How to transfer Android photos to a Windows PC, by Jeremy Chapman on YouTube. 2 min 29 s.
- Video length
- 2 min 29 s
- Time to do it
- 10 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Plug one end of the USB-C cable into your Android phone and the other into a USB port on your Windows PC.
Your phone and look for a USB notification. If nothing appears, swipe down from the top of the screen to open the notification shade.
Tap the USB notification and change the USB mode from Charge device to File transfer or File transfer / Android Auto.
If your phone asks you to authenticate, confirm with your fingerprint, face or PIN so Windows can read the storage.
On the PC, open File Explorer and click This PC in the left sidebar. Your phone should appear as a device with a name like your model number.
Double-click your phone, then open Internal storage. If a second storage entry appears, that is usually a microSD card.
Open the DCIM folder, then the Camera folder. Your photos and videos are listed here as jpg, mp4 and similar files.
Select the files you want, right-click and choose Copy, or press Ctrl+C.
Go to the folder on your PC where you want the photos, right-click and choose Paste, or press Ctrl+V. Wait for the copy to finish.
When the transfer is done, click Safely Remove Hardware in the taskbar, then unplug the cable.
Tips and common mistakes
If the phone does not show up in File Explorer, try a different cable first, since many USB-C cables only charge and carry no data.
Change the USB mode before you start copying, because switching it mid-transfer can interrupt the files.
Copy rather than move your photos until you have checked they open on the PC, so you do not lose originals.
Large video files take longer, so keep the phone unlocked and the screen on until the copy finishes.
Questions
Why does my phone only show as charging when I plug it in?
The default USB mode is usually Charge device. Tap the USB notification on the phone and switch it to File transfer, then check File Explorer again.
Where are my Android photos stored?
Camera photos and videos are normally in Internal storage, then DCIM, then Camera. Screenshots often sit in a separate Pictures or Screenshots folder.
Do I need an app or internet connection for this?
No. A USB cable and File Explorer are enough, and the transfer works fully offline without cloud syncing.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
