Share files from your Galaxy phone or tablet

Two people holding their Galaxy phones together

When you want to share photos and files with your friends, text and email chains can get pretty long, assuming the files aren't too big to even send at all. So what if you could easily share to compatible devices with no emails or messages required? You can! With Nearby Share on Galaxy phones and tablets, you can easily send media to people around you. Quick Share is also available, which is similar and can be used with other Galaxy phone models.

Note: Availability of sharing features and functions will vary by device, carrier, and software version. To share files to your PC, you can use Link To Windows or the old-fashioned way using a USB cable.

Send and receive files with Nearby Share

Send and receive files with Quick Share

Note: The Quick Share feature does not support sharing videos with TVs or with SmartThings supported devices, however you can share photos. To share videos to your TV, you can use the Smart View feature.

Trying to share those awesome vacation photos with your friends? Use Quick Share to quickly and easily distribute your photography. Keep in mind that you cannot use Quick Share if you’re using a mobile hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct, or Smart View.

First, make sure the Quick Share feature is turned on for both phones. To do this, open the Quick settings panel by swiping down from the top of the screen using two fingers, and then tap the Quick Share icon. It will be blue when it's activated.
Note: If the Quick Share icon does not appear in your Quick settings panel, you may need to add it.
Navigate to a file you’d like to share. Tap the Share icon, and then tap Quick Share.
Your phone will begin looking for another device. If you are using a Note20 Ultra or S21 Ultra, point it at the receiving device.
If you’re having trouble connecting to another device, swipe down from the top of your screen to open the Quick settings panel, and then touch and hold the Quick Share icon. Tap the switch next to Show my position to others to let nearby devices see your device when they are using Quick Share. This option will only show if Quick Share is enabled.
Note: The "Show my position to others" option is only available on select models.
When the other device appears, tap its name to send the file. The other phone may require permission before it can receive the file. On your phone, "Sent" will appear under the other device's name when the transfer is complete.

If your phone doesn’t search for the target device or another device never appears when using Quick Share, you can try checking for software updates.

If someone is sending something to you using Quick Share, you will receive a notification on your phone. Tap the notification to view the file. Remember, you need to have Quick Share turned on in order to receive files through this feature.

Send files with Private Share

Set the Private Share expiration date

Share files from your Galaxy phone or tablet

Send and receive files with Nearby Share

Send and receive files with Quick Share

Send files with Private Share

Set the Private Share expiration date

Sharing precautions

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