Let’s start with something that supports all platforms.

1. Browser History

Works on: Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, and ChromeOS Most mainstream browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Safari support history sync between devices. To switch from phone to desktop while browsing, just open your browser on the desktop > three-dot menu > History to open the History tab. Here you should find all the web pages you have opened on all your devices. Click to open the webpage from the history tab and start browsing on the desktop. To switch from desktop to the phone, open the browser on your phone, tap on the three-dot menu and select the History option. Just tap on the webpage in the history to open and start browsing. On Safari, tap on the book icon at the bottom of the screen, then open the History tab with the clock icon. Here you should find all your visited pages. Do remember that you need to use the same browser on both devices and should enable the sync feature. You will find the sync option in the browser settings. For Safari, you will find it in iCloud settings.

2. Handoff

Works on: iOS and macOS This is an Apple exclusive feature that only works with iOS and macOS. Just like everything else in the Apple ecosystem, it requires little input from you. If both the devices are connected to the same Apple ID, connected to same Wi-Fi network, and are nearby each other, this feature will automatically work. Also, make sure that Handoff is enabled in the Settings. On iPhone, you should find it in the Settings app > General > Airplay and Handoff. Make sure the toggle beside Handoff is turned on. On Mac, open Settings app > General and make sure the checkbox beside Allow Handoff between Mac and your iCloud devices is enabled. To switch from your iPhone to Mac, open your macOS device and you should find the recent Safari tab on the dock. Just click on it to open and start surfing on your desktop. To switch from mac to iPhone, swipe up and hold to open the recent apps screen. Here you should get a suggestion to open the latest tab at the bottom of the screen. Tap on it to open and start browsing on the go. This feature should work on Safari, Chrome, and many other browsers that support Apple’s Handoff feature.

3. Universal Clipboard

Works on: iOS and macOS This is another Apple-exclusive feature where you can copy-paste between two devices seamlessly. This feature only works when both the devices use the same Apple ID, Wi-Fi network, and Bluetooth is turned on, and the Handoff feature is enabled in Settings. To switch from iPhone to macOS, just open any tab that you want to switch on your phone. Now tap on the Share icon and then select Copy to copy the link. Now open the browser on the macOS, right-click on the search bar click on the Paste option. Simply press enter to open that web page on your Mac. The process is the same when you want to send the link from Mac to iPhone. Just copy the link on the search bar, then paste it into the browser on your iPhone. In fact, not just the browser link, you can copy any text or link with this feature and automatically paste it onto the other Apple device.

4. Phone Hub

Works on: Android and ChromeOS Phone Hub is to Android what Handoff is to iPhone. To make it work, log in with the same Google account on the Chrome browser on your phone and on ChromeOS. Now you need to connect both the devices in the ChromeOS settings > Connected devices. Once done, just make sure that you have enabled the Recent Chrome tabs option in the ChromeOS settings. The setup process is a one-time affair. Now when you want to switch browsing from your phone to the desktop, click on the phone icon at the bottom right corner of ChromeOS. This will open the Phone Hub. Here you should find the Recent Chrome tabs section where you can find the last two Chrome tabs. Click on them to open them on Chrome and start working. However, this is only a one-way feature. You cannot use it to continue your browsing from ChromeOS to Android. Also, as this is a ChromeOS feature, it is restricted to Chrome browser on Android.

5. Tabs From Other Devices

Works on: Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, and ChromeOS. Though it supports all operating systems, this is a Chrome browser exclusive feature. This works just like the history feature, but the only difference is that it displays active tabs instead of the entire history. So you don’t have to search browsing history to continue browsing. Simply select the tab where you left on the other device and you are good to go. To switch from phone to desktop, open Chrome > three-dot menu > History. Here You should find your browsing history in the pop-up menu. Under the history, you can find tabs from other devices. Click on one to continue browsing. Also, you can click on the History option to open the History tab and then select Tabs from other devices option in the sidebar. Now you can view tabs in a fullscreen view. To switch from desktop to phone, open Chrome on your phone > three-dot menu and select the option Recent tabs. Now just tap on the needed tab to start browsing.

6. Send Tab to Device Option

Works on: Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, and ChromeOS This feature is supported by many browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Edge, etc. You just have to log in with your account on both devices. For Chrome, it’s your Google account, Mozilla for Firefox, and Microsoft for Edge. Once done, it will start working and both devices won’t even have to be near each other as data is saved in the cloud. To switch from phone to desktop, open the tab on your phone > three-dot menu at the top right corner and select the Share option. Here select the Send to your devices option. The option name can be different on different browsers. In the pop-up, select the device you want to send that tab link to. Once done, you will receive a small notification with the option to open in new tab on your desktop. The process is a bit different to send from desktop to phone. Just hover on the tab that you want to send and right-click on it. Here select the Send to your devices option. Then select the device you want to send the link to. You will receive the link as a browser notification on the phone. Tapping on the notification will open the webpage.

7. QR Code Transfer

Works on: Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, and ChromeOS This is another Chrome browser exclusive feature where you can convert a web page into a QR code. So you can scan it on any device and continue your search. While all the features above require prior setup and having log-in with the same account, etc, the QR Code Share option will work with any device. The only downside is that it’s hard to scan the QR Code with a desktop, so it is more of a one-way transfer from desktop to phone. To transfer from desktop to phone, open the tab and click on the address bar. Here you should find the Share option, click on it, and select the Create QR code for this page option in the pop-up menu. Or you can right-click anywhere on the webpage to get the Create QR code for this page option. Now on your phone, open Google Lens or any QR code scanner app and scan the QR Code to open the link and continue browsing.

Works on: Android and Windows This is a feature that only works with the Edge browser and can share files, text, and links between Android and Windows. First, you need to set up the Phone Link app on your Windows laptop, then download the Link to Windows app on your Android phone and set it up. Once the set-up process is completed, the process is seamless and easy. To send a link from Android to Windows, open any browser on your Android phone > the three-dot menu and select the Share option. In the Share sheet, select the Link to Windows app. Then select the computer that you want to share the link to. Once done, the link will be shared and can be accessed from the Phone link app. Irrespective of what browser you used to send the link, you can only open the Link on the Edge browser. To send a link from Windows to Android, open the Edge browser as it is the only browser that supports this feature on Windows. Now click on the Share icon and select the android device to share the link. You should only find them if you have set up the Phone Link app and connected to Android with the Link to Windows app.

9. AirDrop

Works on: iOS and macOS It is one of the most famous Apple-exclusive ecosystem features that enhance the ecosystem experience. To share a link from iPhone to mac, just tap on the share icon on your iPhone and then select the Airdrop and share it to your mac. Once accepted, it will immediately load the website on the default browser. The process is the same when sending a website from a Mac to iPhone. Note that you can also use AirDrop to send files, links, texts, and more.

10. Nearby Share

Works on: Android and ChromeOS Nearby Share is Google’s version on AirDrop and works almost similarly. Just make sure you have enabled nearby share on both your Android and ChromeOS devices. On Android, you should find the option in Settings > Google > Devices and sharing > Nearby Share. On ChromeOS, open Settings > Connected Devices > Nearby Share. Now to share your website from your Android to ChromeOS, just tap on the three-dot menu > Share > More options > Nearby Share. Here select your Chromebook. Once you accept the file on your ChromeOS, it will get shared and opened immediately on your Chrome browser. The process of sending links from ChromeOS to Android is the same. Just click on the Share icon in the Omni bar and proceed to share through Nearby Share.

11. Third-party Apps

There are many third-party apps on all major desktop and mobile OS that delivers similar results. Check clipboard syncing apps for syncing links between Android and Windows. My personal favorites are Clipt, Shift key Keyboard, and Send Anywhere. Anyhow, you can even use cloud-based notes apps like Google Keep and Apple Notes. Just copy the URL and paste it into Google Keep. Now open another device to click on the URL and continue browsing.

I have tried covering almost all ways that you can use to send a webpage link from phone to desktop and desktop to mobile. But you can choose one or a couple of ways that works best on your OS and setup. My personal favorite is using the Tabs from other devices method as it works on all the operating systems. Other than that, Airdrop and Nearby Share work great in their respective ecosystems.