How to copy and paste between an Android phone and a Windows PC

Phone Link: built in, for supported phones

Phone Link on the PC and Link to Windows on the phone connect Android to Windows for messages, calls, photos and notifications. On supported phones they also share the clipboard. Microsoft's list covers Samsung Galaxy phones running One UI 2.1 or later, Surface Duo, and selected OPPO, OnePlus, Realme, HONOR, ASUS, vivo and Xiaomi models. Pixel phones are not on it, so check Microsoft's page for your exact model before relying on it.

1. 1Open Phone Link on the PC and connect your phone, installing Link to Windows on the phone if asked.
2. 2In Phone Link, open Settings, then Features.
3. 3Under Cross-device copy and paste, turn on the switch that allows Phone Link to transfer content you copy and paste between your phone and PC.
4. 4Copy something on either device, then paste it on the other as you normally would.

It carries text and images, one item at a time, with no history. Images over 1 MB are resized, and it only works over Wi-Fi unless you allow mobile data in the same settings. If the switch is not in Phone Link, look in Windows Settings, Bluetooth & devices, Mobile devices.

Any Android phone: SwiftKey and Windows clipboard sync

Microsoft's SwiftKey keyboard for Android can sync with the Windows clipboard through a personal Microsoft account, so it works on phones Phone Link does not support. The limits are tight: it carries text only, and it keeps only your most recent copy, for one hour.

1. 1On the PC, open Settings, System, Clipboard. Turn on Clipboard history, then turn on Clipboard history across your devices and sign in with a personal Microsoft account.
2. 2On the phone, install Microsoft SwiftKey, make it your keyboard and sign in with the same account.
3. 3In SwiftKey's settings, open Rich input, then Clipboard, and turn on Sync clipboard history to the cloud.
4. 4Copy text on the phone, then press Windows key + V on the PC to paste it. Text copied on the PC appears in SwiftKey's clipboard.

Work and school accounts are not supported. SwiftKey can only see what you copy while it is your active keyboard.

Free and open source: KDE Connect

KDE Connect runs on Windows, from the Microsoft Store, and on Android. With both on the same network it shares clipboard text, alongside files and notifications. It is text only, so screenshots and copied images do not come across. On the phone side, Android 10 and later stop it reading the clipboard in the background, so to send a copy from the phone you tap Send clipboard in its notification, or use its Quick Settings tile on Android 14 and later.

Why Android always asks for a tap

Since Android 10, only the keyboard you are using, or the app on screen, can read the clipboard. Background apps cannot. That rule is a privacy protection, and it applies to every tool here. It is why SwiftKey has to be your keyboard, why KDE Connect needs a tap from the phone, and why Clypy captures through its keyboard (which saves every copy while it is the selected keyboard) and the share sheet.

When you need a history, not just the last copy

Phone Link and SwiftKey move one item. If you need the tracking number you copied this morning, or the same clipboard on a Pixel, a Mac or a second PC, you need an app on each device that keeps a history. Clypy runs on Windows and Android, keeps unlimited history on each, and syncs between them with end-to-end encryption: directly over Wi-Fi when both are on the same network, and through a relay that cannot read your clips when they are not.

1. 1Install Clypy on the PC from clypy.app/download, and on the phone from Google Play.
2. 2On the PC, open Settings, Devices, and choose Pair a device. No account is needed.
3. 3On the phone, open Clypy's pairing screen and scan the code. This exchanges the encryption keys between the two devices.
4. 4When Clypy asks, enable the Clypy keyboard in Android's settings, then switch to it in any app.
5. 5Copy on the PC and tap the clip in the Clypy keyboard to paste it. Going the other way, copy on the phone and press Ctrl + Alt + V on the PC.

On Android, Clypy saves every copy while its keyboard is the selected keyboard, even with it hidden, and your latest copy when you switch to it; otherwise it saves when you open the app, share something to it, or choose Save to Clypy after selecting text. On Android 13 and later it sends that clip to the PC straight away through the relay, without the app being open, and keeps trying for about an hour if the PC is off. Clips going the other way arrive while Clypy is open and during Android's periodic background syncs, so open the app for a moment if one has not appeared yet. Sync and the Android keyboard are part of Clypy Pro.

Quick Share and the manual options

Google's Quick Share app for Windows moves photos, videos, documents and folders between Android and a PC, and it is the easiest way to send a file. Google does not document it for copied text. For an occasional link or paragraph, emailing yourself or a shared note works and costs nothing. If that happens twice a week, it is the right answer.