Hey everyone, I've been struggling to transfer my albums from my Samsung S21+ to Windows 11 for the past two months. I've tried using OneDrive, Bluetooth, and even a cable, but nothing seems to work. Unfortunately, my phone's storage is nearly full (128 GB), and I have a ton of photos—around 10,000 in various albums. I don't want to lose any of these important memories while trying to free up space on my phone.
I've managed to download them from OneDrive, but the process is super slow. I can download up to 500 photos at once, but I've encountered corruption issues where about 400 of them become inaccessible. Recently, I attempted to transfer via cable, but even with USB Type-C and the MTP setting enabled, it just charges my phone without allowing file access. I also tried Bluetooth as a last resort, but it ended the same way—lots of corrupted files.
Can anyone suggest a solution? I really need to get these photos off my phone without risking losing them!
3 Answers
A Type-C to Type-A cable might do the trick. Check to see if your PC detects the device when you plug it in. Open Device Manager and see if the list refreshes. If it doesn’t, your PC might not recognize the phone at all, and it's only charging!
Have you considered trying Google Drive? It might be quicker than OneDrive for bulk uploads. Just keep in mind that if you're moving a lot of images at once, you could still run into file corruption issues. Some users have that problem too. Maybe give it a shot with smaller batches?
I have tried that, but if I move more than 10 images at a time, the same file corruption happens. I'm stuck with both OneDrive and Google Drive subscriptions, but neither helps in this case.
If you're using a cable, make sure it’s a good quality one, preferably a Samsung original. Also, ensure your phone is unlocked while connected. You should be able to access files directly from your PC. The Phone Link app might be worth a try too. Plus, consider increasing your Google Drive storage for backups. It's affordable and could save you headaches later!
I already have the 100GB subscription and I'm using a Samsung fast charging cable. Phone Link didn’t help either—it fails like Bluetooth.
My PC doesn’t detect anything. It just charges my phone. I’ll get a USB-C to USB-A cable and see if that changes anything. I think I’ve had better luck with Type-A in the past.