Although smartphones are becoming more and more powerful with some phones having more storage and memory than entry-level laptops, a full-blown laptop or desktop PC still remains the go-to computing destination for many users.
Now users use their phones for working while on the go and then use their PC to perform tasks that are more complex. This results in users looking for ways to transfer their files between their smartphones and their computers.
However, what is the most hassle-free method to do so? This question has left many users guessing, as people still look for faster and efficient ways to transfer files from phone to pc. Here I shall discuss some easy ways to do so seamlessly.
How To Transfer Files From Phone To PC?
There are many ways to transfer files between your devices, with some manufacturers now launching accessories for seamless connectivity. Nevertheless, we are looking for the easiest ways out of these, and here are some of our favorites.
Method 1: USB Transfer
The most reliable and probably the most used method of file transfer, the transfer of files over USB is still one of the easiest ways of doing so. You just need a USB cable of the matching connector.
Simply plug your cable to your devices, and tap on the Charging this device via USB notification, to change it to Use USB for file transfer.
On your Mac, you need the Android File Transfer application and then connect your USB cable to your devices.
After this, your devices are paired and you can transfer your files between them. However, you are limited by the transfer cap of the cable and expect to wait for some time if you are planning to transfer a larger file. USB transfer which is also known as MTP sometimes fail and if that is the case check out the post to know how to fix it.
Method 2: Through Cloud Storage
With SSDs becoming cheaper, people prefer these flash storages to mechanical hard disks in their PC. However, for shared files, many users prefer the cloud storage option that provides a quicker and easier way of transferring files between all the devices you own.
Once you set up a cloud account, (your Google account gives you 15 GB) you can start storing files on the drive. The files that you store on these cloud storages are available across all the devices that you own, and you can download them on your PC using a web browser.
Popular cloud storage includes Google Drive, Microsoft’s OneDrive and Dropbox.
Method 3: Using Bluetooth
If you need to transfer some small files like a limited number of images or songs, you can use the Bluetooth functionality, which is available on most of the devices these days.
Simply enable Bluetooth on both your devices and use the share option to use Bluetooth for file transfer.
Note: on your desktop builds, you might need an adapter if your PC isn’t already supplied with one.
Method 4: Use Wi-Fi
If you need to move a large amount of data between your devices, you cannot be hindered by a transfer cap. In these situations, the best option has to be transferred over Wi-Fi.
You will need a third-party app for this. This can be done in one of the two ways. Here is the list and how you can do it:
- If both your devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, you can simply connect both your devices using a third-party app. Some apps even support drag and drop.
- You will need to enable mobile hotspot on your smartphone, and then connect your PC to that Wi-Fi network. Then connect your apps on both your devices and you can transfer files between them easily.
Note: You can turn off your mobile data during this transfer session.
There are some third-party apps like SHAREit for Windows, which lets you connect your devices for seamless file transfer. You can transfer files between your devices both ways. You can also view your computer stores on your smartphone with the help of an additional feature called Remote View.
You can download the SHAREit app for pc on the Microsoft store using this link.
If you do not wish to download third-party apps like SHAREit pc on your desktop, you can use other services like Xender or Portal by Pushbullet.
Note: for these services, you need their app on your smartphone, and then access your phone from any web browser on your computer.
Wrapping Up
There are many more ways to transfer your data across your devices. You can use on the go cables along with flash storage if your mobile supports it. You can transfer your SD card to your laptop if you have the appropriate slot on it. You can utilize a dedicated Network Attached Storage (NAS) for storing all your files on a hard disk attached to your router.
Alternatively, you can use these simple methods provided in the list above to transfer files from phone to pc. Tell us in the comments which method do you use personally to move files across your devices.