In the age of fast, persistent internet connections, it seems like local file sharing is something not everyone cares to do, but while some might say I'm old-fashioned, I still prefer this to using cloud storage. A lot of my work involves taking screenshots and videos on different computers that I need to edit on a different PC, and while I can just use OneDrive, I don't want these single-use files taking up space in the cloud when I inevitably forget to delete them.

That's why I've always been a big fan of local wireless sharing, and I've long been interested in the Nearby Sharing feature in Windows 11. But that's not to say I really use it all that much, and with Google recently making its Quick Share app official, I'd argue Microsoft has missed the boat when it comes to nearby sharing on Windows.

Nearby Sharing was a good idea

Simplified local sharing makes a ton of sense

Using the internet to send files between devices is certainly a valid way to do it, especially if both devices are yours and you can use a cloud service like OneDrive. But OneDrive is a paid service if you want to have a lot of files on it, and deleting old files is a hassle in itself.

At the same time, you could set up a network location to make it easier to share files, but setting this up can take some time and there's always a chance the network connections will sometimes fail and you need to fix it. It's just not ideal for everyone.

In comes Nearby Sharing, a feature added to Windows 10 in 2018. This allows your computer to use Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to share files locally, without relying on an internet connection (only the local Wi-Fi network is used). This allows for faster speeds (depending on your internet plan), greater privacy, and a quick setup, since sharing a file is always very intentional and fast. It's the perfect "casual" solution for transferring files between devices.

Having this capability built into Windows was also great, as it put the capability in everyone's hands right off the bat.

Where it falls short

Cross-platform support was a major missing feature

As much as I like the concept of Nearby Sharing, there were some big things holding it back. Most notably, the lack of support for cross-platform sharing. While sharing files between Windows PCs is easy enough, if you want to share files from your phone, you can't. Because of this, I actually ended up using an app called Feem for a long time, though this also had its own issues, being prone to occasional errors when sending files.

Now, there was an app for Android that enabled Nearby Sharing support, but it was a one-way solution, plus it was unofficial, so there's no guarantee it would work forever

Smaller issues also existed. While Nearby Sharing was fairly fast, competitor services like Feem usually offered faster speeds, and Google's Nearby Share (now Quick Share) also implemented faster sharing before Windows did. Only recently did Microsoft start testing faster speeds for Nearby Sharing.

Google's Quick Share is the way to go now

Fast, simple sharing with Android support

The recent launch of Google's revamped Quick Share app was the nail in the coffin for Windows' Nearby Sharing, in my opinion. Quick Share is a cross-platform solution that offers very fast speeds and an easy setup process. With the recent improvements to Nearby Sharing, Quick Share's speed advantage isn't as relevant, but the cross-platform benefits are huge.

And yes, Quick Share does require an app, but only on Windows, and that was always going to be the case. On Android, Quick Share is built right in, so you can get to sharing very quickly. It still doesn't include support for iPhones, but Android is the most popular operating system in the world, so most people are covered.

Installing Quick Share isn't significantly more difficult for users than enabling the built-in Nearby Sharing feature, especially because Quick Share makes its sharing options plainly visible once you install the app.

Microsoft should have acted faster

At the end of the day, Windows Nearby Sharing is not a bad solution, not at all. But the lack of cross-platform support and the poor discoverability of the feature gave way for Google to come in and become the best solution for most people. Google is even partnering with some PC manufacturers to include Quick Share on their laptops out of the box, so you won't even have to install the app yourself. The fact that these partners see value in that app shows how much Windows' built-in Nearby Sharing falls short of users' needs.

Microsoft should have acted faster to make its offering more compelling. Cross-platform support should have been implemented earlier, especially when Microsoft already has its Link to Windows app that could definitely have served as a method for sharing to Android and maybe even iOS. Now it might be too late to take the spotlight away from Google.