When you’re a Home windows and Android consumer who has been envying the iPhone mirroring capabilities of macOS, there’s a related characteristic you should utilize — albeit with a caveat.
First, the excellent news: it is a free instrument that’s constructed proper into Home windows 11, with no further obtain required. It really works as a part of Cellphone Hyperlink, Microsoft’s app for syncing calls, images, and contacts out of your cellphone to its desktop working system.
The unhealthy information? Whereas many Cellphone Hyperlink options — corresponding to the flexibility to see messages or make calls — work with any Android cellphone or iPhone, mirroring your apps to Home windows is just supported by a choose variety of handsets. Most up-to-date Samsung Galaxy telephones work, as do some handsets from OnePlus and Asus.
There’s a full checklist right here, however help is being prolonged on a regular basis. Even when this doesn’t work along with your present Android cellphone, it’s price checking again on occasion to see if something has modified.
The advantages are the identical as they’re for iPhone mirroring: you get to make use of your apps on an even bigger display screen, with a mouse (or trackpad) and keyboard. When you’re gaming, picture enhancing, or doing a variety of typing, that may make an actual distinction.
Assuming this characteristic does work along with your cellphone, right here’s the right way to set it up. These directions are primarily based on Home windows 11 with a Galaxy S25 Extremely working One UI 7.0, however the course of shall be related on different handsets.
When you’ve by no means used Cellphone Hyperlink on Home windows earlier than, setting this connection up comes first. You’ll discover Cellphone Hyperlink preinstalled and obtainable on the Begin menu. You possibly can launch it from there or seek for it from the taskbar.
- You’ll be requested to pick Android or iPhone as your cellular machine. Click on Android on the opening display screen to arrange an Android cellphone.
- Use the digital camera in your Android machine to scan the QR code displayed by Home windows.
- This opens the Cellphone Hyperlink Android app in your cellphone (or prompts you to put in it, if it’s not put in already).
- In your cellphone, faucet Check in, then check in to the identical Microsoft account you’re utilizing on Home windows. Alternatively, you could be given a code out of your laptop to enter into the cellular app.
- You’ll be requested for a wide range of permissions: to permit Hyperlink to Home windows to ship and look at SMS messages, make and handle cellphone calls, entry your contacts, entry your cellphone name logs, take footage and report video, entry images and movies in your machine, enable it to ship you notifications, and let it all the time run within the background. You possibly can change these permissions within the app’s settings.
With that executed, try to be into the principle Cellphone Hyperlink interface on Home windows. So long as the Cellphone Hyperlink app is in your Android machine, the connection shall be established robotically.
Within the Cellphone Hyperlink app on Home windows, particulars of the cellphone you’re linked to are proven within the top-left nook. You should use the tabs alongside the highest of this system interface to entry data and knowledge in your cellphone: Messages, Pictures, Apps, and Calls.
Run Android apps out of your cellphone
Open the Apps tab in Cellphone Hyperlink on Home windows, and also you’ve acquired a few choices. When you click on Open cellphone display screen, you get a real cellphone mirroring expertise. Each motion you are taking in your laptop is mirrored in your cellphone display screen, and vice versa. You possibly can even change between them in the event you’d like.
Alternatively, you possibly can click on on an app shortcut to entry it with out opening it up in your cellphone (it’ll nonetheless be working in your cellphone, however within the background). Nothing exhibits in your Android machine, and you may even use a distinct app in the event you’d like. On this second mode, in the event you attempt to open an app on Android that’s already being utilized by Cellphone Hyperlink, you’ll see an alert and a immediate. You possibly can then both change to utilizing the app in your cellphone or keep it up utilizing it on Home windows.
Going for the true cellphone mirroring is barely extra handy in the event you’re switching between units quite a bit, however it would drain your handset’s battery quicker. When you’re not utilizing your cellphone in the mean time, launching apps via Cellphone Hyperlink (moderately than full mirroring) is normally the best choice.
Whilst you’ve acquired apps up on Home windows, the actions are all pretty intuitive:
- Click on as soon as to register a single faucet.
- Click on and maintain to register a faucet and maintain.
- Click on and maintain and drag to pick content material.
- Proper-click to return to the earlier display screen.
- Use a mouse or trackpad to scroll horizontally or vertically.
You possibly can change between panorama and portrait modes in your cellphone, and the change shall be mirrored on Home windows. You may also click on the maximize button on the Home windows app (the sq., high proper) to make the mirrored display screen bigger.
Any audio enjoying in your cellphone ought to play via your Home windows PC. To alter this and different settings, corresponding to copy and paste throughout units and the way notifications are synced, click on the gear icon within the top-right nook of the Cellphone Hyperlink app on Home windows.
To shut an Android app in your Home windows display screen, click on the X within the top-right nook.
