How to Transfer Files from Phone to Laptop [Android / iOS]

How can I get files from my phone to my laptop?

File transfer between computers or transfer from phone to computer are needed often due to reasons like making a backup or purely file sharing. Whether you want to perform file transfer from Android/iPhone to PC/Mac, you can get things done using the following instructions. The way to transfer files between Windows computers is also provided below.

How to transfer files from Android phone to laptop [Windows / Mac]

To transfer filesfrom Android phone to Windows/Mac, you can use a USB cable, Bluetooth, or a third-party platform Google Drive.

Way 1. Transfer files with a USB cable

Using a USB cable is probably the easiest way to connect and transfer files from Android to your computer. The transfer speed is determined by the type of cable used and the amount of storage on both devices.

►Windows

Step 1. Connect your Android phone and computer with the USB cable.

Step 2. When you see a pop-up notification on your phone, select File transfer / Android Auto.

Step 3. Then a file transfer window will appear on your computer, if not, go to This PC to find the drive named after your phone.

Step 4. From here, you can view the contents of your phone and drag files to your computer. You can also pick and copy one or more files, then paste them onto your computer.

►Mac

Install the official Android File Transfer software on your Mac before transferring files from Android to Mac via USB cable. Then the following steps are straightforward.

Step 1. Connect your Android phone and Mac with the USB cable.

Step 2. From the USB preferences notification, select File transfer / Android Auto.

Step 3. Open the Android File Transfer app, then you can browse and drag files to the transfer window.

Way 2. Transfer files via Bluetooth

You can also transfer files via Bluetooth, however, the transfer speeds are quite poor, thus this option is suitable for transferring smaller files.

►Windows

Step 1. Enable Bluetooth on your Android phone and PC.

Step 2. On your PC, navigate to Settings > Bluetooth & other devices > Add Bluetooth or other device, then select the phone you want to pair with and click Connect.

Step 3. On your phone, tap Pair > OK.

Step 4. To perform file transfer from phone to PC, locate the file you want transfer on your phone, tap the Share icon and select Bluetooth.

Step 5. On your PC, right-click the Bluetooth icon from the toolbar and click Receive a File.

►Mac

Step 1. Enable Bluetooth on your Android phone and Mac.

Step 2. On your Mac, search for available devices, locate your phone and pair with it.

Step 3. On your phone, accept the connection request.

Step 4. On your Mac, go to System Preferences >Sharing and tick Bluetooth Sharing.

Step 5. Locate the file you want transfer on your phone, tap the Share icon and select Bluetooth.

Step 6. The file will be automatically send to the Downloads folder, where you can access the file immediately.

Way 3. Upload / Download files through Google Drive

If you have a Google account, you can easily upload and download multiple files at once to share files between your phone and Windows/Mac computer with the same steps below.

Step 1. Install and launch Google Drive app on your phone.

Step 2. Log in your Google account. In the lower-right corner, click on the “+” button, and tap Upload.

Step 3. From the list, choose the files you want to share, and then wait for the upload. For large files, this could require some time.

Step 4. On your computer, go to Google Drive official site, log in with the same Google account. Then you can download the files you just uploaded.

How to transfer files from iPhone to laptop [Windows / Mac]

You can utilize iTunes or iCloud to transfer files from your iPhone to your laptop.

Way 1. Transfer files using iTunes

The main purpose of iTunes File Sharing is to transfer files between your computer and an iPhone or iPad app that is compatible. If you are positive that the files you wish to transfer are File Sharing compatible, you can use this feature to transfer data from an iPhone to a computer.

Step 1. Launch iTunes, click Device tab and select File Sharing.

Step 2. Select the app in the list from which you want to transfer files.

Step 3. Pick the files you want to transfer and click Save to.

Step 4. Choose a location to keep the files and click Save to to start transferring files.

Way 2. Transfer files via iCloud

You can wirelessly transfer data from your iOS device to a PC or Mac by using iCloud.

Step 1. Launch Settings on your iPhone, then press on your name > iCloud.

Step 2. Select the items you wanna sync. For instance, if you want to transfer photos, turn on Photos and enable iCloud Photos.

Step 3. Launch iCloud on your PC and enable the corresponding option. The files are then accessible.

Bonus tip: How to transfer files between laptops [Windows]

After learning how to transfer files from phone to laptop, you may also wonder how to transfer files between laptops. Here we recommend you use the professional remote access software AnyViewer, allowing you to transfer large files at high speed in multiple ways.

Download AnyViewer on your devices, and let’s start transferring files via AnyViewer.

Step 1. On host PC, go to Log in, and click Sign up.

Step 2. Type in the information and click Sign up.

Step 3. On client PC, log in to the same account, and here you can see the assigned devices.

Step 4. Go to Device, select the computer you want to share files with, and click File transfer.

Then you can see a File Transfer window. The host PC is displayed on the left, while the client PC is displayed on the right. To send the files from host to client, click the right arrow after selecting the files you wish to send, and vise versa.

You can also transfer files with the partner ID when your devices are logged in to different accounts.

Notes:✎...

A free account can transfer 100 files at once, you can upgrade to Professional or Enterprise account to transfer unlimited large files with higher speed.

Conclusion

I believe you are clear about how to transfer files from phone to laptop now. When you need to transfer files from an Android or iPhone to a Windows or Mac computer or between PCs, you can find all the solutions here. Use the approach that best satisfies your demands.