Microsoft is working to bring one of the best features on Mac to Windows 11 — and it's brilliant news if you have an Android phone in your pocket. Code unearthed in the next Windows 11 update unmasked plans to synchronise your clipboard across devices.
If the feature is released, you'll never have to worry about sending yourself an email or WhatsApp with a paragraph of text, a URL, or photos to move between devices. Instead, you'll be able to copy a phone number or name on your Windows 11 laptop and use a keyboard shortcut on your phone to paste it into an email or text.
Apple introduced the same functionality across its Mac, iPhone and iPad lineup eight years ago with the introduction of iOS 10. Devices signed in with the same Apple Account (and with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Handoff enabled in the Settings menu) could copy text, images, and links and paste between devices. It worked with all of the same keyboard shortcuts that Apple users had been using for years.
Apple introduced the ability to copy-paste back and forth between its devices in September 2016
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And now, Microsoft could be about to treat Android users to the same seamless copy-paste feature.
On Windows 11, the feature looks set to leverage the Link to Windows app. You'll need to have that Android app downloaded and set-up on the smartphone you'd like to use for clipboard syncing. Once that's sorted, turn on the feature in Windows 11's settings, specifically by enabling "Access PC's clipboard" in the Mobile Devices panel.
You'll need to be signed into the same Microsoft account on both your PC and Android phone.
When everything's connected, whatever text you copy on your Windows 11 PC will automatically appear in your Android phone's clipboard — so you're always ready to paste on the device in your hand.
GB News hasn't downloaded the latest preview build of Windows 11, but reports online from beta testers suggest the sync feature happens almost instantaneously. When you copy text on your PC, it's immediately available on your Android phone — there's no waiting around or extra button to press to kickstart the syncing across devices.
According to reports, the feature works across a variety of keyboards on Android devices, not just the standard Gboard created by Google.
It's worth noting that the feature is currently one-way only – you can copy from Windows to Android, but not the other way around. It's only available for Android phones, with no word on iPhone support.
Fingers crossed, the team at Microsoft can add the ability to copy something on your Android phone and paste it into a document, spreadsheet, or email on a Windows 11 laptop or desktop PC in the near future. iPhone support would also be a boon for those who prefer iOS but want to stick with Windows for their desktop computing.
Microsoft is slowly bringing Android phones and its Windows 11 software closer together, with one of the most recent additions, Phone Link, offering real-time details about battery life and incoming calls from the Start Menu on your laptop or desktop PC
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The ability to copy-paste between devices is the latest in a string of new innovations from Microsoft to make Windows 11 and Android phones work better together.
Over the summer, it rolled out improvements to its Phone Link panel, which sits on the right side of the Start Menu and offers quick access to messages and calls and real-time details from your smartphone, like the battery level, without lifting your fingers from the keyboard.
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You can also view photos stored on your device directly from Start, so you never miss a moment.
In its latest blog post, Microsoft stated: "This feature is gradually rolling out to the Windows Insider community and available only for Android users on Windows 11 who are already connected via Phone Link. iOS support will be coming at a later date.
"This experience can be managed via Settings > Personalisation > Start."
Microsoft's decision to end support for Windows 10 next month has sparked renewed interest in Windows 11's features. The desktop operating system, originally launched in October 2021, has been steadily gaining users as the critical deadline for its predecessor approaches.
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