transferring photos from android to PC

Smartphones have quickly become our go-to for all of our photo needs.

As convenient and user-friendly as this photography method is, it does pose a main pitfall: over time, these photos tend to take up a lot of room on your phone.

Think about it. On top of your mountain of photos, you have videos, burst shots, snaps, uncompressed RAW files, all of which can easily add up to 16GB of space.

While this uses up a lot of room, it can also be dangerous having priceless edited or travel photos on your small, breakable device.

If you want to archive your photos to eliminate the possibility of a slowed phone or a broken heart at the loss of your photography, you’ll want to know how to transfer photos from an Android to a PC.

There are many ways to transfer photos from your phone to your computer and they’re all simple to manage as soon as you learn the steps. All you have to do is choose the option that you like best!

3 Reliable Methods on How to Transfer Photos from Android to PC

While learning new technology tricks can sometimes be frustrating – it doesn’t have to be. In fact, by following the right steps, you’ll be able to enjoyably learn something new that will provide more convenience to your life.

1. USB

One of the most attractive Android features is its easy access to a PC’s file system.

Just simply plug your phone into your computer by using the USB cable that comes with your phone. This makes it easy to download all or select images then drag them into any desktop or files for safekeeping.

This is arguably the easiest and safest way to transfer your photos from your Android to your PC. The only downfall is that you need a computer present in order to make this transfer possible.

If you don’t mind sitting down at your computer to complete this task and you’re using Windows, as soon as you plug your phone into the USB connection, you will see auto-prompts guiding you towards options to use the device.

2. Google Drive

If you aren’t familiar with Google Drive, we highly recommend you begin acquainting yourself with it… because it’s awesome.

Out of the many different options and uses it provides, Google Drive’s backup service is one of the simplest methods for backing up your photos.

This Google service comes already installed on almost all Android devices and silently works in the background, uploading your files and photos to Google Drive so that you can access them easily on other devices later on.

This system is also very secure so you don’t have to worry about uploading any embarrassing photos onto your Drive.

To enable this backup system, simply press the menu button in the app, then open up the settings menu. At this point, you can set “auto backup” so that it’s either on or off.

To find and download your synced photos, all you need to do is open up your Google Drive and find the folder called, “Google Photos”.

Once you open that folder, you’ll be able to choose and download any photos you like onto your desktop or into a specific folder on your PC.

3. Google Photos

This method is similar to Google Drive. Since both of these options share Google’s Material Design language, their user interface is almost identical.

Google photos offers many different tools that help you share and edit your photo masterpieces or group your videos and photos into specific collections.

This service also puts content to a Chromecast which makes your photos private unless you have specified not to enable this option.

This program also allows you to make projects out of your images such as collages, slideshows, animations or panoramas.

With Google Photos, you can access your photos from anywhere, not just Android devices.

To enable Google Photo Sync from your phone, first, open up the Google Photos app. Then, sign into your Google account if you haven’t already. At the top of the app, tap the menu icon and select the option, “settings backup and sync”. At this point, you can click the option on or off.

If you’re simply looking for backing up images Google Photos may be the way to go.

Not only is it free with unlimited storage, but it doesn’t impact your given amount of free storage on your account.

Since the last Google update, Google Photos is now twice as fast.

How to Transfer Photos from Android to PC: Final Thoughts

So now you have your three options and guides, it’s time to put these programs to the test.

Ultimately, the best method is the one you’re most comfortable with.

If you’re an on-the-go type of person who enjoys a synced process, try out Google Drive or Google Photos. If you’re more of an old-school tech user, the USB method is fool-proof and super reliable.

Happy photo storing!