How to send links from Android to Chrome on your computer (and back)

By Hamza · October 18, 2026

You find something on your phone and want it on your computer, or the other way round. There are several ways to get a link from Android to Chrome on a computer and back, from features already built into Chrome to apps that add a history or work without a Google account. Here they are, checked against each one’s own documentation on October 18, 2026.

The options at a glance

Method	Direction	What you need
Chrome’s Send to your devices	Both ways	Chrome on both, signed in to the same Google Account
Tabs from other devices	Both ways	Chrome sync with History and tabs turned on
QR code	Either way, with a camera	Nothing extra
Message yourself	Both ways	A messaging or email app on both
KDE Connect	Both ways	Linux with KDE Plasma, the same network or a VPN
Join	Both ways	Join’s Android app and Chrome extension; paid after a trial
fwd	Both ways	fwd’s Android app and Chrome extension; private beta

1. Chrome’s Send to your devices

If you use Chrome on both your phone and your computer, this is built in. Both devices need to be signed in to Chrome with the same Google Account.^[1]

From Android: open the page in Chrome, tap More, then Share, then Send to your devices, and pick your computer. You can also long-press the address bar or a tab in the tab switcher. The tab opens automatically in Chrome on the device you chose.^[1]
From your computer: open the page, then choose More, then Cast, save, and share, then Send to your devices, or right-click the page or its tab. If notifications are on, your phone shows one when the tab arrives.^[1]

It sends tabs, not text or files, and only between copies of Chrome signed in to your Google Account.

2. Tabs from other devices

With Chrome sync on, you can open a tab that’s already open on your other device, without sending anything. Turn on History and tabs under your account in Chrome’s settings. On a computer, choose More, then History, then History, then Tabs from other devices; on Android, tap More, then Recent tabs.^[2] It’s good for picking up where you left off, less so for handing over one specific link.

3. A QR code

For a one-off, Chrome makes a QR code for any page. On a computer, choose More, then Cast, save, and share, then Create QR code, and scan it with your phone’s camera. On Android, tap More, then Share, then QR Code.^[1] It needs no account and no app, but both devices have to be in front of you.

4. Message yourself

Sending a link to yourself in a messaging app or by email works with what you already have. Signal’s Note to Self, for example, is a chat with yourself that reaches your linked devices, end-to-end encrypted.^[3] The catch is the extra steps: open the app, find the chat, paste, then open it on the other side.

5. KDE Connect, on Linux

If your computer runs KDE Plasma, Plasma Browser Integration adds a right-click entry to links that sends them to your phone and other paired devices through KDE Connect.^[4] It needs the plasma-browser-integration package from your distribution as well as the Chrome extension,^[5] the KDE Connect app on the phone, and both devices on the same network, or a VPN.^[6]

6. Join

Join by joaoapps has an Android app and a Chrome extension, and sends web pages from your computer to your phone or from your phone to your computer.^[7] It uses your Google account, can encrypt data end to end if you set a password, and after a 30-day trial costs a one-time $4.99 to unlock.^[7]^[8] It also does much more than links, such as notifications and SMS.

7. fwd

I’m building fwd (pronounced “forward”) for exactly this: links, text and files between your phone and your browser, in both directions, without a Google account.

From Android: share the page from any app, pick fwd in the share sheet, then your computer. It arrives as a notification in Chrome; click it to open the link. An optional setting, Open links automatically, opens links sent to that browser in a new tab instead.
From your computer: send the current page from the toolbar button or with Ctrl+Shift+X (⌘⇧X on a Mac), or right-click a page, link, image or selected text. Your phone shows a notification with Open and Copy.
When a device is off: each link is encrypted on the device that sends it and waits until the other device is back online. If Chrome is closed, it’s there when you next open it.
History: every link you send or receive is kept in a searchable history on each device.
Where it runs: Android 8.0 and later, and Chrome 121 or later, including other Chromium browsers. There’s also a Mac menu bar app, and no iPhone app.
Availability: a private beta, free; invitations go out to the waitlist in batches.

What about Pushbullet and Phone Link?

Pushbullet used to be the usual answer, but its Chrome extension is no longer available on the Chrome Web Store.^[9] I wrote about what still works in Is Pushbullet still working in 2026? Microsoft’s Phone Link sends files and photos from an Android phone to a Windows PC through the share sheet, but its old help page about sharing web pages now redirects to one that covers only files.^[10]

Which should you use?

If you’re signed in to Chrome everywhere, start with Send to your devices: it’s free and built in. Use a QR code for the occasional link, and KDE Connect if you’re on Plasma. If you want a history of what you sent, text and files as well as links, or no Google account in the middle, fwd is built for that; join the waitlist.

Related guides

Sources

Checked on October 18, 2026.

Share tabs in Chrome. Google Chrome Help.
Get your bookmarks, passwords, and more on all your devices. Google Chrome Help.
Note to Self. Signal Support.
Plasma Browser Integration. KDE Community Wiki.
Plasma Integration. Chrome Web Store.
KDEConnect. KDE UserBase Wiki.
Join. Chrome Web Store.
Join by joaoapps. Google Play.
Item not available (Pushbullet extension link). Chrome Web Store.
Seamlessly transfer content between your devices. Microsoft Support.