Nearby Share is an “AirDrop-style” file sharing service that Google is working on. You have seen it working on Android. Here is how to use Nearby Sharing on Chromebook.

Update: Google has open-sourced Nearby Share and released the code on GitHub.

Update 01-OCT-2020: You can now toggle Nearby Share from the Quick Settings panel.

Step 1 – Enable ‘Nearby Share’

Currently, you need to enable the Nearby Share flag in Chrome OS to test this feature. While testing this, I had to enable the Share Sheet flag as well to get it working. This could be coincidence as well.

After enabling Nearby Share flag and restarting your Chromebook, make sure that this feature is enabled in Settings.

Step 2 – Send a file

The next step is to open the Files app and select a file to share. You will now see a share icon on the toolbar. Click this to see a list of available options.

Step 3 – Enable Receive mode on the second device

On your second device where you want to receive files, enable Nearby Sharing and make the device “Visible”

You will now see an option to receive files shared by your Chromebook. Click Accept.

Additional Settings

Click the profile icon to see additional options.

Rename Device

You can rename your device from the Nearby Share section of Chrome OS settings. To do this:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go to Connected Devices.
3. Click Nearby Share.
4. Click Change name next to Device name.
5. In the Device Name popup, enter the new name.
6. Click Done.