Guide · 2026
Send Text From Your Phone to Your Computer
A link you found on your phone, an address from a text, a code you need on the laptop. Most people email it to themselves. Here is the quickest way for every phone and computer pair, including the free ones built into your devices.
Where Pasteable stands: The iPhone and Android apps are in App Store and Play Store review and not downloadable yet. Until then your phone uses the web app.
The short answer
The quickest route for your devices
Built-in tools win when your phone and computer come from the same family. Mixed setups are where they stop.
| From ↓ To → | Mac | Windows | Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone | Apple Universal Clipboard Also: Pasteable web app (one tap), if you also use a PC | Pasteable web app (one tap) Also: Phone Link does texts and calls, not the clipboard | Pasteable web app (one tap) Also: KDE Connect, phone → computer on the same network |
| Android | Pasteable web app (one tap) Also: KDE Connect on the same network | Phone Link (listed phones) Also: Pasteable web app (one tap) or KDE Connect on any phone | KDE Connect or GSConnect Also: Pasteable web app (one tap), away from home too |
iPhone → Mac
Apple Universal Clipboard
Also: Pasteable web app (one tap), if you also use a PC
iPhone → Windows
Pasteable web app (one tap)
Also: Phone Link does texts and calls, not the clipboard
iPhone → Linux
Pasteable web app (one tap)
Also: KDE Connect, phone → computer on the same network
Android → Mac
Pasteable web app (one tap)
Also: KDE Connect on the same network
Android → Windows
Phone Link (listed phones)
Also: Pasteable web app (one tap) or KDE Connect on any phone
Android → Linux
KDE Connect or GSConnect
Also: Pasteable web app (one tap), away from home too
With Pasteable
Phone to computer in four steps
- 1
Install on your computer
Download Pasteable for Mac, Windows, or Linux, sign in, and turn on sync.
- 2
Open the web app on your phone
In Safari or Chrome, go to pasteableapp.com/app and sign in with the same account. Add it to your home screen so it is one tap away.
- 3
Tap “Paste from clipboard”
Copy the text or link on your phone, then tap “Paste from clipboard” (or type, or drop images and files up to 25 MB).
- 4
Paste on the computer
It syncs to your history, end-to-end encrypted. Press Ctrl+Shift+V (⌘+Shift+V on a Mac) and paste.
v3.2.22
Pasteable for iPhone and Android is in App Store and Play Store review right now. Join the waitlist and we’ll email you the moment it’s live — or use the web app in your phone’s browser today.
Every option
What each tool is good at
Free tools first. Each card ends with its catch, ours included.
Apple Universal Clipboard
iPhone and Mac, nothing else
- Price
- Free, built in
- Runs on
- Mac · iPhone · iPad · Vision Pro
Sign in to the same Apple Account with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Handoff on. Copy on one device and paste on the other nearby.
The catch: Apple devices only, and they have to be near each other. Nothing reaches a Windows or Linux PC.
Microsoft Phone Link
Supported Android phones on Windows
- Price
- Free, built into Windows
- Runs on
- Windows + Android or iPhone
In Phone Link on your PC, turn on Settings → Features → Cross-device copy and paste. Then copy on one and paste on the other.
The catch: Copy and paste works only on Surface Duo and select Samsung, HONOR, OPPO, ASUS, vivo, and Xiaomi phones, for text and images. Not with iPhone.
Pasteable vs Microsoft Phone LinkKDE Connect
Free and local, on any desktop
- Price
- Free (open source)
- Runs on
- Linux · Windows · macOS · Android · iOS
Install it on both devices and pair them on the same network. On Android, tap “Send clipboard” in its notification; on iPhone, tap “push clipboard”.
The catch: Both devices must be on the same network (or paired over Bluetooth). No images on the shared clipboard, no history, and on iPhone it only goes phone → computer.
Pasteable vs KDE ConnectPasteable
We make this oneMixed setups: any phone, any computer
- Price
- Free · Pro $6/mo or $60/yr · $80 founder lifetime
- Runs on
- Mac · Windows · Linux · Web (phone apps in store review)
Open pasteableapp.com/app in your phone’s browser, tap “Paste from clipboard”, and the clip syncs to your Mac, Windows, or Linux history, end-to-end encrypted. It takes one tap; it is not automatic.
The catch: On a phone it is one tap in the browser today, not automatic. Free syncs your 25 most recent clips; Pro syncs up to 10,000. No notification mirroring or texting.
When you do not need Pasteable
- iPhone and Mac onlyUniversal Clipboard is built in and automatic.
- A listed Android phone and WindowsPhone Link’s copy and paste is free.
- Once a monthEmailing yourself is fine. Just keep codes and passwords out of it.
FAQ
Common questions
What is the fastest way to send a link from my iPhone to my Windows PC?+
Open pasteableapp.com/app in your phone’s browser, tap “Paste from clipboard”, and the clip syncs to your Mac, Windows, or Linux history, end-to-end encrypted. It takes one tap; it is not automatic.
Can I send text from my phone without installing an app on it?+
Yes. Pasteable’s web app runs in your phone’s browser at pasteableapp.com/app. The iPhone and Android apps are in App Store and Play Store review and not downloadable yet.
Does it work when my phone and computer are not on the same Wi-Fi?+
Pasteable works over the internet, so yes. KDE Connect needs both on the same network (or Bluetooth), and Apple Universal Clipboard needs the devices near each other.
Can I send text the other way, from my computer to my phone?+
Copy on your computer as usual, then open pasteableapp.com/app on your phone and tap the clip to copy it.
Is emailing or messaging myself fine?+
It works everywhere, and for a one-off it is fine. It is slower, clutters your inbox, and leaves passwords and one-time codes sitting in your chat history. Pasteable encrypts each clip on your device before it syncs, and blurs detected secrets.
Is it free?+
Universal Clipboard, Phone Link, and KDE Connect are free. Pasteable is free with 25 end-to-end encrypted synced clips; Pro syncs up to 10,000.
Keep reading
Comparisons and guides
Best clipboard manager
An honest 2026 ranking of the tools people actually use
Clipboard sync
How to sync your clipboard across Mac, Windows, and Linux
Universal clipboard
Apple Universal Clipboard, but beyond Apple
Copy paste between devices
Copy on one device, paste on another
Windows ↔ iPhone clipboard
Copy between a Windows PC and an iPhone
Android ↔ Windows clipboard
Copy and paste between an Android phone and a Windows PC
Pushbullet alternatives
Honest options for text and links between phone and computer
Send it once. Find it later.
Free on Mac, Windows, and Linux, with 25 end-to-end encrypted synced clips and a searchable history of everything you copy.
v3.2.22
Pasteable for iPhone and Android is in App Store and Play Store review right now. Join the waitlist and we’ll email you the moment it’s live — or use the web app in your phone’s browser today.
On your phone? Open the web app