How to Transfer Photos From an Android Device to a Computer

Knowing how to transfer your photos from your Android to your PC is definitely useful. By doing so, you are creating external copies that will be stored in a safe place. Should something happen to your phone, you can rest assured that your photos and precious memories are not lost.

In this article, we will show you the different ways you can transfer photos from your Android phone to your computer. We will also be answering some common questions regarding this process.

How to Transfer Photos From an Android Device to a Computer?

Unlike transferring your photos from your iPhone, Android devices allow for a much more straightforward relocation. You can transfer the photos to your computer with a USB cable, or if you don’t have one laying around, you have the option to do it wirelessly.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to do it across different devices.

How to Transfer Photos From an Android Device to a Computer With Your Google App?

If you’re an Android user, then you should have Google Drive and Google Photos installed on your phone by default. In case you don’t already have them on your phone, go to Google Play and download them.

You will need to sign in to your Google account (although this is something you usually do the moment you launch your new phone for the first time).

How to Transfer Photos From an Android Device to a Computer Using Google Drive?

After installing Google Drive on your phone, follow these steps:

1. Open Google Drive.
   
2. Tap on the “+” in the bottom-right corner of your screen.
   
3. Tap the ‘’Upload’’ option.
   
4. Choose ‘’Photos and Videos.’’
   
5. Your Gallery will appear, so select the photos you want to upload.
   

If you want, you can create a separate folder for the pictures you want to upload, or you can organize them later. Google Drive will ask you not to turn off your screen or the app until the transferring process is complete.  You only have 15G worth of space on your Google Drive, so make sure to only upload what you actually need.

Once all the pictures have been uploaded, turn on your PC. Now it’s time to download the photos to your computer. This is how it’s done:

1. Open your browser and go to your Google Drive.
   
2. Find the folder with the uploaded photos.
   From this point on, you can either:
3. Download the entire album by right-clicking on the album and then clicking ‘’Download.’’
   
4. Download separate photos by right-clicking on each picture.
   

Since downloading one picture at a time would take too long, you can click and drag your cursor across multiple pictures and download more of them at once. Another option of selecting multiple photos is by holding the “Ctrl” button and clicking on each photo you want to download. This way, they will all be downloaded to your computer simultaneously.

How to Transfer Photos From an Android Device to a Computer Using Google Photos?

Using Google Photos is even easier because your photos are backed up automatically. You don’t need to do anything; they will be uploaded to Google Photos the moment you take them.

This feature is called ‘’Back up & Sync,’’ and in case it isn’t turned on, this is how you can do it:

1. Open Google Photos on your phone.
   
2. Tap your profile picture in the upper-right corner.
   
3. Go to ‘’Photos settings.’’
   
4. Tap ‘’Back up & Sync.’’
5. Toggle the ‘’Back up & Sync’’ switch.
   

Note: If you delete a photo from your phone’s gallery, it will still be on Google Photos. But, if you delete a photo from Google Photos, it will automatically be deleted from your phone’s memory as well.

Once all the pictures have been uploaded, it’s time to download them on your computer.

1. Open your browser and go to your email.
2. Click on the dial icon next to your picture in the upper-right corner.
   
3. Find ‘’Google Photos’’ and click on it.
   

You can download the photos in a couple of ways.

• Open the photo you want to download and press “Shift” + “D” at the same time.
• Open the photo and click on the three dots in the upper-right corner. Click ‘’Download.’’
  
• Go to your Google Photo gallery and select all the photos you want to download. Then click the three dots, and then ‘’Download.’’

How to Transfer Photos From an Android Device to a Computer With a USB Cable?

For this method, you will need your computer, your phone, and a USB cable. To transfer the files on a Windows computer, follow these steps:

1. Connect your Android to your computer with the USB cable.
   
2. You’ll get a notification on your phone that the devices are connected.
3. Tap the notification, and a new window will pop up.
   
4. Under “Use USB to” select Transfer photos or File transfer (this depends on the phone).
   
5. Your phone’s storage and the SD card storage will appear.
6. Find the photos you want to transfer to your computer.
   
7. Click on the photo and drag it to your Computer’s desktop. You can place the files anywhere you want, but we suggest keeping a folder ready to make the process easier for you.
8. Once you’re done, unplug your USB cable.
   

You can also transfer the photos to your computer by using the Copy/Paste method. Simply select the photos you want to transfer, right-click on them and choose ‘’Copy.’’ Then proceed to paste them on your computer.

Note: An easier way to do this is to press “Ctrl+C” to copy the files, and “Ctrl+V” to paste them.

If you have a Mac, follow these steps to transfer your photos from your Android.

1. Install Android File Transfer on your Mac and open it.
2. Connect your phone to your Mac via USB cable.
3. Tap the “Charging this device via USB” notification tab on your Android.
4. Choose ‘’File transfer.’’
5. Find and select all the photos you want to transfer.
6. Drag them in the Android File Transfer.
7. When you’re done, unplug the USB cable.

How to Wirelessly Transfer Photos From Your Android Phone to a PC?

You can use different third-party apps to transfer the photos from your Android to your computer, like Microsoft’s OneDrive. You can find it on Google Play and install it on your phone. For the desktop app, go to the Microsoft Store.

Just like with Google Photos, OneDrive uploads your photos automatically. This is how you can turn that feature on:

1. Open the OneDrive app.
   
2. Tap the ‘’Me’’ icon at the bottom of your screen.
   
3. Go to Settings and find ‘’Camera upload.’’
   
4. Toggle the ‘’Camera upload’’ switch.
   

Now all your photos on your phone will be uploaded automatically. If you want to download them on your computer, follow these steps:

1. Log into your OneDrive account on your web browser.
   
2. Find the photos you want to download.
   
3. Click on the photo.
   
4. Choose ‘’Download.’’
   

You can download multiple photos at once by clicking and dragging your cursor over them.

Additional FAQs

How Can I Download Photos From Android?

If you’re interested in finding out how to download photos from Android and transfer them to your computer, you can find different methods in the previous sections. However, it can sometimes happen that your transfer isn’t working.

In that case, try doing one of the following:

• Restart your computer and/or your mobile device.

• Troubleshoot your computer and/or your mobile device.

• Update your phone.

• Use another USB cable.

• Make sure that your computer isn’t blocked from detecting the connection.

• Make sure you aren’t ignoring the USB notification once you connect the two devices.

• Check if you didn’t choose the “Charge this device” option.

How Do You Get Pictures Off Your Android Phone?

If you want to transfer pictures from your phone to your computer, you can follow the previous steps provided. However, if you want to remove the pictures that you just transferred to your computer, you will need to delete them manually.

You can do this on either device. Just select the pictures you no longer want and delete them. This way you’ll be saving more space on your Android.

Make Copies and Save Space by Transferring Your Photos to Your Computer

By using one of the methods we outlined in this guide, you will be able to transfer photos from your Android device to your computer. Whichever method you choose; the whole process takes no longer than a few minutes. You’ll be left with additional space and you’ll have copies of all your photos on your computer.

Have you ever transferred photos from your phone to your computer? Which method did you use to do it? Let us know in the comments section below.

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