How to Transfer Files Between Your Computer and Android?

For some reason, you may need to transfer files between PC and Android. But, do you know how to perform an Android file transfer? You can transfer your files to Google Drive and then use it on any device that signs in with the same Google Drive account. You can also transfer files from Android to PC using a USB cable. MiniTool Software will show you these methods.

Your Android device is not merely a device to communicate with other persons. You can also use it to temporarily save files like the photos and videos you take, the files you receive from other people, the documents you download from the website, and more. Besides, you can also move your files from your computer to your Android device for further use.

Do you know how to transfer files between PC and Android? In this post, we will show you some guides.

Solution 1: Transfer Your Files to Google Drive

Google Drive can be used on both your computer and Android device. The files you transfer to Google drive can be used on all the devices as long as you sign in with the same Google Drive account.

So, it is a good idea to move your files to Google Drive. After that, you can just access Google Drive to use the files in it no matter you are using a computer or an Android device.

Solution 2: Transfer Files from Android to PC Using USB Cable

You can also transfer files between PC and Android using a USB cable. This is a universal choice.

For Windows

If you are using a Windows computer, you can follow this guide to transfer files between your computer and Android:

Unlock your Android device.
Use a USB cable to connect your Android to your computer.
Tap the Charging this device via USB option on your Android device.
Select File Transfer under Use USB for.
You will see a file transfer window on your computer. Then, you can drag files to the window to transfer files.
When the transfer job is done, you can eject your phone from your computer and then unplug the USB cable.

For Mac

This guide is for Mac OS X 10.5 and the above version.

Search for Android File Transfer (an application) on the internet and select the official site to download & install it on your computer.
Open Android File Transfer.
Unlock your Android device.
Connect your Android to your Mac using a USB cable.
Tap Charging this device via USB on your Android.
Select File Transfer under Use USB for.
You will see a file transfer window on your Mac. Then, you can drag files to the window to transfer files.
When the transfer job is done, you can eject your phone from your computer and then unplug the USB cable.

If the Android File Transfer app is not working on your Mac, you can refer to this post to solve the issue: How to Fix Android File Transfer Not Working on Mac/Windows?

For Chromebook

If you are using a Chromebook, this guide can help you to transfer files between your computer and Android:

Unlock your Android device.
Connect your Android to your Chromebook using a USB cable.
Tap Charging this device via USB on your Android.
Select File Transfer under Use USB for.
The Files app will open on your Chromebook. Then you can use it to drag files.
After the Android file transfer, you can unplug the USB cable.

Bonus: If You Lose Your Files by Mistake

If you lose your files on a Windows computer by mistake, you can try MiniTool Power Data Recovery, free data recovery software, to get them back. This software has a trial edition. You can press the following button to get it.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

If you are using a Mac computer, you can try Stellar Data Recovery for Mac – Mac data recovery software. It also has a trial edition. You can go to the MiniTool download center to get it.

If you want to recover your data from your Android device, you can try MiniTool Mobile Recovery for Android, a dedicated free Android data recovery software. You can use the free edition to recover 10 files of one type each time. You can click the following button to get it.

MiniTool Android Recovery on WindowsClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Now you should know how to transfer files between your computer and Android device. You can also use MiniTool software to recover data from Windows/Mac/Android. We hope these guides are helpful to you. Should you have any related issues, you can let us know in the comment.

About The Author

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Position: Columnist

Stella has been working in MiniTool Software as an English Editor for more than 7 years. Her articles mainly cover the fields of data recovery including storage media data recovery and phone data recovery, YouTube videos download, partition management, and video conversions.