How to send a link from your phone to your PC
You've found a page on your phone and need it on your computer. Typing a long link by hand is slow and easy to get wrong. Here are five better ways, and when each one makes sense.
The quickest way: three words
This works on any phone and any computer, with no app, no account and no shared Wi-Fi.
- On your phone, copy the link and open 123paste.com.
- Paste the link and tap Create paste. You get three words, such as tiger coffee river.
- On your PC, open 123paste.com and type the three words into the Receive boxes.
- Click Open link. The full destination is shown first, so you can check where it goes.
The paste deletes itself after 30 minutes. It's handy when the PC isn't yours, such as a work machine, a library computer or a friend's laptop, because you don't sign in to anything.
Other ways to do it
Email or message it to yourself
Send the link to your own email address, or to a "notes to self" chat in WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal, then open it on the PC. It's reliable, but you need to be signed in on the computer, and links build up in your inbox.
Use your browser's sync
If you're signed in to the same browser account on both devices, you can usually send a tab across. Chrome has a "Send to your devices" option in its share menu, and browsers that sync tabs let you open your phone's tabs from the computer. It's seamless on your own devices, but useless on a computer where you aren't signed in.
iPhone to Mac: Universal Clipboard
If both are signed in to the same Apple Account, with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Handoff turned on and the devices close together, you can copy on the iPhone and paste on the Mac. It doesn't work with Windows PCs or other people's computers.
Android or iPhone to Windows: Phone Link
Microsoft's Phone Link app pairs your phone with your own Windows PC. Many Android phones can then share copy and paste between the two, and you can send links across. It takes a few minutes to set up and is best for your own computer.
Which should you use?
| Situation | Best option |
|---|---|
| Someone else's or a work computer | 123Paste (no sign-in) |
| Your own iPhone and Mac | Universal Clipboard |
| Your own phone and Windows PC, daily | Phone Link or browser sync |
| You want to keep the link for later | Email or a note to yourself |
| The same link on several computers | 123Paste: one paste, open it anywhere for 30 minutes |
Two safety tips
- Check the destination before opening. 123Paste always shows the full web address, never a shortened one, so you can spot anything odd.
- Don't send passwords this way. Anyone with the three words can open a paste until it expires. Use a password manager for secrets.
Try it now: paste anything on 123Paste, get three words, and open it on any other device. It's free, there's no account, and pastes delete themselves after 30 minutes.