How do i download pics from my phone to computer

by Suzanne Kantra on February 24, 2021
in Tips & How-Tos, Cameras and Photography, Photo / Video Sharing, Phones and Mobile, Mobile Apps, Android Apps :: 6 comments

Table of Contents Show

How to download Android photos to a Windows 10 PC
How to download Android phone photos to a Mac
How to download Android phone photos to your computer if you back them up to Google Photos
Photo Transfer App
PhotoSync
WiFi Photo Transfer‬

Techlicious editors independently review products. To help support our mission, we may earn affiliate commissions from links contained on this page.

You can easily download all of your photos or choose a select few to transfer from your Android phone to your computer. Here's how to download Android phone photos to a Windows 10 or Mac computer.

How to download Android photos to a Windows 10 PC

The easiest way to move your photos from your Android phone to your Windows PC is to use the Photos app that comes pre-loaded in Windows 10. With the Photos app, you can import all of your photos, or just some of them, and choose the folder where you want them transferred to, so you know where to find them later.

Unlock your phone.
With a USB cable, connect your phone to your computer.
On your phone, tap the notification that pops up for USB settings, charging, or data access. Or, if you don't see a notification, go into Settings and search for "USB Preferences." Depending on your Android device, you may see "Use USB connection for," "Allow access to your data," or simply "Charging" with "Tap to change USB options" below.
Select "Allow," "File Transfer," or "Photo Transfer" to authorize data transfer to your computer.
Open the Photos app on your computer.
On the top right of your screen, click the "Import" button. It will ask if you want to import from a Folder or a Connected Device.
Select "Connected Device." Once you choose "Connected Device," the computer will look for your device and display the photos on it. You can import all the images, all of the images from your last import, or just a few select images
On this screen, you can also select where you'd like the images to go. Click on "Change Destination" and choose your desired folder.

How to download Android phone photos to a Mac

If you want to download photos to a Mac, we recommend using the Photos App on your computer.

Unlock your phone.
With a USB cable, connect your phone to your computer.
On your phone, tap the notification that pops up for USB settings, charging, or data access. Or, if you don't see a notification, go into Settings and search for "USB Preferences." Depending on your Android device, you may see "Use USB connection for," "Allow access to your data," or simply with "Tap to change USB options" below.
Select "Allow," "File Transfer," or "Photo Transfer" to authorize data transfer to your computer.
Open the Photos app on your Mac (if it doesn't open automatically), and you'll see a screen with all the photos on your connected device. You may have to click your device's name in the Photos sidebar if it doesn't immediately populate.
Select the photos you want to transfer to your Mac. Click "Import Selected" if you're going to move a group of photos, or you can choose to import "All New Photos" to make sure your most recent photos are backed up onto your Mac.

If you're looking for the photos you've imported, you'll find them stored in the Photos Library in the Pictures folder.

How to download Android phone photos to your computer if you back them up to Google Photos

The default app for photos on many Android phones is the Google Photos app, which you can set up to backup all of your photos and videos to Google Photos online. (You'll find that option in the Google Photos app by tapping your account profile photo or initial, selecting Photos settings > Backup & sync, and tapping "Backup & sync" on.) Here's how to download photos on Google Photos to your computer.

Go to Google Photos on your computer
Select one or more photos by hovering over the upper left corner and clicking the checkmark when it appears. Now, you'll see circles in the upper left of your photos, which you can click to select. Click on more circles to select more photos. Holding down the shift key and then clicking in a circle will select all photos between the last select photo and the one you just clicked. You can select hundreds at a time this way.
Once you've selected your photos, click the triple dot menu icon in the upper right.
Select Download. You can choose where to save the file on your computer.
Your photos will be saved to a Zip file.
Double click on the Zip file you just saved.
Select "Extract all" and choose where you want your photos saved.

[Image credit: Suzanne Kantra/Techlicious]

For the past 20+ years, Suzanne Kantra has been exploring and writing about the world’s most exciting and important science and technology issues. Ten years ago, she founded Techlicious, which serves the role of that tech-savvy friend you can count on to share tips and tricks to get the most out of technology; whether that’s saving time in our hectic schedules, discovering new ways to enjoy our personal interests, or keeping up with the latest technology trends and styles. Before that, Suzanne was the Technology Editor for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, where she hosted the radio show “Living with Technology." Previously, she served as Technology Editor for Popular Science Magazine. She has been featured on CNN, CBS, and NBC.

If you need to send photos from your phone to a computer, you can use email, Google Photos, or even a direct cable connection. However, you may find it quicker and more convenient to transfer them wirelessly from phone to PC.

Microsoft once offered an app called Photos Companion, which allowed iPhone and Android users alike to transfer photos to Windows 10 PCs, but it has been discontinued. In its place, Android users can use Microsoft’s Your Phone app, while iPhone users will need to find third-party options that can perform the task.

Your Phone

To get started with Your Phone, first open Settings > Phone and click the Add a phone button in Windows 10.

The Your Phone desktop app will open, and ask you to choose your phone type. Choose Android and click Continue. Your Phone will ask you to confirm your Microsoft Account. Click Continue.

Now install the Your Phone Companion app(Opens in a new window) on your Android phone. Open the app and link your phone with your PC by either signing into your Microsoft Account or scanning the QR code. Scanning the code is quicker, so tap the Is there a QR code on your PC? link and tap Continue at the next screen.

Back at the Your Phone desktop app, check the box for Yes, I finished installing Your Phone companion. Click the Open QR Code button.

A QR code will display on your desktop. Use your smartphone camera to scan the QR code.

In the mobile app, tap Continue and then grant the necessary permissions for Your Phone to access your contacts, phone calls, media, and messages. Tap Continue.

Choose to allow the app to run in the background for now. You can always change this later. Tap Allow to let your phone connect to your Windows PC. At the next screen, tap Done. The next screen confirms that your phone and PC are linked.

On your PC, tap the Let’s Go button. You should then see your linked phone listed in the Your Phone app.

In the Your Phone app, click Settings > General and turn on the switch under Allow this app to show photos from my phone, if it’s not already enabled.

Your last 25 photos and screenshots should automatically appear on the main screen in the app. If not, click the entry for Photos and then select the See photos button. Click on any photo to open it. For more settings, right-click on an image to open a pop-up menu with options to copy, share, or save the photo to your computer.

Now, let’s look at a few third-party photo transfer apps for the iPhone, iPad, and in some cases, Android devices.

Photo Transfer App

Photo Transfer (iOS(Opens in a new window), Android(Opens in a new window)) allows you to move photos from your iPhone or Android device to your computer via Wi-Fi. If you’re using the free version of the mobile app, you can transfer up to 10 photos at a time. For $6.99, the paid version kicks in more features, such as no transfer limits and full-resolution transfers.

Install the app on your phone and use the dedicated web page(Opens in a new window) to transfer photos onto your computer. Open the app on your phone and click the Send button. A variety of options are available for sending photos, but try the one to send photos over Wi-Fi. If you’re using a Windows PC, tap the Windows icon. The next screen tells you to run the Photo Transfer App on your computer or use your web browser.

If you plan to use the software on a regular basis, I suggest installing the free Windows(Opens in a new window) or Mac(Opens in a new window) version on your computer, as it’s easier to use than the web page. Open the app on your computer, click the Discover Devices button, then select your phone. You can select either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to run the transfer.

On your phone, authorize the connection. Your phone’s photo albums and libraries should appear in the app on your computer. You can now browse through your photos. Right-click a specific photo to download it to your computer, delete it from your phone, or download and delete it. You can also select multiple photos to download or delete in one shot.

PhotoSync

PhotoSync (iOS(Opens in a new window), Android(Opens in a new window)) also uses mobile and desktop apps. You can transfer photos to a Windows or Mac computer, a network-attached storage device, or an online storage site such as OneDrive or Dropbox. The basic app is free but limits your photos to low-quality JPG images. For a one-time purchase of $13.99 or a subscription of 99 cents a month or $2.99 a year, you’ll get higher quality image transfers and other bonus features.

Download the app onto your phone and then install the free PhotoSync Companion(Opens in a new window) for your Windows PC or Mac. Fire up the mobile app, and it automatically displays your camera roll. Select the photos you want to transfer. Tap the red transfer circle in the upper-right corner. You can now opt to transfer all the photos in your library or just the selected images.

Choose the destination, such as your computer, another phone or tablet, or a storage site. If you select your computer, make sure the companion app is running on your Windows PC or Mac. In the mobile app, tap the name of your computer. Your photos are then transferred, and PhotoSync creates a subfolder under your Pictures folder. That folder then opens automatically for you to view the transferred photos.

WiFi Photo Transfer‬

The free WiFi Photo Transfer‬ app (iOS only(Opens in a new window)) generates a local web page on your network from which you can view and download photos from your phone. Fire up the app on your phone and enter the URL displayed on the screen into your desktop browser.

The page shows all the photo libraries from your phone with your most recent photos at the top. Click the Recents link to see all your latest photos. Click the Download in .zip button. Select one or more photos and click the download selected pictures button. The photos are downloaded in a single zip file that you can then unzip on your PC.

This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.