Windows 11 Insiders get easy Android access via File Explorer
Microsoft has slowly been making it easier to access your Android phone from your Windows PC. This includes the addition of the Your Phone app, a built-in service that lets you tie your phone and your PC together to share images, get phone notifications on your PC, and even mirror your screen so you can access your apps on your computer. Now, things are getting even better, as Microsoft is adding Android phones to File Explorer for easy storage management.
As announced on the Windows Insider Blog, all Insider builds have gained access to the Android File Explorer test. It doesn’t matter if you’re a brave Canary user or a safe-and-sound Preview user; you can start using this feature starting from today.
Before you hop in, Microsoft lists the following requirements for accessing your Android’s file system via File Explorer:
– Your Android phone has at least Android 11 or higher.
– You are running the BETA version of Link to Windows app on your Android phone (version 1.24071 and higher).
– You are registered for the Windows Insider Program, your PC is running Windows 11, and your PC is opted into any of the 4 Insider Channels.
If you tick all the boxes, Microsoft says that you should go to “Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile Devices,” select “Manage Devices,” and then give your PC the permissions it needs to access your phone. From here, you should see a toggle called “Access in File Explorer” – if not, the feature hasn’t rolled out to you yet, so hang tight while Microsoft gets the patch to you.
If you’re still waiting for this option to appear, why not pass the time by checking out how someone is fixing the Windows Subsystem for Android because Microsoft refuses to? Or perhaps check out these Android emulators for Windows and skip the phone entirely.
