Pick a method in ten seconds
| Method | Needs | Best for | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online clipboard | A browser on both devices | One-off text, any phone and any computer | Text expires; not a place to keep notes |
| Message yourself | A chat app on both devices | Things you want to find again later | Clutters your chat history |
| Email yourself | An email account on both devices | Longer text and attachments | Slow, and you have to sign in on the PC |
| Notes or cloud document | Same account on both devices | Text you will keep editing | You need to be signed in everywhere |
| Phone-link apps | Compatible phone and PC, set up once | Regular transfers with the same pair of devices | Setup, and not every phone works |
Method 1: Use an online clipboard
An online clipboard works like copy and paste across two devices. This is the one to use when the computer is not yours, or when you do not want to sign in to anything.
- On your phone, open this site and paste your text into the box on the Send text tab.
- Choose how long it should stay available. Ten minutes is plenty for a quick transfer.
- Tap Save to clipboard. You get a 6-digit code, a short link and a QR code.
- On the PC, open the site, choose Receive text and type the code. The text appears and you can copy it or download it as a
.txtfile.
A few habits make this safer and smoother:
- Shorter is better. The less time a clip exists, the less time anyone else has to guess the code.
- Turn on delete after the first view for anything private. Once you have opened it on the PC, it is gone.
- Add a password if the text is sensitive. The text is encrypted in your browser before it leaves your phone, so the server only ever stores scrambled data.
- Scan instead of typing. If the PC shows the QR code, point your phone camera at the screen and it opens the text directly, with no digits to type.
Method 2: Message yourself
Most chat apps let you send a message to yourself, or have a “saved messages” space. Paste the text there on the phone, then open the same app on the computer (desktop app or web version) and copy it back out. It is convenient because the history is kept, which is also the downside: anything you send stays in your chat history until you delete it.
Method 3: Email yourself
Email is the oldest method and still reliable for long text. Paste the text into a new email addressed to yourself, send it, and open the mail on the PC. It is slow compared with the other methods, and on a shared or borrowed computer you would have to sign in to your mailbox, which you may not want to do.
Method 4: Use a notes app or cloud document
If you are going to keep working on the text, such as a draft or a to-do list, write it in a document that syncs between devices. Open the same document on the PC and carry on. This is the best option for work in progress and the worst option for a quick, throwaway transfer, because everything ends up stored in your account.
Method 5: Use a phone-link app
Some computers and phones can be paired so that they share notifications, files and sometimes the clipboard. Windows has an app for pairing with many Android phones, and Android has its own nearby-sharing feature. Setup is a one-time job and works well if you always use the same two devices. It is less useful if you want to send something to a colleague’s PC, a library computer, or a phone from a different brand.
Which method should you choose?
- Using someone else’s computer, or no time for setup: online clipboard.
- You want a record of what you sent: message yourself or a notes app.
- A long document with attachments: email.
- The same two devices every day: a phone-link app.
Troubleshooting
“No text was found for this code.” The clip may have expired, or been deleted after the first view. Check the digits, then create a new clip on the phone.
Special characters look wrong. Text, emoji and non-Latin scripts transfer correctly. If something looks odd, the original text probably used unusual formatting characters. Paste it into a plain-text field first, then copy it again.
Text is too long. One clip can hold up to 100,000 characters. For something longer, split it into two clips.
The code does not work on the other device. Make sure you are on the Receive text tab, and that you typed the digits rather than the link. If you were given a link, open it directly instead.