How to use Microsoft Edge Drop to Share files in Windows 11/10

In this post, we will show you how to use Microsoft Edge Drop to share files and personal notes on Windows 11/10 computer. Microsoft has introduced a new feature called Drop to its Edge browser. Using this feature, you can share almost any type of file (ISO, PDF, EXE, APK, TXT, audio-video files, etc.) from a Windows 11/10 computer and then download shared files to another device and vice-versa using the Edge browser. Apart from that, you can also send notes or personal messages to your devices using its interface.

Before you try this Microsoft Edge Drop feature, have a look at the following points to understand more about this feature:

1. You must sign in to Edge browser with your Microsoft account to share files. Also, you need to sign in to other devices with the same Microsoft account to download the shared files
2. Drop feature doesn’t come with separate storage space or use a separate cloud service. Instead, it uses your OneDrive storage space of the connected Microsoft account to share files and notes
3. There is no exclusive size limit to share files as it entirely depends on the free storage space and file size limit of OneDrive
4. The files shared by you are stored in a folder named Microsoft Edge Drop Files in your OneDrive account
5. The files downloaded by you from Drop can be accessed from the following location or folder on your Windows 11/10 computer:

C:\Users\%username%\Downloads\Edge Drop Downloads

Now let’s see how to use this feature.

How to use Microsoft Edge Drop to share files in Windows 11/10

First of all, you should update Microsoft Edge to get this feature. This new feature is started rolling out to users. If you haven’t received it yet, you need to wait till you get this feature.

Enable or turn on Microsoft Edge Drop

Here are the steps:

1. Open Microsoft Edge browser
2. Press Alt+F hotkey to open the Settings and more box
3. Click on the Settings option
4. In the Settings window, access the Appearance category from the left section
5. Turn on the Drop button from the right section.

This will add the Drop icon to the Extensions toolbar available on the Edge browser in the top-right section.

Share files and notes using Microsoft Edge Drop

After turning on Microsoft Edge Drop, let’s see how to share files and notes using it:

1. Click on the Drop icon present in the Extensions toolbar
2. Its interface or panel will open on the right section which looks like a messaging app. It has a Refresh icon that can be used when shared files and notes are not visible and a More icon that shows your OneDrive storage space (free and occupied), free up storage option, etc.
3. To share files, use the Plus button (in blue color) present on the bottom part of the interface. This will help you add files from your computer. You can also drag and drop files on its interface. And, to send a note or message, click on the Write a note to yourself text field
4. Press the Enter key or click on Send icon to share the files.

You can also delete a particular file and note if needed. For that, click on the three horizontal lines icon available for a file/note, and use the Delete option.

Read: File Pizza lets you share files with friends using your browser

Download files shared by you using Microsoft Edge Drop

Once the files are successfully uploaded and shared from a device, you can download those files to another device easily. For that, follow the steps mentioned below:

1. Open Microsoft Edge browser
2. Sign in to the same Microsoft account in your Edge browser that you used for sharing the files
3. Open the Settings page of the Edge browser
4. Click on the Appearance category
5. Use the toggle available for Drop
6. Click the Drop icon present in the Extensions toolbar to open its interface
7. You will see all the files and notes shared by you from the primary device. For each file, a sent time and a Download option will be given. Use that option and then Edge Drop will download those files to your computer.

Once a file is downloaded, you can access the download location, or simply open that file directly from the Drop interface. For each file, there are options like Open, Open in folder (to access the download folder), Copy, and Delete that you can use when needed.

So that’s how this Drop feature works to share files and personal notes in Microsoft Edge.

Also read: How to enable and use Edge Bar in Microsoft Edge browser.

You might be wondering what is the need for such a feature if it uses your OneDrive storage space to store and share files. Well, the answer would be that you don’t have to access the OneDrive web app again and again or sign in to the desktop app or add another account to OneDrive especially to access the shared files. Sending notes (to remind you of something important related to a shared file) and sharing files to yourself across all the devices would be more convenient using this feature.

Can you share files between Windows 10 and 11?

Yes, it is possible to share files between Windows 10 and Windows 11 using different ways. Some of such options are listed below:

1. Use some free file-sharing websites. Such services let you transfer large files from one platform to another just by using a browser
2. Using OneDrive
3. Share files between computers using LAN
4. Using the Microsoft Edge Drop feature. We have covered a detailed guide in this post to help you turn on the Drop feature on Microsoft Edge to share and download files from one device to another.

How do I enable file sharing in Windows 11?

Windows 11/10 OS comes with a built-in file sharing feature, known as Nearby sharing. It lets you share documents, files, photos, etc., with nearby devices using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. You can easily enable and use Nearby sharing on Windows 11/10 computers.

In Windows 11, you can enable or turn on Nearby sharing by accessing the System category in the Settings app. In Windows 10, you can turn on Nearby sharing using the Action Center. Once it is done, access File Explorer, and select a file that you want to share. After that, use the Share tab, and perform the further steps. You can also use the Share option available in the right-click context menu to share a file.

Hope this helps.

Read next: How to enable and use Office Sidebar in Microsoft Edge.