I'm trying to move a large collection of photos and videos from my Samsung phone to my Lenovo laptop, but I'm not sure where to start or which transfer method is safest. I'd like to avoid losing files or having the transfer fail halfway through.
4 Answers
Use a USB cable that supports data transfer, not just charging. Connect the phone, swipe down to open the USB notification, and select “File transfer.” Your phone should then appear in File Explorer on the laptop. Open it, go to DCIM > Camera, and copy the photos and videos to a folder on the computer. For a large collection, copy the files in several batches and keep the phone connected until each batch finishes.
For extra verification, a file-sync tool such as FreeFileSync can compare the phone and laptop folders and help confirm that everything copied correctly. It can also handle the transfer, although File Explorer is usually simpler for a basic copy.
You can also use a cloud service such as Google Photos, Google Drive, or OneDrive. If the files are already backed up, sign in to the same account on the laptop and download them. This is convenient, but a USB transfer is usually faster for a very large number of videos and photos.
If the phone doesn’t appear on the laptop, check the cable first because some USB cables only provide power. Try another cable or USB port, then make sure File transfer is selected on the phone. After copying, open a few videos and check the number of files before deleting anything from the phone.
Good to know about copying in batches. I’ll use copy and paste rather than cut and paste so the originals stay on the phone until I’ve confirmed everything transferred.