Microsoft Edge has been stepping up its game, and one cool feature they’ve been testing is called ‘Drop’. If you’ve ever needed to quickly move a file or link between your devices, this might be what you’re looking for.
Drop lets you send files and text between your devices using the Edge browser itself. For example, you could share a file from your computer and then access it from your phone.
It’s not entirely free though; Drop uses your OneDrive storage to sync the files. While you could use OneDrive directly, using Drop makes the whole process feel faster and more streamlined. There aren’t apparent limitations on file types either. It seems Microsoft is also working on a screenshot tool that directly sends captures through drop, although that’s not widely available yet.
To start, note that Drop is currently only available on the Canary channel of the Microsoft Edge Insider program. You can grab it from the Edge Insider website; this version won’t mess with your regular Edge browser.
Keep in mind that even if you’re on Canary, it might not be there yet. I’ve noticed it’s been showing up more on the latest Windows Insider builds after updating through the Settings app. It’s not currently available on macOS Edge Canary.
So, how do we get it going?
Enabling Drop in Microsoft Edge
Many new features in Edge aren’t on by default, and Drop is one of them. You’ll need to turn it on first.
First, launch Microsoft Edge Canary. If you’re a first-time user, the sidebar should be visible. If not, click the three dots at the top right.
Then select ‘Show sidebar’ from the menu. You can also use Ctrl + Shift + / to quickly toggle the sidebar.
Now, hit the ‘+’ icon in the sidebar.
Finally, flip the switch for ‘Drop’.
Alternative Method for Enabling Drop
If you prefer menus, you can also enable Drop via settings.
Open ‘Settings’ from the three-dot menu.
Click on ‘Sidebar’ on the left.
Choose ‘Customize sidebar’.
Finally, toggle ‘Drop’ from the panel.
Sharing Files Using Drop
Alright, with Drop enabled, let’s get to using it. First, click the Drop icon in the sidebar.
In the panel that opens, click ‘Start’.
If you’re not logged into your Microsoft account in the browser, do so now, as it is required since Drop uses your OneDrive.
You can now share notes and links simply by typing into the message box and hitting ‘Send’.
To send a file, either click the ‘+’ button next to the message box and choose one from your system, or you can drag and drop a file directly into the Drop panel.
If you drag-and-dropped the file, you will need to press ‘Send’ after it uploads. Files chosen through the ‘+’ button are sent automatically.
These files will now be accessible on any of your other devices that have Edge with Drop enabled.
To delete something you’ve sent, click the three dots on the message and select ‘Delete’.
To see how much storage you have left or adjust file opening behavior, click the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner of the Drop panel.
You’ll see your OneDrive storage details here, and clicking ‘Free Up Space’ will take you directly to OneDrive.
You’ll find a special ‘Microsoft Edge Drop Files’ folder in OneDrive.
Also in the Drop panel, you can change the ‘Prefer Opening File with’ option, which allows you to select between ‘Associated App’ or ‘OneDrive Online’ to open the files by default. By default it will use an associated app to open the file.
You can also change this on a per-file basis. Return to the main Drop panel, click the three dots on any file and select your preferred method to open it.
Just remember, this is still an experimental feature and is only on the Canary channel for the time being.