How to Share Files within Apps on Windows 10

Sharing files on Windows has always been an easy task as it can be done with a mere click of the mouse. Windows 10 provides several methods to swiftly share files within apps. Let’s see how files can be shared among apps in Windows 10.

Please ensure your Windows is up-to-date as some of the solutions might not work with previous versions of Windows. Also, these solutions will work with all versions of Windows 10. This article recommends Microsoft Edge as the web browser and Microsoft Store alternatives of Win32 applications as they offer best compatibility with the share function.

Solution 1: Use the Traditional Approach

The traditional approach is to use the mouse pointer to drag and drop files to apps to share. It’s very convenient, and most apps support the drag and drop feature so you can use this solution.

1. Select a file to drag and drop. Use the Ctrl Key on the keyboard and the right-mouse button to select multiple files at once.
2. Drag and drop it to the desired application, as seen in the following screenshot. This particular example uses Windows Mail and File Explorer, but this method works with other apps also.

Solution 2: Use the Clipboard

Sharing files through the Windows clipboard is convenient if the app doesn’t support the traditional drag and drop feature. Whenever a file is copied on Windows, it is temporarily stored on the clipboard. When the user gives the paste command, the file is copied to the desired destination. This process can be used in certain apps (that support the copy and paste command) to share files. This example uses Telegram and Windows mail Store apps to share files, but it works with any other app as well. However, the images are shared as an image instead of an attachment. If the destination app has turned off the HTML viewing on their side, the image might not display correctly. This is why it is always better to send images as an attachment.

1. Right-click on a file you want to copy and then select Copy Image.

1. Launch the desired application, and right-click on its main box and select the Paste command to paste the file. The paste command might not be available everywhere in all apps. In this particular example, the paste command is only available in the email body where the message is typed, and in other apps like Skype, it is only available in the text box where the message is typed. It’s always better to experiment with the app to find where the files can be copied.

Solution 3: Use File Explorer in Windows 10

Since the sharing feature is available on File Explorer in Windows 10, a file can be effortlessly shared in a few clicks. However, files can only be shared with Windows Store apps at the moment. To share files with Win32 apps, use Solution 1 or 2.

1. Open up File Explorer and click on the down arrow located at the top-right corner of its Window.

1. Select the files you want to copy. Use Ctrl + Left Mouse button to select multiple files, as seen in the following screenshot.

1. Switch to the Share tab, and click the Share button to initiate sharing the files.

1. In the Share window, select the destination app. Even though several Store apps might be installed on your PC, it might not show them all as not all of them support receiving files with the Share option of File Explorer.

Solution 4: Use Windows Store Apps

Certain Windows Store apps support the inbuilt sharing function of Universal Windows Platform (UWP). Clicking on the Share button in the hamburger menu on the title bar allows the current page’s content to be shared with Contacts and other Store apps with ease. The process is quite straightforward, and therefore using any other intermediate medium like clipboard isn’t necessary. However, not all the apps show the title bar menu, so this solution is restricted for certain Store apps for the time being.

The Share dialog box shows the number of files to be shared in the first segment. The middle section shows the contacts saved in the People app. The next area shows the Store apps (installed) that support the share function. At the bottom is the Get apps in Store button which allows you to install more apps from the Windows Store.

Instagram is one example of a Store app that has the title bar menu implemented. Clicking on the Share button allows the user to share the URL of the current page with a Store app. Unfortunately, users can’t extract images as files, and therefore for the moment only the link to the page can be shared.

Microsoft Edge has the Share function implemented right into its core. This means any image file can directly be shared with a Store app installed on the PC. For instance, an image can be shared with the Mail app to send an email and the skype app when sending an instant message. In both cases, the images are shared as attachments instead of links, unlike the previous example.

Microsoft Edge also has the Share function implemented in the navigation bar as well. The Share button allows the current page to be shared with a Store app. In addition, it shares the links of PDF files, images and videos with a Store app as well. The only downside of this method is it doesn’t shares the files as attachments.