The Windows 10 Your Phone app is one of the most useful additions in the latest version of the OS, especially for people who frequently need to check their phones. The app allows seamless access to phone notifications, allowing Android users to respond to the text messages, and make phone calls directly from their PC.
For now, Your Phone works with all recent Android phones, but Microsoft recently entered into a partnership with Samsung to bring exclusive features to new Galaxy devices. As a part of its efforts to extend its partnership with the smartphone maker, Microsoft is bringing another useful feature to Your Phone app, the ability to drag-and-drop files between Windows 10 PCs and recent Samsung phones and tablets.
With this addition, the Windows 10 Your Phone app will now allow owners of recent Galaxy devices to drag and drop files from your PC to their Samsung Phone or tablet, and vice-versa. The new feature will eliminate the need to hook up any wires for file transfers between devices, though there are some restrictions. If the new drag and drop feature supports all file types, the transfer limit is currently restricted to 512 MB. For those who would be interested in large file transfers, for now, Your Phone only allows you to transfer 100 files at a time.
According to a post on the Microsoft Community Forums (via Sam Mobile), you need a Samsung device running Link To Windows version 1.5 or higher, and your phone and PC must also be connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Importantly, the feature is only available for Windows Insiders as of this writing.
As for the process of moving files from a PC to a Galaxy device, it’s pretty easy: head over to the Phone screen section of the Your Phone app on your Windows 10 PC, then select some files on your PC and drag them to the Your Phone app window. However, moving files from a Galaxy device to a Windows 10 PC is currently only supported from your phone’s Gallery app or from the Samsung My Files app only. You can find Microsoft’s detailed instructions below:
To drag from My Files:
- Once you’ve opened Phone screen in the Your Phone app, use your mouse to navigate to a folder in My Files.
- Long press on the file until a checkmark appears, then release. If you’d like to select additional files, you can do so by tapping on them.
- Use your mouse to long press again on the file(s) you’ve selected, and a thumbnail will appear. Drag the files to your desired location on your PC. The cursor will change to indicate when you’re able to drop the file(s).
To drag from the Gallery app:
- Once you’ve opened Phone screen in the Your Phone app, use your mouse to navigate to your Albums and select one.
- Long press on a photo until a checkmark appears, then release. If you’d like to select additional photos, you can do so by tapping on them.
- Use your mouse to long press on the photo(s) you’ve selected, and a thumbnail will appear. Drag the photo(s) to your desired location on your PC. The cursor will change to say Copy when you are able to drop.
As a reminder, last month, Microsoft added cross-platform copy and paste capability between Windows 10 PCs and the recent Samsung phones via Your Phone/Link to Windows. This new drag and drop feature is the continuation of this Microsoft/Samsung partnership, and it’s really nice for owners for Samsung devices. However, it’s a bit unfortunate that the rest of Android users can’t enjoy these cool features.
