From Newsgroup: comp.sys.mac.advocacy
On Aug 13, 2025 at 11:08:27 PM EDT, "Tom Elam" <
thomas.e.elam@gmail.com> wrote:
I saw somewhere on here a claim that you cannot send a Windows file to
an iPhone without going through hoops like sending via Google Drive.
That was the resident troll boy. He was very wrong. As always.
This may be old news...but I'll post anyway for Marion's sake.
Guess what, it is possible to directly transfer files from Windows to
iPhone and back to Windows with no hardware link (like a cable), via a
cloud service or by email attachment.
I just installed the Apple "Link to Windows" app on my iPhone and MS
"Phone Link" in Windows 11. With these two installed you can now send
any locally stored file from Windows to a "Link to Windows" folder on
the iPhone. From that folder you can open the Windows file, modify it,
and send it back to Windows via a file share. Or you can move it to a different or new iPhone folder.
Nice! Yes, I did try it and it works.
You can do this without installing anything. The Files app on iPhones and iPads can connect directly to Windows, and access shared drives/folders just like Windows to Windows networking. Its the same fucntionality that Macs have.
It is basic SMB networking. In the Files app, tap the three dots in a circle at the top. Connect To Server. Enter the IP address of your Windows box. Enter your login name and password to Windows.
You will now see every shared folder/drive on Windows. I do this all the time.
Yes, this assumes you have drives/folders shared on Windows. I always have, because there are multiple Windows/Macs here.
After we proved this to Troll Boy, he then changed his claim to "But you can't connect to iPads/iPhones from Windows". Yes, you can do that too. Get Lan
Drive SMB Server from the App Store. Your iPad/iPhone then becomes the server.
The Files app provides a client to the Windows server.
Troll Boy then denied THIS was possible because - get this reasoning - it is impossible on Android, so therefore it MUST be impossible on iOS. He called us liars and said we were making up all of this. It took many days before he FINALLY admitted he was wrong.
Anyways, standard networking between iOS and Windows is as easy as between
Macs and Windows.
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