Microsoft Edge released a file-sharing feature that allows you to send/receive files to and from both your PC and mobile phone. Microsoft calls this new feature Drop which is now publicly available for all Edge browser users. Edge’s browser Drop is a cloud-based file-sharing feature, which means you need to upload the file only once. After that, you can use Microsoft Edge on any other device (PC or mobile) to access and download the file. Here is how to enable and then use Edge browser’s Drop to share files.
Table of Contents
How to Enable Drop in Edge Browser
Microsoft Edge introduced Drop with the build 110 of the browser. So before you can share files using Edge’s Drop, you must update it to the latest version using the Settings page or Microsoft Store. After that, you can use the Drop feature from Edge’s sidebar. But if you don’t see the sidebar, you must enable it first. Here’s how to do it:
1. Launch Microsoft Edge on your system. Go to the address bar, type edge://settings/, and press Enter.
2. The browser’s Settings page will open. Go to the left-hand side vertical menu and click on the Sidebar option.
3. Click on the toggle next to the Always show sidebar option to enable the feature. The sidebar will appear in the right-hand side section of Microsoft Edge.
4. Go to the sidebar and click on the plus icon to open the sidebar customization section.
5. Scroll down to the Manage section and locate the Drop feature. Click on the toggle next to it to add it to the sidebar.
Now, the Drop feature is pinned to the sidebar.
How to Send Files Using Drop in Edge Browser
Now, the Edge’s Drop feature is active in your browser, it is easy to share files using the Edge browser. All you need to do is set up the feature for your first-ever file-sharing session. Since this is a cloud-based feature, you will need an internet connection to upload and access files on other devices. Here’s how to do it:
1. Go to the sidebar in Microsoft Edge and click on the Drop icon (paper plane). Now, click on the Start button.
2. Click on the plus icon in the Drop window to add a file. Browse the file on your computer and double-click on it to add it in the Drop section.
3. Wait for the file to upload. Now, you can access it from any other system or phone.
After successfully uploading the file via Edge, you can hop onto your second device, be it another computer running Microsoft Edge, or the Android or iOS version of Microsoft Edge. Even if you don’t have the browser installed on your phone, you can use the OneDrive web or mobile app to access the shared file.
1. On Another PC
You can access the shared file by using Microsoft Edge on another system. But you must sign in with the Microsoft account using which you shared the files in Edge Drop. After that, you will be able to access the shared files. Here’s how:
1. Open Microsoft Edge on your second system and sign in with your Microsoft Account.
2. Go to the Edge sidebar and click on the Drop icon to open the section.
3. Here, you will see all the files you shared in the Drop section.
4. Click on the Download icon above the file to download the file to the computer.
5. Microsoft Edge will save the file to the MicrosoftEdgeDropFiles sub-folder in the Downloads folder. You can access it from there.
2. On Android Phone
Microsoft Edge is also available on Android and iOS devices. So, download the app on your system and sign in with the same Microsoft account. After that, follow the below-mentioned steps to access Edge Drop files on Android:
1. Open the Microsoft Edge app on your phone.
2. Tap on the meatballs button in the bottom center area. Swipe on the popup overlay and tap on the Drop icon.
3. Here you will see all the files you shared using the Drop feature. By default, Edge’s mobile app downloads all the shared files on phone storage. You can tap on the Open option above the file to preview it in the browser.
4. Microsoft Edge Android app saves the downloaded files to the following location. You will have to use the Google Files app to access this folder.
Android/Data/com.microsoft.emmx/files/Download/MicrosoftEdgeDropFiles/3. On Another PC or Phone Without Microsoft Edge
If you are using another computer or phone that doesn’t have Edge browser installed. You can still access the shared files using OneDrive. You can use either the app or the web version of the service to access the files on both PC and phone. Here’s how to do it:
1. Open any web browser on your computer. Visit the official OneDrive login page.
2. Sign in using the same Microsoft Account.
3. Scroll down to access the My Files section. Click on the Microsoft Edge Drop Files folder.
4. Here, you will find all the files you shared using Microsoft Drop. To download a file, right-click on the file and click on the Download option.
FAQs
1. How does Microsoft Drop work?
Microsoft Edge Drop is a cloud-based file-sharing feature. It means that you upload a file to the Drop section which the browser saves in the OneDrive account storage linked to your Microsoft account. After that, you can access it using the Microsoft Edge desktop or mobile app, or the OneDrive account where the files are present.
2. How do I send a file in Drop?
You can simply drag the file you want to share to the Drop section in Microsoft Edge. Alternatively, you can click on the Plus button to browse your computer for the file and then select it for sharing.
3. What kind of files can I share using Edge’s Drop feature?
Apart from different file types like images, videos, PDFs, etc., you can also send text messages like OTPs, some message or quote you copied, and so on.
What is awesome is that you can use Microsoft’s Edge Drop, a cloud-based feature, on all devices both inside and outside Microsoft’s ecosystem. After sharing a file, you can pretty much access it on any other device with Edge browser or OneDrive installed. However, it is best for small files and documents and not large files.
The free version of OneDrive offers only 5 GB of free storage and uploading and then re-downloading large files will incur significant bandwidth costs. So, keep these factors in mind while using Edge Drop.
Still not sold on Edge? Here are 10 reasons why you should ditch Chrome in favor of Edge.
