How to transfer files from Android to Windows PC

Transferring files between an Android phone and a Windows PC or laptop can be as straightforward or as complicated as you like. From the humble USB-C cable to setting up a file server on your home network, the options are endless!

Let’s start with the easy ones first!

1. Use a USB cable

The simplest method for transferring files is via a USB cable. Almost all Android phones use USB-C for data transfer and charging, so you’ll just need a USB-C cable to transfer files. Usually, you can just use the USB cable that came with your phone for the transfer. However, in some cases, manufacturers might provide charging-only cables or cables that don’t take advantage of the full transfer speed of your phone.

First, check that you have the right cable. Since most phones come with USB-C to USB-C cables for charging, you’ll need to ensure that your PC has a USB-C port to connect to. If it doesn’t, you can purchase either a USB-C to USB-A cable or a USB-A to USB-C dongle.

Next, check the data transfer speed capabilities of your phone and that of your cable. You’ll find this information on the respective manufacturers’ websites. Most phones can transfer data at USB 2.0 speed (480Mbps), and almost all USB-C cables bundled with phones are rated for this speed. However, many phones these days support the faster USB 3.1 or USB 3.2 Gen 2 (5Gbps or 10Gbps) standard for 10x to 20x the transfer speed. You will usually need to buy a suitable cable to take advantage of these speeds.

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Do note that for small file transfers, USB 2.0 speeds are enough. It’s only when you’re transferring a large volume of data, as you would during a full backup, that having a faster transfer speed would help.

To transfer data, plug one end of your cable into your phone, and the other into the PC. You’ll see a prompt on your phone stating that the device is charging via USB. Tap that and select the ‘File Transfer’ option. This will switch the phone to a file transfer mode.

Open Explorer on your Windows PC and you should see the contents of the Android phone show up as a folder. You can now transfer data to and from your phone. Note that in some cases the data transfer might be restricted to a read-only mode for security reasons.

2. Transfer files via QuickShare

If you’re using a supported Windows PC, you can transfer data wirelessly between your Android phone and PC. This is accomplished via a Windows app called QuickShare. Much like Apple’s AirDrop, QuickShare allows your Android device and Windows PC to connect securely and wirelessly via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to transfer data.

First, check that your PC or laptop supports the latest Bluetooth standards. Most laptops will support this by default, but you might have to buy a Bluetooth dongle for older Windows PCs. Your PC will also need a fast Wi-Fi connection. Next, download and install QuickShare on your Windows PC from here. Once installed, sign in as requested and grant the app permission to access your network if prompted to do so.

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Then, head to ‘Visible to others as’ and select the name of your PC or laptop, and under ‘Receiving’, select the devices (your Android devices) that are allowed to share files with you. Hit ‘Done’ to save these settings.

To transfer a file from Android, simply select the file, tap the share icon, and select the Windows PC from the list. A transfer will be initiated and the recipient will only need to accept it.

To transfer files from a Windows PC to your phone, drag the files or folders into the QuickShare app, select the Android device you want to transfer data to, and hit send. The Android user will need to accept the file transfer for it to happen.

3. Use third-party apps

If you don’t want to use QuickShare, third-party apps like AirDroid achieve pretty much the same effect. You just download AirDroid from here, set it up on your PC and Android phone, and transfer files just as you would with QuickShare.

Another option would be to use an advanced file manager app like File Manager Plus. While it’s a great file manager for your Android phone, its primary advantage over ‘Files by Google’ — the default file manager on Android phones — is that it can connect to devices over the network.

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To connect to your Windows PC, first set up a network share on the PC. Do this by right-clicking on the folder you want to transfer files to, select ‘Properties’, open the ‘Sharing’ tab, and select ‘Share’. You can then head to the network tab in ‘File Manager Plus’, connect to your PC, enter your login credentials — the ones you use for your PC — and copy-paste data to and from the shared folder.

Transferring files between an Android device and a Windows PC will be a quick and easy process for most users today. It’s only when you have an older PC or incompatible cables that you’ll run into any real issues, so do watch out for that. Also, for transferring photos and videos, we’d strongly recommend automatically uploading them to Google Drive to ensure that there’s a secure backup at all times that can be accessed from anywhere.