Transferring files from android to windows

5 best Android apps to transfer files from Android to PC and other ways too!

We’d also like to give an honorable mention to Syncthing-Fork (Google Play link). It’s a bit more power-user friendly than regular user friendly, but it worked perfectly in our testing.

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AirDroid and Pushbullet

Price: Free / $1.99 per month / $19.99 per year / $38.99 per two years

AirDroid is one of the more popular apps to transfer files from Android to PC. It can do other stuff too. The features include sending and receiving SMS/MMS from your PC, see your device notifications, and much more. It can even find a lost phone, control the camera, and use apps. You’ll also be able to transfer files to your computer from your phone. You get the basic stuff for free. You’ll have to subscribe to the service to get everything. Pushbullet works very much the same way in terms of transferring files to PC from your Android device, even if it costs a little more. You can go with either of these options. They are the two most popular options.

Cloud Storage

Price: Free / Varies by app

Cloud Storage is an excellent method to transfer files from Android to PC and back again. There are a variety of services to choose from, including Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Box.com, and others. Transferring files is easy enough. You upload the file to cloud storage on one device. You then download it on another device. Most cloud storage apps have their own dedicated apps and it makes the process easier. We have our best cloud storage apps list linked up toward the top of this article.

Feem v4

Price: Free

Feem is a simple app that does one thing very right. It transfers things from devices connected to the same WiFi network. That includes mobile phones, tablets, computers, laptops, or whatever else. Each device simply downloads Feem and runs it. From there, you can transfer whatever you want to and from those devices. The WiFi doesn’t need to be connected to the actual internet. A local network is all you really need. It’s simple, effective, cheap, and the Material Design looks nice. ShareIt is another app in this same style that does well.

Resilio Sync

Price: Free / Up to $75

Resilio Sync (formerly BitTorrent Sync) is kind of a wildcard. It works a lot like cloud storage. However, the cloud storage server is your own desktop or laptop. You can sync as much data as you’d like, transfer files back and forth at will, and a lot more. It should support Mac, Linux, and Windows as well. It’s definitely among the more secure options. Your stuff is never on a cloud server. It’s just your phone and your device talking to each other. The app is free for limited use and you can unlock all the features for a single, albiet somewhat expensive payment if you want to. This can easily replace cloud storage entirely if you want it to.

Xender

Price: Free

Xender is one of the most popular apps in this space. It lets you connect your phone to another device and transfer over WiFi. It works with other Android or iOS phones, Macs, PCs, and even Tizen. The app does its job as intended most of the time and it worked okay in our testing. However, this is one of those apps that either works perfectly or it doesn’t work at all. It also has a few other features, like the ability to convert video to audio and you can apparently use it to download Facebook, Whatsapp, and Instagram videos. Another strong (albeit less popular) competitor here is Feem (Play Store link).

See more app lists:

Non-app ways to transfer files

• Use Bluetooth – If your laptop has a Bluetooth module or if you have a Bluetooth dongle for your desktop or laptop, you can pair your device with your computer using Bluetooth and send files that way. The transfer rates are very slow so only use this method for smaller files.
• USB On-The-Go – USB OTG cables allow you to connect your device to USB devices such as external hard drives or flash drives. You use the cable to transfer documents to your flash drive or external hard drive or vice versa. They are relatively inexpensive.
• Share to email – This only works with small files like photos or documents, but you can send most types of files over email. Most emails have a limit of around 25MB for attachments.
• Share to chat – This works for a number of file types, especially if you use something like Discord, Slack, or Skype. You send yourself the file in a chat on one device and retrieve it on another. This should work for smaller files like photos, documents, or similar things. Skype and Slack have support for things like PDF files, archived (zipped) files, and other document types as well.
• Use your data/charging cable – This one is fairly obvious. Just plug your phone into your computer using the USB cable that comes with your charger. This is the most common and reliable method of transferring files to PC from Android devices.
• Your micro SD card – Devices with micro SD card support can transfer files much like flash drives. You use a file manager app to move the files to the SD card, pop it out of your phone (after turning it off, of course), and then use an adapter to put it into your card reader on your laptop or a different adapter to connect it to your computer’s USB drive.
• Android’s Nearby Share feature – Android’s Nearby Share utility works a lot like Apple AirDrop, but for Android. You can quickly share small or large files with devices right next to you. This only works from one Android device to another Android device, but it’s still a method to move files around.

Thank you for reading! Try these out too:

If we missed any of the best methods or apps to transfer files from Android to PC, tell us about them in the comments! You can also click here to check out our latest Android app and game lists!

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Seamlessly transfer content between your devices

Let emailing yourself photos and files be a thing of the past — now you can just copy and paste or drag and drop content between your Android device and your PC.

Cross-device copy and paste (for Surface Duo and select Samsung devices)

You can copy and paste content using the same shortcuts you normally use on your Android device and PC.

Before using cross-device copy and paste for the first time, you’ll need to make sure the feature is turned on. Open the Your Phone app on your PC, go to Settings > Features > Cross-device copy and paste, and make sure the toggle is On for Allow this app to access and transfer content I copy and paste between my phone and PC.

Which devices support cross-device copy and paste?

Cross-device copy and paste is supported on Surface Duo and Android devices that are running One UI version 2.1 or above. On your Android device, go to Settings > About > Software Information. A few examples of devices with this version are: Samsung Galaxy Note20 5G, Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G, Samsung Galaxy S21 5G, Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip devices.

What can I copy and paste between my Android device and PC?

It is only possible to copy text and images between your devices currently. Images above 1MB in size will be resized.

A note about Secure Folders

You can copy content and paste it into a Secure Folder, but you can’t copy and paste content from a Secure Folder onto your PC. Copying something from a Secure Folder will still replace any content you have on your PC clipboard.

Does what I copy on one device get added to the other device if I don’t paste it here?

Every time you copy something on either device, what you copy will replace the clipboard content on both of your devices.

Why did my copied text lose its formatting?

The apps you may be copying from and to may have different capabilities in how they read copied text, so you may occasionally lose your formatting.

Does copying and pasting between my devices use data?

Cross-device copy and paste requires the exchange of data between your PC and Android device. If you’ve allowed your devices to sync over mobile data, and you’re not connected to a Wi-Fi network, then copy and paste will use data. If this setting is turned off, you’ll only be able to copy and paste when both your Android device or Surface Duo and PC are connected to a Wi-Fi network.

If you have the Link to Windows app on your Android device, you can check this by going to Settings > Advanced Features > Link to Windows and toggle Use mobile data.

If you have the Link to Windows app on your Surface Duo, you can check this by going to Settings > Link to Windows and toggle Use mobile data.

If you have the Your Phone Companion app on your Android device, open the app, go to Settings > Sync over mobile data, and check to see if this is turned on.

First, make sure you have this feature turned on. On your PC:

Open the Your Phone app, go to Settings > Cross-device copy and paste, and make sure the toggle is On for “ Allow this app to access and transfer content I copy and paste between my phone and PC.”

If you tried to copy a large section of text and it didn’t paste on the other device, it’s likely to have exceeded the allowable amount. Try copying and pasting smaller sections between your devices.

If the feature is already turned on but you’re still unable to copy and paste content, there may be a connection issue between your Android device and PC. Try closing both the Your Phone app on your PC and Link to Windows on your Android device. Reopen both apps – your most recent messages, photos, and notifications should be visible in the Your Phone app on your PC if your connection is working normally. You should now be able to successfully copy and paste your content again. As a last resort, restart your PC and try again.

For Microsoft Edge users

If you’re using Edge, please make sure to update to the latest version of the Edge browser.

File drag-and-drop (for select Samsung devices)

You can transfer content from your Android device to your PC and from your PC to your Android device. To get started, go to Apps and select Open phone screen or select the app you’d like to drag content from or into.

Using touch or pen to drag and drop files is not currently supported.

If you’re using the multiple apps experience (select Samsung devices), you can drag and drop content from and into your mobile apps. Not all apps accept dragging and dropping content, or may not accept the file type you’re transferring. If your content can’t be transferred to the specific app you’ll get a banner notification indicating this. You can open Phone screen instead and drop the file there, it’ll be copied into the Downloads folder on your Android device and you can use it across your mobile apps from there.

Note: You can currently drag from your phone’s Gallery app or from the Samsung My Files app only.

To drag from My Files (min version 11.1.00.121):

Once you’ve opened Phone screen in the Your Phone app, use your mouse to navigate to a folder in My Files.

Long press on the file until a checkmark appears, then release. If you’d like to select additional files, you can do so by tapping on them.

Use your mouse to long press again on the file(s) you’ve selected, and a thumbnail will appear. Drag the files to your desired location on your PC. The cursor will change to indicate when you’re able to drop the file(s).

To drag from the Gallery app:

Once you’ve opened Phone screen in the Your Phone app, use your mouse to navigate to your Albums and select one.

Long press on a photo until a checkmark appears, then release. If you’d like to select additional photos, you can do so by tapping on them.

Use your mouse to long press on the photo(s) you’ve selected, and a thumbnail will appear. Drag the the photo(s) to your desired location on your PC. The cursor will change to say Copy when you are able to drop.

By default, content you drag from your PC to your Android device will be saved to your My Files app. Some apps, like OneDrive and Outlook, will allow you to directly drop content into them. If a file can’t be dropped into the app you intended, it will be transferred to your My Files app on your Android device instead.

Once you’ve opened Phone screen in the Your Phone app, use your mouse to select the file(s) you’d like to transfer and drag them to the phone screen window. The cursor will change to say Copy when you’re able to drop.

Release the mouse and your file(s) will start transferring. A progress indicator will show for a few seconds.

When a successful file transfer is made, you can either tap the notification that appears on your Android device, navigate to the app you dropped your content into, or go to your Internal Storage > Download folder to view your files.

If you drag and drop the same file again, a duplicate copy will be transferred to your device.

If you have an app open that supports receiving files, the app will prompt you where to drop the file(s), and where they will be stored.

What are the minimum requirements to use file drag-and-drop?

File drag and drop requires a Samsung device running Link To Windows version 1.0.52.30 or higher. Your Android device and PC must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network. A cable connection between devices is not required.

What types of files can I drag and drop?

File drag and drop supports the transfer of all file types except for folders and files backed up to the cloud. You can transfer up to 100 files at a time, of any type. No single file can be larger than 500MB in size.

Can I drag and drop content into or between apps?

While you can drag content between your phone and your PC, not all apps will accept content you want to transfer. If an app doesn’t accept your content, you can try using phone screen to transfer it instead. You can’t drag and drop files between your mobile apps from your PC.

You may see a red circle when attempting to drag files – this indicates that you can’t successfully drag files.

This could happen for several reasons, including:

There’s already a drag and drop file transfer happening. Right now, you can only complete one drag and drop operation at a time.

The item being transferred is not supported. For example, if even just one of the items you are dragging is a folder and not a file, or you try dragging 100 files, your Android device won’t allow you to start a transfer.

Keep the Your Phone app open

Minimizing the Your Phone app during drag and drop will cancel the transfer process, meaning you’ll have to start over. Keep the app window open while using file drag-and-drop.

Let emailing yourself photos and files be a thing of the past — now you can just copy and paste or drag and drop content between your Android device and your PC.

Cross-device copy and paste (for Surface Duo and select Samsung devices)

You can copy and paste content using the same shortcuts you normally use on your Android device and PC.

Before using cross-device copy and paste for the first time, you’ll need to make sure the feature is turned on. Open the Your Phone app on your PC, go to Settings > Features > Cross-device copy and paste, and make sure the toggle is On for Allow this app to access and transfer content I copy and paste between my phone and PC.

Which devices support cross-device copy and paste?

Cross-device copy and paste is supported on Surface Duo and Android devices that are running One UI version 2.1 or above. On your Android device, go to Settings > About > Software Information. A few examples of devices with this version are: Samsung Galaxy Note20 5G, Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G, Samsung Galaxy S21 5G, Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip devices.

What can I copy and paste between my Android device and PC?

It is only possible to copy text and images between your devices currently. Images above 1MB in size will be resized.

A note about Secure Folders

You can copy content and paste it into a Secure Folder, but you can’t copy and paste content from a Secure Folder onto your PC. Copying something from a Secure Folder will still replace any content you have on your PC clipboard.

Does what I copy on one device get added to the other device if I don’t paste it here?

Every time you copy something on either device, what you copy will replace the clipboard content on both of your devices.

Why did my copied text lose its formatting?

The apps you may be copying from and to may have different capabilities in how they read copied text, so you may occasionally lose your formatting.

Does copying and pasting between my devices use data?

Cross-device copy and paste requires the exchange of data between your PC and Android device. If you’ve allowed your devices to sync over mobile data, and you’re not connected to a Wi-Fi network, then copy and paste will use data. If this setting is turned off, you’ll only be able to copy and paste when both your Android device or Surface Duo and PC are connected to a Wi-Fi network.

If you have the Link to Windows app on your Android device, you can check this by going to Settings > Advanced Features > Link to Windows and toggle Use mobile data.

If you have the Link to Windows app on your Surface Duo, you can check this by going to Settings > Link to Windows and toggle Use mobile data.

If you have the Your Phone Companion app on your Android device, open the app, go to Settings > Sync over mobile data, and check to see if this is turned on.

First, make sure you have this feature turned on. On your PC:

Open the Your Phone app, go to Settings > Cross-device copy and paste, and make sure the toggle is On for “ Allow this app to access and transfer content I copy and paste between my phone and PC.”

If you tried to copy a large section of text and it didn’t paste on the other device, it’s likely to have exceeded the allowable amount. Try copying and pasting smaller sections between your devices.

If the feature is already turned on but you’re still unable to copy and paste content, there may be a connection issue between your Android device and PC. Try closing both the Your Phone app on your PC and Link to Windows on your Android device. Reopen both apps – your most recent messages, photos, and notifications should be visible in the Your Phone app on your PC if your connection is working normally. You should now be able to successfully copy and paste your content again. As a last resort, restart your PC and try again.

For Microsoft Edge users

If you’re using Edge, please make sure to update to the latest version of the Edge browser.

File drag-and-drop (for select Samsung devices)

You can transfer content from your Android device to your PC and from your PC to your Android device. To get started, go to Apps and select Open phone screen or select the app you’d like to drag content from or into.

Using touch or pen to drag and drop files is not currently supported.

If you’re using the multiple apps experience (select Samsung devices), you can drag and drop content from and into your mobile apps. Not all apps accept dragging and dropping content, or may not accept the file type you’re transferring. If your content can’t be transferred to the specific app you’ll get a banner notification indicating this. You can open Phone screen instead and drop the file there, it’ll be copied into the Downloads folder on your Android device and you can use it across your mobile apps from there.

Note: You can currently drag from your phone’s Gallery app or from the Samsung My Files app only.

To drag from My Files (min version 11.1.00.121):

Once you’ve opened Phone screen in the Your Phone app, use your mouse to navigate to a folder in My Files.

Long press on the file until a checkmark appears, then release. If you’d like to select additional files, you can do so by tapping on them.

Use your mouse to long press again on the file(s) you’ve selected, and a thumbnail will appear. Drag the files to your desired location on your PC. The cursor will change to indicate when you’re able to drop the file(s).

To drag from the Gallery app:

Once you’ve opened Phone screen in the Your Phone app, use your mouse to navigate to your Albums and select one.

Long press on a photo until a checkmark appears, then release. If you’d like to select additional photos, you can do so by tapping on them.

Use your mouse to long press on the photo(s) you’ve selected, and a thumbnail will appear. Drag the the photo(s) to your desired location on your PC. The cursor will change to say Copy when you are able to drop.

By default, content you drag from your PC to your Android device will be saved to your My Files app. Some apps, like OneDrive and Outlook, will allow you to directly drop content into them. If a file can’t be dropped into the app you intended, it will be transferred to your My Files app on your Android device instead.

Once you’ve opened Phone screen in the Your Phone app, use your mouse to select the file(s) you’d like to transfer and drag them to the phone screen window. The cursor will change to say Copy when you’re able to drop.

Release the mouse and your file(s) will start transferring. A progress indicator will show for a few seconds.

When a successful file transfer is made, you can either tap the notification that appears on your Android device, navigate to the app you dropped your content into, or go to your Internal Storage > Download folder to view your files.

If you drag and drop the same file again, a duplicate copy will be transferred to your device.

If you have an app open that supports receiving files, the app will prompt you where to drop the file(s), and where they will be stored.

What are the minimum requirements to use file drag-and-drop?

File drag and drop requires a Samsung device running Link To Windows version 1.0.52.30 or higher. Your Android device and PC must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network. A cable connection between devices is not required.

What types of files can I drag and drop?

File drag and drop supports the transfer of all file types except for folders and files backed up to the cloud. You can transfer up to 100 files at a time, of any type. No single file can be larger than 500MB in size.

Can I drag and drop content into or between apps?

While you can drag content between your phone and your PC, not all apps will accept content you want to transfer. If an app doesn’t accept your content, you can try using phone screen to transfer it instead. You can’t drag and drop files between your mobile apps from your PC.

You may see a red circle when attempting to drag files – this indicates that you can’t successfully drag files.

This could happen for several reasons, including:

There’s already a drag and drop file transfer happening. Right now, you can only complete one drag and drop operation at a time.

The item being transferred is not supported. For example, if even just one of the items you are dragging is a folder and not a file, or you try dragging 100 files, your Android device won’t allow you to start a transfer.

Keep the Your Phone app open

Minimizing the Your Phone app during drag and drop will cancel the transfer process, meaning you’ll have to start over. Keep the app window open while using file drag-and-drop.

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