How to Connect Android Phone to Computer

Use macOS

Go to the Android File Transfer website using your Mac. To connect your Android device to your Mac and browse files, you will have to use the special program Android File Transfer.

Enterandroid.com/filetransfer/using Safari to open the download page.

Click "Download Now" to download the installation file to your Mac.

Once downloaded, open the installation program. Weighing only a few MB, DMG files only take a few seconds to download, even on slow connections.

Drag "Android File Transfer" into the Utilities folder. Both icons in the window will appear when you run the installation program.

Open the Applications folder. From the desktop, click the "Go" menu and select "Applications".

Run Android File Transfer. Click "Open" to run when prompted. Once installed, you will only be asked for it the first time you run it.

Unlock Android device screen. Your Android device's screen needs to be unlocked so your Mac can access its storage.

Use a USB cable to connect your Android device to your Mac. The Android File Transfer window may appear if the Android device has been set up correctly.

Open Notification Panel on your Android device. Swipe down from the top to open a panel showing all your notifications.

Tap USB option to select USB mode for your device. Find the USB logo in the notification list.

Select "File transfer", "Media transfer", or "MTP" . This mode allows an Android device to connect to a Mac as a USB storage device and open in Android File Transfer.

Browse files in the Android File Transfer window. Device folders are displayed in this window in much the same way that they are displayed in a Finder window.

Disconnect from Android device when finished. Once you've transferred and accessed content on your Android device, simply unplug the cable to disconnect it from your Mac. Make sure that when you do this, you are not transferring any files in the middle.

Use Windows

Plug your Android device into your computer using a USB cable. Here, you can use the phone's own charging cable.

Open Notification Panel on your Android device. Swipe down from the top to display all notifications on the screen.

Tap on the "USB" option found in the list of notifications displayed in your Notification Panel. Look for the USB logo.

Select "File transfer", "Media transfer" or "MTP" . The name may not be the same, depending on your device. At this point, your Android phone will appear on your computer as a device.

Wait for the driver to finish installing. Usually Windows will automatically install any necessary drivers, allowing your Android device to communicate with your computer. If this installation fails or Windows cannot find the right driver, you will have to install the driver from the phone manufacturer.

You can search on Google with the keyword " phone model driver " and then go to the manufacturer's link. Remember not to download drivers from untrusted sources.

Open the "Computer/This PC" window. Every device and driver connected to the computer will be displayed. You can open it from the Start menu or press ⊞ Win+ E.

Double-tap the Android device. You will probably only be able to identify it by its model number. Your device will be listed under "Devices and drives" or "Devices with removable storage".

Browse content on your Android device. Once you open your phone in the Computer/This PC window, you'll see multiple folders for the Android file system. Common folders include DCIM (camera), Pictures, Videos, Music and Ringtones. Often the application will also create its own feature folders.

Disconnect the Android device when finished. Once you're done transferring and accessing content on your Android device, click the Safely Remove Hardware button in the system tray located in the lower right corner of the screen. Select "Eject" your Android device.

You may have to expand the hidden icons to find the Safety Remove Hardware button.

Use AirDroid for wireless connectivity (Mac and Windows)

Install the AirDroid app on your Android device. You can download AirDroid for free from the Google Play Store app store. This application will allow you to connect to AirDroid on your computer and transfer files without a wired connection.

Create an AirDroid account to easily connect your Android phone to your computer. Click the "Sign Up" button the first time you run AirDroid and follow the instructions.

Download the AirDroid program for your computer. The desktop app is available for free for Mac and Windows operating systems. You can download it fromairdroid.com. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Download button for your operating system.

Run the installer for AirDroid. Once downloaded, run the installer to install AirDroid on your computer.

Don't forget to decline the offer to install McAfee Web Advisor if you don't want to install this unnecessary program on your computer.

Allow access through Windows Firewall when required. Launch the application after installation and you will be asked to allow access to AirDroid through the Windows firewall. Thanks to this, you will be able to remotely access your Android device.

Log in to the AirDroid application on your computer. Sign in with the account you used to sign in to this app on your Android device. At this point, the connection to the Android phone will be automatically established.

Send files from computer to phone. You can quickly add files to your Android device by dragging and dropping them into the AirDroid window. Click the "Transfer Files" button and select the "Device" tab, then drag and drop the files you want to add to your phone.

Send files from Android device to computer. Tap the "File Transfer" button on the main menu of the AirDroid app. Select "AirDroid Desktop" then browse to the files you want to send. These files will be transferred wirelessly to your computer.

Micah Soto

Update 02 November 2023