Android file transfer: How to move data between your phone and figurer

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

Contributing Editor, Computerworld |

Table 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?

Show More

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

Different iPhones, Android devices permit you lot to access their file systems directly 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 dissimilar than plugging an external hard bulldoze into your calculator and moving information to or from information technology.

All yous demand is your telephone, your computer, and a cable to connect 'em — with micro-USB or USB-C on the telephone side and USB-A or USB-C on the computer side, depending on the specifics of your devices. (Most current Android phones use USB-C, whereas nigh 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 offer USB-C.) There's a decent take chances that the same cablevision that connects your telephone to its wall charger will work.

Got information technology? Proficient. Here'south what you lot demand to practise next, depending on whether you have a Windows, macOS, or Chrome Os system:

Android file transfers for Windows computers

With Windows, things are as elementary as tin exist. But plug your phone into whatever open USB port on the computer, so plough on your telephone's screen and unlock the device.

Swipe your finger downwardly from the acme of the screen, and y'all should meet a notification about the current USB connection. At this point, it'll probably tell you your telephone is connected merely for charging.

android file transfer usb notification JR Raphael/IDG

After you connect your phone to your calculator, a notification will let you gear up information technology for transferring files.

Tap the notification and select "Transfer files" or "File transfer" in the bill of fare that appears. If media files are all you're planning to motility, you could as well employ the "Transfer photos" (sometimes listed as "PTP") selection, which'll care for your phone similar a digital camera. Once you lot've made your choice, get to your desktop and open upwardly a File Explorer window using the method that makes the most sense for your Windows configuration:

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

Then wait for an icon representing your telephone alongside other portable devices and drives. Click or double-click that icon, and ta-da! You're staring at your Android phone'south internal storage. You can at present click around and browse folders, drag and driblet files betwixt your phone and PC, or dispense the information in any way you want.

android file transfer windows JR Raphael/IDG

Your Android telephone's storage looks similar any regular difficult drive when viewed from a calculator.

Android file transfers for Mac computers

Got a Mac? The Android file transfer process is a bit more complicated for y'all — but fearfulness non, for it'south withal pretty darn easy.

The main difference is that before things volition work, yous'll need to download and install an official Google program chosen Android File Transfer. To use the plan, your Mac must be running macOS 10.7 or later, and your Android device must have Android three.0 or after — something that should pretty much exist a given with any reasonably recent Android product.

Once the program's in identify on your Mac, just plug your telephone into your computer, turn on your phone's screen and unlock the device, and so look for the same USB status notification described above.

Tap the notification and select "Transfer files" or "File transfer." The Android File Transfer plan should so automatically open on your Mac, and yous should be able to browse your phone's storage and transfer files to your heart's content.

If the official Android File Transfer plan doesn't work well for y'all — a vexingly common complaint among Mac users these days — consider the favorably reviewed third-party Commander One Pro every bit an culling. It costs $30 for a unmarried license, $100 for a five-user team license, or $150 for a fifty-user visitor license.

Or — well, skip downward to the final department of this story for one other selection.

Android file transfers for Chrome Os computers

Y'all'd expect file transfers between Android phones and Chromebooks to be as simple as tin can exist, because that Google's the driving strength behind both of those operating systems — and by golly, yous'd be absolutely correct.

Simply like on a Windows system, all you've gotta do to connect your Android phone to a Chromebook is plug it into any open 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 similar a camera, with a focus exclusively on multimedia files.

Once you do that, the Chrome Bone Files app should automatically appear on your Chromebook with your phone nowadays every bit one of the storage options. The system volition probably even prompt you lot to dorsum upward all of your phone's media files to Google Drive; you tin let that, if you lot'd similar, or dismiss it and but elevate and drop files in either direction as needed.

android file transfer chrome os JR Raphael/IDG

Pulling up your Android telephone'south storage on a Chromebook is easy as can be — and typically includes a i-click choice to copy all your device's media files also.

There'southward actually not much to it — nor should there be.

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

Don't like cables?

Hey, wait a minute — aren't there apps and cloud services for this sort of thing? Certain at that place are, and we've got you covered there, too. Check out "Transferring files wirelessly between devices" in our in-depth Android file management guide for everything in that location is to know.

This commodity was initially published in August 2017 and updated in Oct 2019.

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

Copyright © 2019 IDG Communications, Inc.