What you can do with photos
The Phone Link lets you view the photos you’ve taken with your Android device.
In addition, you can:
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Save a photo to your PC
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Edit a photo from your Android device on your PC
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Delete a photo from your Android device on your PC
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Share a photo with someone else
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Copy a photo and paste it into an Office document, an email message, or to your desktop
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Insert a picture into a text message
Selecting a photo opens it into a gallery view. Here, you'll be able to view and take action on your photo.
You can open your photo using the Windows Photos app to edit it as you like. If you save your changes, they'll be saved as a new file and your original photo remains unchanged on your Android device.
Note: The Phone Link doesn't currently support multiple Android profiles or work/school accounts.
If you encounter issues with photos, these troubleshooting tips may help.
Save a photo to your PC
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In the Phone Link , select Photos.
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Find the photo you want, then drag it with your mouse onto the PC desktop. A copy of the original photo is saved on your PC desktop.
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In the Phone Link , select Photos.
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Long-press a photo (or right-click if using a mouse), and then select Save as.
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Navigate to the folder where you want save the image, and then click Save.
You can then paste the photo into an Office document, an email message, or to your desktop.
Edit a photo from your Android device on your PC
You can open an image in Windows Photo Editor, modify it as you wish, and save it on your PC.
Windows Photo Editor lets you edit an image, print it, add it to a slide show or album, and more. You can crop or rotate an image, apply a color filter or adjust the lighting, or even draw on the image.
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In the Phone Link , select Photos.
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In the grid view, select the photo you want to save. A larger version of the image appears.
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On the toolbar at the top right, select Open to open it in Windows Photo Editor.
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In Photo Editor, select Edit & Create > Edit.
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At the top of the window, select the option that reflects what you want to do: Crop & rotate, Filters, and Adjustments.
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Follow the prompts to make your changes. To crop the image, simply select one of the corner handles on the image and drag.
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To save your changes, select Save a copy at the bottom right corner of the window.
In Photo Editor, when you save your changes, they'll be saved as a new image file on your PC; your original photo remains unchanged on your Android device.
You can easily send the edited version of the image back to your Android device:
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Select Start, and type File Explorer in the Search box.
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In File Explorer, navigate to the location of the edited photo, then select the file.
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Right-click the image and select Send to > Bluetooth device.
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In the window that opens, select your Android device, then select Next.
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On your Android device, accept the prompt to transfer the file.
Delete a photo from your Android device
Now, you can delete individual photos on your Android device directly from your PC by using the Phone Link . Photos are deleted from your Android device’s local storage only — any photos that you delete won’t be removed from any cloud backups that you have.
To delete a photo:
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Right-click the photo that you'd like to delete.
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Select Delete from the menu.
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Confirm Delete photo on the confirmation screen, or choose Cancel if you've changed your mind.
While the photo is being deleted from your Android device, it will be greyed out in the Phone Link and removed from view once the process is complete.
Note: Please wait for a photo to be deleted before refreshing. Refreshing the page may interrupt the process of deleting your photo.
No, the Phone Link does not connect to any of your cloud backups. Deleting photos in the Phone Link will only delete photos in your Android device’s local storage.
When you delete photos using the Phone Link , they’re only being deleted from your Android device’s local storage. You may still see them in your cloud backups.
Your Gallery may be connected to a cloud account, displaying backed-up versions of your photos.
Currently, you can only delete one photo at time.
Note: You can start deleting the next photo while your device is finishing deleting a previous photo. However, don’t refresh the page, as this may interrupt the process and prevent your photos from being deleted.
Photos are deleted from your Android device. If your Android device has “trash can” or “recycle bin” functionality, then deleted photos will appear there.
Yes, in the Phone Link settings. Go to Settings > Features > Photos and turn off the toggle next to Allow this app to delete photos from my phone.
Share a photo with someone else
When you share a picture a person, it's sent to them via email from your PC.
When you share a picture with an app, a copy of the image is opened in that app.
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Select and hold (or right-click) the photo, and select Share.
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In the Share window, select the person or app you want to share with.
Copy and paste a photo
To copy or save a photo:
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Long-press a photo (or right-click if using a mouse) to Copy or Save as.
You can paste the photo into an Office document, an email message, or on your PC's desktop. Learn more about copying and pasting content between your devices (for Surface Duo and select Samsung devices).
What are photo notifications?
You can get instant access to your most recent photos or screenshots from your linked Android device by engaging with the incoming new photo notifications on your PC.
How to enable photo notifications on PC?
On your PC, open Settings > go to Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices > click on Manage devices > toggle on Get new photo notifications.
How do I interact with photo notification?
Capture a photo or screenshot on our linked mobile device, and a notification will appear on your PC if you have activated this feature. Simply click on the incoming New Photo notification to open your photo in the Snipping Tool, where you can view, edit, or share it effortlessly.
Insert a picture in a text message
You can't copy a photo directly into a text message, but you can insert photos from the Phone Link or your PC into a message.
Photo sync with PowerPoint and Word Online
Now users can sync their photos with PowerPoint/Word Online and PowerPoint/Word/Excel Desktop apps through the Link to Windows app.
How can I sync my photos with Office Online or Desktop Apps?
During a session, you can refresh the photos displayed from your mobile device in Office Online and Desktop Apps by clicking the refresh icon in the top right corner of the picker window. If you do not see your photos but do see a QR code, you will need to scan that QR code with your android device and follow the instructions.
How to deal with the invalid QR code?
1. Check if Link to Windows is the latest version. If not, please update first.
2. Confirm scan supported QR codes. You can find them as followed:
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Open PowerPoint on browser or Open PowerPoint Desktop App-> select insert photo -> choose insert from mobile.
How to deal with the invalid QR code?
1. Check if Link to Windows is the latest version. If not, please update first.
2. Confirm scan supported QR codes. You can find them as followed:
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Open PowerPoint on browser -> select insert photo -> choose insert from mobile.
What are the requirements for syncing my photos with Office Online or Desktop Apps?
To use this feature, you must have an Android device and be authenticated in Office Online or Desktop Apps with your work or school account. You must also be accessing PowerPoint/Word online or PowerPoint/Word/Excel/Word Desktop apps from Google Chrome, Edge, or Firefox (version 104 or newer).
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Open Settings on Safari browser.
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Select the Pop-up Windows option and Allow microsoft.sharepoint.com to enable photo sync.
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Please note you will need to reopen the picker. Select Mobile Device.
The pop-up dialog box will open and disappear, and you will be able to see the pairing page.
Why do you need to enter the code shown on your PC to insert Photos?
The code process allows us to offer users an experience that is secure. If you don’t see the pin code on our PC, refresh the QR code and try scanning it again. If the issue persists, ensure that your Link to Windows application on your mobile devices is up to date.
How to give access to your mobile device to be linked to my PC and access your most recent photos to insert into your documents?
You are prompted on your mobile device to allow your work or school account to access your mobile devices to insert photos from it. You have the following options to opt into the feature or opt out:
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Clicking on Allow and checking the Remember and don't ask again option will allow your work or school account to link your mobile device to your account and access your most recent photos to insert those into your documents. You will not be prompted to this opt in/opt out option next time when excessing the feature. You will be directed to insert photos feature. You can go to Settings on your mobile device if you change your mind and would like to opt out of this feature.
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Clicking on Allow without checking the Remember and don't ask again option will allow your work or school account to link your mobile device to your account and access your most recent photos to insert those into your documents. This option will give you a one-time access to the feature and you will receive this prompt every time you access this feature.
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Clicking on Deny without checking the Remember and don't ask again option will close the feature since you opted out to link your mobile device and share your most recent photos. You will receive this prompt every time you access this feature and can device whether to opt in or not next time.
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Clicking on Deny and checking the Remember and don't ask again option will opt you out of this feature and you won't receive this prompt again when trying to insert photos from your mobile device. You can change this by going to Settings on your mobile device and opting into this feature.
How can I access more photos/media from my mobile device?
Link to Windows application lets you add additional photos you've taken with your Android device by enabling permission at any time. If you would like to grant permission, simply follow these steps:
On your Android device:
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Open Link to Windows application.
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Tap on the account you would like to modify.
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Tap on Photos.
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Select All photos under Allow access to.
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You can select form which location you want to insert photos from by either choosing Camera & Screenshots folders or All media folders.
You can always remove the permission to all photos by simply turning off Photo under your account. You would need to regrant this permission again if you would like to leverage this experience.
Accessing photos from your mobile device while on mobile data
You can link your mobile device to your computer over mobile networks when Wi-Fi is not available. This will allow you to insert your photos into Office applications. Please note standard data and roaming rates will apply.
For more information, see Pictures, charts, and tables.
