Microsoft Announces Nearby Sharing Improvements on Windows 11

Microsoft has announced improved nearby sharing for Windows 11 users as part of the latest preview build for the Beta channel.

The software giant says it’s specifically refining nearby share to make it easier for users to share local files from the desktop or from the apps that are running on the PC.

As a result, the company has enhanced nearby sharing with UDP support, therefore making it easier for users to discover Bluetooth PCs to share the files with.

“The discovery of devices under nearby share when sharing a local file from the desktop, File Explorer, Photos, Snipping Tool, Xbox, and other apps that use the built-in Windows share window has been enhanced by using UDP (Network needs to be set to private) along with Bluetooth to discover nearby devices. You will now be able to discover and share to more devices including desktop PCs,” the software giant explains.

Nearby share in Windows 11

Nearby share has been specifically introduced in Windows 11 to make it easier for users to share files with other nearby devices using either Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

The experience is as straightforward as possible, as the integration of nearby sharing makes it possible for users to configure the devices they want to share files with, after which they can easily share files from the dedicated menu in Windows 11.

“Nearby sharing in Windows lets you share documents, photos, links to websites, and more with nearby devices by using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. To use nearby sharing, both PCs—the one you’re sharing from and the one you're sharing to—must have Bluetooth and must be running Windows 11 or Windows 10 (version 1803 or later),” Microsoft explains.

Nearby sharing is available on both Windows 10 and Windows 11, but the latter is obviously Microsoft’s focus in the long term.