Microsoft announces a modification of the Android subsystem installed on Windows 11. Android apps will finally be able to access images, documents, and other files stored on the PC.
Among the changes that Microsoft has made on Windows 11, compared to the previous version, there is support for Android applications, without having to install an emulator. This is possible thanks to an Android subsystem installed on Windows 11 computers, and a partnership between Microsoft and Amazon, which provides its Android application store.
Although this Android experience on Windows 11 has been available for a while, it still has some flaws. But little by little, Microsoft is making improvements. And recently, the Redmond company announced an important change concerning the files.
The end of a mess?
You may not know it, but until now, posting an image from an Android app (for example, a social network) installed on Windows 11 could be complicated. Indeed, the applications of the Android subsystem do not see the files that you have saved on Windows, such as those in the image gallery for example. But that is changing, thanks to an update to this subsystem announced by Microsoft.
In an announcement posted on GitHub, it indicates that it has listened to user requests. And now Windows 11 and its Android subsystem can share folders. “Folder sharing is enabled by default for preview users and can be enabled or disabled in Windows Subsystem settings for Android. When folder sharing is enabled, your Windows user profile folder (e.g., “C:\Users\John”) is shared as “/sdcard/Windows” in the subsystem,” it reads. in this ad.
Posting an image will be easier
Suppose you have installed the Android version of a social network on Windows 11. Thanks to this new operation announced by Microsoft, you can therefore easily share an image stored in the Windows image folder (that you have just downloaded, for example). editing in Photoshop). But Microsoft says Android apps will only be able to find files placed in Windows user profile folders.
In addition, this sharing between Windows and its Android subsystem is not available for executable files (.exe), for security reasons. Otherwise, for privacy, Microsoft explains that Android apps can't open or modify files without the user's permission.