There are many occasions when we want to transfer files between our Android device and our PC. One way to do this is to connect the Android device to the PC via a USB cable. On the other hand, sometimes this does not work for a variety of reasons. Below I describe how I set up my Android and PC so I can transfer files between them.

File transfer from Android to PC

I use Bluetooth for this, and there are two components: Hardware and software. On the hardware side, you’ll want to make sure your PC is Bluetooth-ready. My PC did not have Bluetooth capabilities, so I bought a Bluetooth adapter (IOgear IOGBU421) to make sure my PC can communicate via Bluetooth. On the software side, I used Bluetooth OBEX File Transfer from Medieval Software. I downloaded and installed the PC version, and then I downloaded and installed the Android app version to my Android phone. Both versions are free. Once installations are complete, start the app in Android, and then open the file transfer program in PC. You’ll be able to connect to your Android device and download the files from your Android device.

Please note the following when using Bluetooth OBEX File Transfer:

1. Every time you connect to the Android device, you’ll want to hit “Refresh” to ensure the latest content shows up. Otherwise you may simply get the cached file listing.

2. Sometimes the connection would be lost in the middle of a transfer. When that happens, I simply remove the partially transferred file from my PC, close Bluetooth OBEX File Transfer on the PC, wait for some time (20 minutes is usually sufficient), and restart the program. The connection should be OK by then.

3. By default, transferring the file does not delete the file on the Android phone. If you want to delete the transferred file from the Android phone, you can do so from the PC program.

4. You’ll also want to check that the Bluetooth OBEX File Transfer app is running on your Android phone (by default it should start when your Android phone is turned on, so usually the app should be running). If the app is not running, you wont’ be able to connect from your PC.

File transfer from PC to Android

For transferring files from PC to Android, I use Dropbox. I installed Dropbox on the PC and on the Android phone. To transfer files from PC to Android, I first copy the file into the Dropbox folder on the PC. Next, I go to the Android device, and start the Dropbox app. Once the app opens up, I can see the file I’d like to copy over. I then tap on the file name I want to copy over and the file will be downloaded to my Android device.