Sync Your Windows 10 PC with Your iPhone, iPad, or Android Device

Yes, you can sync content between your Windows 10 PC and your mobile device via a special Microsoft app.

Would you like to access the same music, photos, and documents on your Windows 10 PC and your Apple or Android phone or tablet? That’s just what you can do through the Microsoft Phone Companion. This Windows 10 app performs a variety of tasks, including automatically copying photos from your phone or tablet to your PC, putting Cortana on your iPhone or Android device, letting you listen to the same songs on your PC and mobile device, and installing the mobile version of Microsoft Office on your phone or tablet. The goal is to get your Windows 10 PC and your mobile device on speaking terms so you can tap into the same content on both environments.

First, connect your iPhone, iPad, or Android device to your computer. Open the Windows App Store in Windows 10 and search for Microsoft Phone Companion. Select the app from the search results and then download and launch it.

The Phone Companion should automatically pick up your plugged-in phone or tablet, telling you how much storage is used and how much is free. The app also presents options to import photos and videos from your mobile device to your computer and transfer other files via File Explorer.

Click on the option to import your photos and videos. A window pops up displaying all the photos and videos on your phone or tablet. You can then choose which ones you want to transfer to your PC, and your selected photos and videos land in your Windows Pictures folder. You can also click on the option to transfer other files through File Explorer. File Explorer launches, pointing to your mobile device. You can then drill down on your device and select and copy any other files you wish to transfer.

Click on the link to hide the bottom half of the Phone Companion app. You can now go through each of the other options to install various apps on your smartphone. You’ll first need to make sure you’re using the same Microsoft Account on your PC and your phone or tablet to access the different Microsoft apps and services. Click on the “Get Started” button for Cortana to install the voice assistant on your device. Confirm that you’re using the same Microsoft Account on your PC and device. Fill out the next couple of screens. Once the download has finished, sign into Cortana on your device.

Next, you can click on the option to automatically get photos you take on your mobile device copied to your PC. Click on the “Get Started” button for this option and fill out the corresponding screens that pop up. Once you’re finished, any photos or videos you snap on your phone or tablet will automatically get sent to your OneDrive storage space and your Windows Pictures folder.

Back at the Phone Companion, click on the button for the third option to listen to songs on any device. The app then directs you to open File Explorer and copy any songs on your PC to your OneDrive music folder. From there, you’ll be able to access those songs using the Windows Groove app.

Next, you can click on the fourth option to sync your OneNote content between the OneNote app on your PC and the mobile version on your device. Moving on, click on the fifth option at the Phone Companion screen to download Skype for your mobile device if you don’t already have it.

Back at the Phone Companion screen, click on the fifth option to get the mobile versions of Word, Excel, or PowerPoint for your device.

And finally, click on the last option to get the Outlook app for your mobile device to access your mail, contacts, and calendar.

You can now use all the mobile apps you downloaded to your phone or tablet to help keep your content in sync between your PC and your mobile device.