7 Ways to Transfer Files Between Android & PC (Wired & Wireless)

INTRODUCTION

DATA TRANSFER PAIN

Welcome to a guide on how to transfer files between Android and PC – Wired and wirelessly. Smartphones and tablets, the modern-day convenience that allowed us to watch videos, listen to music, play games, and work anywhere we please. But when it comes to transferring files between the Android device and PC, things are not really straightforward with many ways to do it:

Connect the android device to the PC using a USB cable.
Use a memory card.

Use a flash drive.
Transfer wirelessly through Bluetooth.
Transfer through WIFI.

Upload to a cloud drive.
Email the document to yourself.

Just how exactly does each method work? Which one should you use and which is the best? Read on to find out!

NAVIGATION

Section A Wired Transfer	Section B Wireless Transfer	Extra Useful Bits
Closing What’s Next?

SECTION A

WIRED FILE TRANSFER

All right, let us now get started with the wired file transfer methods.

1) USE A USB CABLE

This one should be “Captain Obvious”. Just connect your Android device to the PC using a USB cable, and Android will prompt you what you want to do with the USB connection.

Select “File Transfer”, and it should connect just like any flash drive – Just copy whatever files you need.

2) USE A CARD READER

This is kind of a roundabout method if you don’t have (or don’t want to use) a USB cable. Most mobile devices come with a built-in memory card slot these days, and so do laptops/desktops.

Use an app such as Asus File Manager or Files by Google to help you move files into the memory card on the Android device.
Switch off the Android device, remove the memory card.
Insert the memory card into your PC, copy the files out.

Yep… Captain Obvious to the rescue again – You can also copy files vice versa from the PC to the Android device.

P.S. There are plenty of cheap USB OTG (on-the-go) card readers that you can directly plug into your Android device and PC – Use it just like a flash drive to transfer files.

3) USE A FLASH DRIVE

While we are still on the topic of flash drives, yes, we can plug flash drives into Android devices.

If you have a flash drive that reads “USB OTG” or “for Android”, then it will be as easy as directly plugging into the Android device.
No sweat if you have a “traditional flash drive”. Attach a USB OTG hub to your Android device first, then plug the flash drive into the hub – Some of these USB hubs also double up as a card reader. Very handy to keep one of these simple gadgets around.
The same as before, use a file manager app to help you copy the files into the flash drive.

Unplug the flash drive, plug it into your PC, copy the files out as usual.

SECTION B

WIRELESS FILE TRANSFER

Yes, we live in a wireless age. It is possible to transfer files via wireless connections as well.

4) TRANSFER VIA BLUETOOTH

PAIR THE DEVICES

Sending files across Bluetooth is not the friendliest… But it does work in a pinch if you forgot to bring a USB cable. Start by pairing your Android device to your PC.

First, make sure that Bluetooth is activated on both your Android and PC.
Depending on the manufacturer, you might need to manually switch on “visible to nearby” on your Android device.

Once that is done, on your (Windows) PC > Hit the ^ icon in the lower right system tray > Bluetooth Icon > Add a Bluetooth Device > Choose your Android Device.
The pairing process should start, and a 6 digit code should show up. No need to do anything with that code… Just make sure that it is the same on your Android device and PC, make sure that you are connecting to the correct device.
Finally, just hit “OK” on both sides to complete the pairing.

SENDING FILES

Sending from Windows PC > Hit the ^ icon in the lower right system tray > Bluetooth Icon > Send a File > Choose Android Device > Choose File.
Sending from Android > Fire up File Commander > Select File > Send > Bluetooth > Select your PC.

RECEIVING FILES

No rocket science is required here. Once you have sent a file on one side, there should be a prompt on the other if you want to receive it or not.

5) USE AN APP – WIFI TRANSFER

Bluetooth is quite a pain to set up and it does not have the fastest transfer speed. There is an easier and faster way to transfer data via the WIFI network instead.

Make sure that both of your devices are connected to the same WIFI network.
Install the Asus File Manager and launch it.

Tap on “PC File Transfer” > Start > There should be a URL address on the screen.
Simply launch your web browser on your PC, access the given URL, and that’s it.

If you don’t like Asus for some reason, there are also various other apps that will allow you to do file transfers this way. Simply search for “Airdroid” or “WIFI share”.

P.S. If you are not at home, you can create a WIFI hotspot by turning on WIFI tethering.

6) UPLOAD TO CLOUD DRIVE

This is kind of the alternate roundabout way to transfer files wirelessly. First, sign up for a free cloud drive, and download their app.

Google Drive | Google Drive App

This may seem like a hassle, but once you have uploaded your files to the cloud drive, you can pretty much access them anywhere you want. So long as you have an Internet connection.

7) SEND VIA EMAIL

This last method should be self-explanatory. If the file that you want to transfer is small enough, then just email it to yourself… Nothing to download, nothing to install, nothing to set up.

EXTRA

USEFUL BITS

That’s all for this guide, and here is a small section on some extras and links that may be useful to you.

WHICH IS THE BEST?

A direct file transfer using the USB cable is probably the fastest and easiest method – Just plug in the cable, and it’s good to go. If not, I will highly recommend installing one of those “AirDroid” apps beforehand. That will save you from a lot of setup pains, help you to transfer files quickly between many devices using WIFI.

LINKS & REFERENCES

How to Transfer Files From Android to PC – MUO
Share files over Bluetooth – Microsoft
Share files between your Mac and Bluetooth devices – Apple

CLOSING

WHAT’S NEXT?

Thank you for reading, and we have come to the end of this guide. I hope this has helped you to better understand, and if you have anything to share with this guide, please feel free to comment below. Good luck and may the cyber force be with you.