Clipcroft vs Phone Link

Phone Link is Microsoft's free app for linking an Android phone or an iPhone to a Windows PC. It shines at bringing your phone's calls, texts, and notifications to the PC. Clipcroft does one narrower job on more devices: it moves text, links, and files between any phone and any computer, in the browser, with no account and no pairing.

Phone Link vs Clipcroft

Note: third-party feature details change. The summary above reflects what Microsoft publicly documented when this page was written (September 2026).

Where Phone Link wins

• Your phone's calls and texts, on the PC. Phone Link can make and take cellular calls and read and reply to text messages from Windows. Clipcroft runs in the browser, so it never has access to your phone's calls or messages.
• Notifications. Phone Link mirrors your phone's notifications on the PC, where you can view, dismiss, or pin them.
• Built into Windows. It comes preinstalled on most Windows PCs, shows your phone in the Start menu, puts an Android phone's folders in File Explorer, and appears in the Windows Share menu. There's no web page to open first.
• Phone apps on the PC. On select Android phones, Phone Link can mirror the phone's screen and open its apps on the PC, and on Windows 11 an Android phone can also work as a webcam.
• Keyboard-shortcut clipboard. On the Android phones that support it, copy and paste uses the normal Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V, with no extra step.

Where Clipcroft wins

• Any computer, not just Windows. Phone Link needs a Windows PC. Clipcroft works the same way in the browser on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chromebooks — and between two phones, or two computers.
• No account, no pairing. Phone Link on Android needs the same Microsoft account on both devices, and on iPhone it pairs over Bluetooth. Clipcroft needs neither: open a clipboard on one device, open the same clipboard on the other, and they're connected.
• Works across networks and at any distance. Phone Link's Android setup needs both devices on the same Wi-Fi, and its iPhone connection is Bluetooth, so the devices must be nearby. Clipcroft works over any internet connection — your phone can be on mobile data in another city.
• Files and clipboard on every phone. Phone Link's clipboard sync and drag and drop are limited to select Android brands, and Microsoft doesn't list clipboard sync for iPhone. Clipcroft handles text, links, and files the same way on an iPhone as on any Android phone.
• No per-file cap. Phone Link's drag and drop stops at 512 MB per file and 100 files at a time. Clipcroft sets no per-file, per-day, or per-month limit, and you can pick many files at once.
• Files are never uploaded to the cloud. Files travel browser-to-browser and are never stored on Clipcroft's servers. On the same Wi-Fi they take a direct local-network path; across networks they connect peer-to-peer when they can, and otherwise go through an encrypted relay that doesn't store or read them.
• Always encrypted. Every transfer is encrypted — DTLS for files, TLS for text — and a clipboard password adds end-to-end encryption in your browser before anything leaves the device.

How to use Clipcroft instead of Phone Link

1. On your computer, open clipcroft.com in any browser and click Create a new online clipboard. You'll get a clipboard name like "coolfox07".
2. On your phone, open clipcroft.com, enter the same clipboard name, and tap Open — or click Scan QR code on the computer and scan the code with your phone's camera. Both devices are now connected.
3. Tap the icon on your phone to pick one or more files, photos, or videos. They start transferring to your computer right away. On the computer, click Save all to this device at the top of the content to save every received file at once — or Save on each received file.

The same flow works in the other direction, from computer to phone, and text or links you paste appear on the other device as you send them. Keep the Clipcroft tab open on both devices while files transfer.

What about Intel Unison?

Intel Unison was another way to link an iPhone or Android phone to a Windows PC, with file transfer in both directions. Intel discontinued it in June 2025, and since January 1, 2026 it can no longer be downloaded or get support. If you're looking for a replacement to move files between your phone and your PC, Phone Link covers Windows PCs, and Clipcroft covers any computer through the browser.

Use-case recommendations

Use Phone Link when: your computer is a Windows PC, you want your phone's calls, texts, and notifications on it, and you're happy to sign in with a Microsoft account (Android) or pair over Bluetooth (iPhone).

Use Clipcroft when you mainly want to move text, links, and files — from an iPhone or Android phone to a Windows PC, Mac, Linux machine, or Chromebook — without installing anything, without an account, and whether or not the two devices are on the same network.

Frequently asked questions

What is Phone Link?

Phone Link is Microsoft's free app that connects an Android phone or an iPhone to a Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC. It comes preinstalled on most Windows PCs and lets you make and take calls, read and reply to text messages, manage your phone's notifications, and share files from the PC. On Android it pairs through the Link to Windows app and a Microsoft account; on iPhone it pairs over Bluetooth.

Does Phone Link work with iPhone?

Yes, with a smaller feature set than on Android. Microsoft lists calls, text messages, notifications, contacts, and file sharing for iPhone (iOS 16 or later), paired over Bluetooth with a PC that supports Bluetooth Low Energy. Photos are not part of the iPhone feature list, texts cannot include images or group messages, and Microsoft says file sharing from the Start menu is still being rolled out gradually.

Does Phone Link work on a Mac or Linux computer?

No. Phone Link is a Windows app: every requirement Microsoft publishes names a Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC, and the iPhone app says it is not available for Mac. Clipcroft runs in the browser, so it works the same way on Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chromebooks.

Can Phone Link sync my clipboard?

Only on some Android phones. Microsoft supports cross-device copy and paste on Surface Duo and select Samsung, HONOR, OPPO, ASUS, vivo, and Xiaomi devices, for text and images only, and resizes images above 1 MB. Microsoft does not list clipboard sync for iPhone. Clipcroft's clipboard works on any phone or computer with a modern browser, for text, links, and files.

Is there a file size limit?

Phone Link's drag and drop, on the Android phones that support it, is limited to 100 files at a time and 512 MB per file, and it does not accept folders. Clipcroft sets no per-file, per-day, or per-month cap; the practical limit is the free storage your browser allows on the receiving device.

What happened to Intel Unison?

Intel discontinued Unison in June 2025. Since January 1, 2026, it can no longer be downloaded and Intel no longer offers support for it. If you used Unison to move files between an iPhone or Android phone and a Windows PC, Phone Link or a browser-based tool like Clipcroft are the remaining options.

Do I need an account to use Clipcroft?

No. Clipcroft has no account system — no Apple ID, no Microsoft account, no Google account, no email, no signup.

Which one should I use?

Use Phone Link when your computer is a Windows PC and you want your phone's calls, texts, and notifications on it, built into Windows. Use Clipcroft when you mainly want to move text, links, and files, when the computer is a Mac, Linux, or Chromebook, when the phone and computer are on different networks or far apart, or when you don't want to sign in with a Microsoft account.