Windows 10 and Android are two different operating systems, but they share a lot of features. One of the most common ways to sync photos between the two platforms is through the Photos app. If you’re not familiar with it, the Photos app is a free app that you can download on Windows 10 and Android devices. The first thing you’ll need to do is create a new account on either platform. Once you’ve created an account, open the Photos app and click on the three lines in the top left corner of the main screen. This will take you to a menu where you can select which device your photos are stored on. If your photos are stored on your computer, then they’ll be listed under “Computer.” If they’re stored on an Android phone or tablet, then they’ll be listed under “Android.” You can also drag and drop photos from one device to another if they’re not already in there. Once your photos are in both apps, it’s time to sync them! To start syncing, just hit “Sync” in the Photos app and wait for it to start working. You’ll see a message telling you that it’s taking some time to sync everything up. Don’t worry though; once it’s done, all your photos will be updated automatically!
Microsoft’s Your Phone app is preinstalled on many Windows 10 lap- and desktops. It can also mirror notifications from your Android device, send and receive text messages on your PC, and sync photos. The latter is handy if you’d rather skip a cloud-storage service and don’t want to connect your phone to your PC with a cable.
To use the Your Phone app on Windows and Android:
Your computer must have the Windows 10 April 2018 Update or later installed. Your Android device must be running Android 7. 0 or later.
We’ve outlined the full setup process for Your Phone, so be sure to follow that guide before you start photo-syncing.
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Syncing photos between Android and Windows with Your Phone requires very little setup. You just have to make sure you grant the Your Phone Companion app permission to access your photos.
During the setup process, just tap “Allow” when the Companion app asks to access your Android photos, media, and files. This is required for photo transfers.
Another pop-up will ask your permission to let the Your Phone Companion app run in the background; tap “Allow.” This will ensure it stays connected to your PC and always shows the latest photos.
After those two permissions are granted, the feature is ready to use. In the Your Phone app on your Windows PC, just click the “Photos” tab.
Next, select a photo from the gallery. You can also click “Refresh” to check for new photos.
When a photo is open, you’ll see the following options at the top of the screen:
“Open”: Opens the photo in the Windows photo viewer. “Copy”: Copies the image to your Windows clipboard. “Save as”: Save the photo to a folder on your Windows PC. “Share”: Opens the Windows Share menu, where you can choose a method to share the photo directly. The three-dot menu: Gives you the option to open the photo in a different app.
That’s all there is to it! The feature syncs photos surprisingly fast when you have a good internet connection. If you don’t like cloud storage apps, this is a nice alternative to easily move photos between your phone and PC.
