wait in the Files app under Downloads > Quick Share
6
Make It Effortless
Three small settings separate "it worked once" from "it always works":
In the Windows app, turn on the option to run Quick Share when Windows starts, so the PC is always ready to receive
If your Downloads folder is a mess, change the save location in the app settings to a folder you actually check
In Windows, keep your home network profile set to Private — a network marked Public hides your PC from local discovery
🔴 Download the Windows app only from Google's official Android website. Popular free apps get wrapped in extra installers by third-party download sites. The real Quick Share app is free, it is small, and it never asks for a licence key, a phone number, or a payment.
🎥 Watch the Full Quick Share Setup Video
See the whole thing done live — installing the Windows app, setting the phone visibility, and the first transfer in both directions.
No. Transfers happen locally: Bluetooth finds the other device and your Wi-Fi carries the file. Google's Windows guide asks for both devices on the same network, but that network does not need a working internet connection — Quick Share still works during a broadband outage. The one exception is the QR route to iPhones, which does use the internet.
My phone still shows Nearby Share. Is that the same thing?
Yes. Google renamed Nearby Share to Quick Share in January 2024 when it merged with Samsung's Quick Share into one system. Google's own help pages say you may still see the Nearby Share name on some devices, and the feature works in the same way.
Where do received files go?
On Windows, into the Quick Share folder inside Downloads — you can change that folder in the app settings. On Android, open the Files app and look in Downloads, then the Quick Share folder.
This guide is based on the Technical Anshu Quick Share tutorial video • Stuck on a step? Ask in the video comments — you will get a reply 🙏