Microsoft makes it easier for you to access Android phones from PC on Windows 11

You'll soon be able to access your phones via File Explorer

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Key notes

  • Microsoft has been revamping users’ experience in connecting their phones to Windows 11 PCs.
  • The company now launched an update that allows users to access their phones directly from File Explorer.
  • The update, now live for Windows 11 insiders, still comes with a few issues, unfortunately.
Link to Windows app

Want to access Android phone from PC? Well, we may have some good news for you.

Announced this week, Microsoft has started rolling out a feature for Windows Insiders that allows them to access their Android phones directly from File Explorer on Windows 11.

This feature lets you wirelessly browse, open, copy, move, rename, and delete files on your Android phones. That, as long as you’re running Android 11 or higher, have the Beta version of the Link to Windows app (version 1.24071 or higher), and are registered with the Windows Insider Program in any of the channels.

The Windows 11 insider community spotted this feature weeks ago as a hidden experience before Microsoft officially documented it this week.

But still, it comes with a few issues. For now, if you delete files on your phones via PC, they could still appear in a new Recycle Bin folder on your phone. These files stay for 5 days even though it says that the automatic deletion starts after 30 days.

Occasionally, deleted files may not appear in File Explorer, and some operations may not sync back to the phone; logging out and back in can help until a future update resolves these issues.

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