Transferring files between PCs can be tedious, especially for small documents. Many people still hunt for a USB drive or use cloud services to move files between computers. Some tech-savvy users might have their systems connected via a local network.
All these methods have their drawbacks—multiple steps that slow the process (USB and cloud) or setup complexity (local network). For small file transfers, there’s a more efficient way integrated into Windows.
Meet Nearby Sharing, a feature that’s been part of Windows for years. It’s incredibly fast, easy to use, and available on both Windows 10 and 11 PCs.
How to use Nearby Sharing
Step 1: Enable Nearby Sharing
From the taskbar, open the search or Start Menu and type “nearby sharing.” Select Nearby Sharing settings from the search results.
A Shared Experiences settings window will open. Find Nearby Sharing and toggle on “Share content with a nearby device using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.”
In these settings, you can choose to share with everyone nearby or limit it to your devices. You can also set where received files are saved (default is the downloads folder).
Enable Nearby Sharing on all PCs you want to share files between.
Step 2: Share the file(s) between computers
Right-click the file(s) you want to share and select Share from the context menu. In File Explorer, you can also choose Share > Share from the ribbon menu.
The receiving PC’s name should appear in the list of available devices. Click on it to send a sharing request, then accept the request via Windows notifications. If the pop-up doesn’t appear, check the Notifications Center on the taskbar. You can freely transfer files between Windows 10 and 11 PCs without OS version restrictions.
When to use Nearby Sharing
Nearby Sharing isn’t always the quickest—Bluetooth is slower than Wi-Fi, cloud transfers, or USB drives. However, for small files like photos or screenshots, the speed difference is negligible.
Nearby Sharing also ensures more privacy as transferred files remain local to each PC. It can be simpler than other methods, especially when uploading images to services like Slack in limited batches. Just send and forget.