How To Transfer Photos From Android To PC & Laptop With USB Cable - Easy Tutorial, by YourSixStudios on YouTube. 3 min 29 s.
- Video length
- 3 min 29 s
- Time to do it
- 10 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Your phone and check it has enough battery. Turn on the computer and make sure it has enough free space for the photos you plan to copy.
Plug one end of the USB cable into your phone and the other into a USB port on the computer. Use the original cable if you have it.
Swipe down from the top of the phone screen to open notifications and tap the USB notification that says Charging this device via USB.
Choose File Transfer or MTP (Media Transfer Mode) so the computer can read the phone storage.
On Windows, open File Explorer and click This PC. Your phone should appear under Devices and Drives. On a Mac, open the Android File Transfer app instead.
Double-click the phone, then open Internal storage or your SD card. Photos from the camera are usually in DCIM, then Camera. Screenshots and downloads sit in Pictures or Download.
Select the photos you want. Hold Ctrl while clicking to pick several files, or Ctrl+A to select all in a folder.
Right-click and choose Copy, then open the folder on your PC where you want them and press Ctrl+V. You can also drag and drop the files.
Wait for the copy to finish. For large batches, move a few folders at a time so the transfer does not stall.
Click the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the Windows system tray, then unplug the cable from your phone.
Tips and common mistakes
Some USB cables only charge and carry no data, so if the phone never appears on the PC, try another cable.
If no file transfer prompt shows up, pull down the notification shade and set the USB mode manually.
Copy photos rather than cut them until you have checked the files opened fine on the computer.
Keep the phone unlocked while copying, since some phones drop the connection when the screen locks.
Questions
My phone does not show up in File Explorer. What should I do?
Try a different USB cable and port, then set the USB mode to File Transfer again. On some phones you may need to allow USB debugging in Developer Options when a prompt appears.
Where are my camera photos stored on Android?
Camera photos are normally in the DCIM folder, inside a subfolder called Camera. Screenshots and saved images are usually in Pictures or Download.
Can I do this on a Mac?
Yes, but macOS does not read Android storage natively. Install the free Android File Transfer app, open it with the phone connected, and drag the photos to a folder on your Mac.
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.
