Your smartphone is a strong pc in your pocket — and with Android, a part of that PC-like muscle means having the ability to plug your telephone into any Home windows, Mac, or ChromeOS system after which drag and drop recordsdata both means.
Not like iPhones, Android units permit you to entry their file techniques instantly from a desktop, with out the necessity for any cumbersome interfaces or sophisticated procedures. In truth, transferring recordsdata to or from an Android machine is mainly no totally different than plugging an exterior onerous drive into your pc and transferring information to or from it.
All you want is your telephone, your pc, and a cable to attach ’em — with micro-USB or USB-C on the telephone facet and USB-A or USB-C on the pc facet, relying on the specifics of your units. (Most present Android telephones use USB-C, whereas most pre-2016 units have the older micro-USB normal. USB-A, in the meantime, is the normal connector port you are used to seeing on computer systems, although an increasing number of fashions now additionally supply USB-C.) There is a first rate likelihood that the identical cable that connects your telephone to its wall charger will work.
Acquired it? Good. Here is what you’ll want to do subsequent, relying on whether or not you could have a Home windows, macOS, or ChromeOS system:
Android file transfers for Home windows computer systems
With Home windows, issues are so simple as could be. Simply plug your telephone into any open USB port on the pc, then flip in your telephone’s display and unlock the machine.
Swipe your finger down from the highest of the display, and it is best to see a notification in regards to the present USB connection. At this level, it’s going to most likely let you know your telephone is related just for charging.
JR Raphael/IDG
After you join your telephone to your pc, a notification will allow you to put together it for transferring recordsdata.
Faucet the notification and choose “Switch recordsdata” or “File switch” within the menu that seems. If media recordsdata are all you are planning to maneuver, you may additionally use the “Switch images” (typically listed as “PTP”) choice, which’ll deal with your telephone like a digital digicam. As soon as you have made your choice, go to your desktop and open up a File Explorer window utilizing the strategy that makes essentially the most sense to your Home windows configuration:
- Click on the File Explorer icon in your taskbar
- Open the Begin menu and click on This PC or Laptop
- Click on the This PC, Laptop, or My Laptop icon in your desktop
Then search for an icon representing your telephone alongside different moveable units and drives. Click on or double-click that icon, and ta-da! You are gazing your Android telephone’s inside storage. Now you can click on round and browse folders, drag and drop recordsdata between your telephone and PC, or manipulate the information in any means you need.
JR Raphael/IDG
Your Android telephone’s storage seems to be like every common onerous drive when seen from a pc. (Click on picture to enlarge it.)
Android file transfers for Mac computer systems
Acquired a Mac? The Android file switch course of is a little more sophisticated for you — however concern not, for it is nonetheless fairly darn straightforward.
The primary distinction is that earlier than issues will work, you may have to obtain and set up an official Google program known as Android File Switch. To make use of this system, your Mac should be working macOS 10.7 or later, and your Android machine will need to have Android 3.0 or later — one thing that ought to hopefully be a given on each fronts at this level.
As soon as this system’s in place in your Mac, simply plug your telephone into your pc, flip in your telephone’s display and unlock the machine, after which look for a similar USB standing notification described above.
Faucet the notification and choose “Switch recordsdata” or “File switch.” The Android File Switch program ought to then mechanically open in your Mac, and it is best to be capable to browse your telephone’s storage and switch recordsdata to your coronary heart’s content material.
If the official Android File Switch program does not work effectively for you — a vexingly widespread grievance amongst Mac customers lately — think about the favorably reviewed third-party Commander One Professional instead. It prices $30 for a single license or $100 for a five-user group license.
Or — effectively, skip right down to the ultimate part of this story for one different choice.
Android file transfers for ChromeOS computer systems
You’d anticipate file transfers between Android telephones and Chromebooks to be so simple as could be, contemplating that Google’s the driving power behind each of these working techniques — and by golly, you would be completely proper.
Identical to on a Home windows system, all you have gotta do to attach your Android telephone to a Chromebook is plug it into any open USB port, then faucet the USB charging notification on the telephone and choose both “Switch recordsdata” or “File switch” from the immediate that seems — or choose “Switch images” or “PTP” if you would like your telephone to be handled like a digicam, with a spotlight solely on multimedia recordsdata.
When you try this, the ChromeOS Information app ought to mechanically seem in your Chromebook along with your telephone loaded because the lively storage focus. You will discover an choice inside the app’s menu (within the upper-right nook of the display) to again up all your telephone’s media recordsdata to Google Drive, if you wish to go down that street — or you possibly can merely drag and drop recordsdata in both course as wanted.
JR Raphael/IDG
Pulling up your Android telephone’s storage on a Chromebook is straightforward as could be. (Click on picture to enlarge it.)
There’s actually not a lot to it — nor ought to there be.
And if you would like a good easier technique to maintain enterprise…
Don’t like cables?
Hey, wait a minute — aren’t there apps and cloud companies for this form of factor? Certain there are, and we have got you coated there, too. Try “Transferring recordsdata wirelessly between units” in our in-depth information to file administration on Android for all the things there may be to know.
This text was initially printed in August 2017 and most lately up to date in October 2022.
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