How to connect usb to laptop for file transfer Samsung s26 Ultra, by Ricardo Gardener on YouTube. 3 min 3 s.
- Video length
- 3 min 3 s
- Time to do it
- 10 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Your phone and connect one end of the USB cable to its charging port. Plug the other end into a USB port on your Windows laptop.
Watch the phone screen 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 choose File transfer / Android Auto. Do not pick Charging only, or the laptop will not see your files.
On the laptop, open File Explorer from the taskbar. Your phone should appear in the left sidebar under This PC, usually named after the phone model.
Double-click the phone entry, then open Internal storage. If the phone is locked, it and accept any prompt on the screen.
Open the DCIM folder to find your camera photos. Screenshots usually sit in Pictures or DCIM/Screenshots.
Select the photos you want, right-click and choose Copy. Then open a folder on your laptop, right-click and choose Paste.
Wait for the copy to finish, then check a few files open correctly. When done, click the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the taskbar before unplugging the cable.
Tips and common mistakes
Use the cable that came with the phone if possible, since some charge-only cables will not show files.
If the phone does not appear in File Explorer, change the USB mode again or try a different USB port on the laptop.
Copy rather than move your photos until you have checked the files on the laptop.
Keep the phone unlocked during the transfer so Windows keeps access to the storage.
Questions
Why does my laptop only show charging when I plug in my Samsung phone?
The USB mode is set to charging only. Tap the USB notification on the phone and switch it to File transfer, then check File Explorer again.
Where are my Samsung photos stored?
Camera photos are in the DCIM folder on internal storage. Screenshots are usually in Pictures or a Screenshots subfolder inside DCIM.
Can I transfer files without a cable?
Yes, you can use Samsung's Link to Windows or a cloud service, but a USB cable is usually faster for large batches of photos.
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.
