How To Transfer From Android To Computer

Android file transfer: How to motion data between your telephone and computer

Moving files betwixt your Android device and a Windows PC, Mac, or Chromebook doesn't have to be difficult — or dependent on any cloud services.

JR Raphael By

Contributing Editor, Computerworld |

Tabular array of Contents

Android file transfers for Windows computers
Android file transfers for Mac computers
Android file transfers for Chrome Os computers
Don't similar cables?

Your smartphone is a powerful computer in your pocket — and with Android, part of that PC-like muscle means beingness able to plug your phone into any Windows, Mac, or Chrome OS system and and so elevate and drop files either mode.

Dissimilar iPhones, Android devices allow you to access their file systems direct from a desktop, without the need for any cumbersome interfaces or complicated procedures. In fact, transferring files to or from an Android device is basically no unlike than plugging an external hard drive into your computer and moving data to or from it.

All y'all demand is your phone, your computer, and a cable to connect 'em — with micro-USB or USB-C on the phone side and USB-A or USB-C on the calculator side, depending on the specifics of your devices. (Nearly current Android phones employ USB-C, whereas most pre-2016 devices accept the older micro-USB standard. USB-A, meanwhile, is the traditional connector port y'all're used to seeing on computers, though more and more models now also offering USB-C.) At that place's a decent chance that the same cable that connects your phone to its wall charger will piece of work.

Got it? Expert. Here's what you need to practice side by side, depending on whether y'all have a Windows, macOS, or Chrome Bone organization:

Android file transfers for Windows computers

With Windows, things are as simple as can exist. Just plug your phone into any open USB port on the computer, then plow on your telephone's screen and unlock the device.

Swipe your finger down from the top of the screen, and yous should run into a notification near the current USB connexion. At this point, it'll probably tell you your phone is connected only for charging.

android file transfer usb notification — After you connect your phone to your computer, a notification will let you prepare it for transferring files.

Tap the notification and select "Transfer files" or "File transfer" in the menu that appears. If media files are all you're planning to movement, you could as well use the "Transfer photos" (sometimes listed as "PTP") option, which'll care for your phone like a digital camera. In one case you've fabricated your choice, go to your desktop and open up a File Explorer window using the method that makes the well-nigh sense for your Windows configuration:

Click the File Explorer icon in your taskbar
Open the Start menu and click This PC or Estimator
Click the This PC, Computer, or My Figurer icon on your desktop

Then look for an icon representing your phone aslope other portable devices and drives. Click or double-click that icon, and ta-da! You're staring at your Android phone's internal storage. You tin can now click around and browse folders, elevate and driblet files betwixt your phone and PC, or manipulate the data in any way you want.

android file transfer windows — Your Android telephone'due south storage looks similar any regular hard drive when viewed from a estimator.

Android file transfers for Mac computers

Got a Mac? The Android file transfer process is a flake more complicated for you — but fright not, for it'due south still pretty darn easy.

The primary difference is that before things will work, you'll need to download and install an official Google program chosen Android File Transfer. To use the program, your Mac must be running macOS 10.vii or after, and your Android device must have Android 3.0 or afterwards — something that should pretty much be a given with any reasonably contempo Android production.

Once the programme's in identify on your Mac, just plug your telephone into your estimator, plough on your telephone's screen and unlock the device, and then wait for the aforementioned USB status notification described above.

Tap the notification and select "Transfer files" or "File transfer." The Android File Transfer programme should then automatically open up on your Mac, and you should be able to browse your phone'due south storage and transfer files to your heart'due south content.

If the official Android File Transfer plan doesn't piece of work well for y'all — a vexingly common complaint among Mac users these days — consider the favorably reviewed tertiary-political party Commander One Pro as an alternative. It costs $thirty for a single license, $100 for a five-user team license, or $150 for a 50-user visitor license.

Or — well, skip down to the final section of this story for 1 other pick.

Android file transfers for Chrome OS computers

You'd await file transfers between Android phones and Chromebooks to be as elementary as can be, considering that Google's the driving strength behind both of those operating systems — and by golly, you'd be absolutely right.

Just similar on a Windows organisation, all you lot've gotta do to connect your Android phone to a Chromebook is plug it into any open up USB port, then tap the USB charging notification on the phone and select either "Transfer files" or "File transfer" from the prompt that appears — or select "Transfer photos" or "PTP" if you want your telephone to be treated like a camera, with a focus exclusively on multimedia files.

In one case you do that, the Chrome Os Files app should automatically announced on your Chromebook with your phone present as one of the storage options. The system will probably fifty-fifty prompt you to support all of your phone's media files to Google Drive; you lot can allow that, if you'd like, or dismiss information technology and simply drag and drop files in either direction as needed.

android file transfer chrome os — Pulling up your Android phone's storage on a Chromebook is easy every bit can be — and typically includes a one-click option to re-create all your device's media files too.

There's actually non much to it — nor should there be.

And if you want an even simpler way to take care of business...

Don't like cables?

Hey, look a infinitesimal — aren't there apps and cloud services for this sort of affair? Certain there are, and nosotros've got you covered there, too. Check out "Transferring files wirelessly between devices" in our in-depth Android file management guide for everything there is to know.

This article was initially published in August 2017 and updated in October 2019.

Contributing Editor JR Raphael serves up tasty morsels about the homo side of technology. Hungry for more than? Join him on Twitter or sign up for his weekly newsletter to become fresh tips and insight in your inbox every Friday.