The Ultimate Guide to Transferring Videos from Android to PC

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Transfer video files of any size from your Android to your computer

Written by Cory Stillman

Last Updated: June 16, 2024 Fact Checked

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Transferring Large Video Files on Google Drive

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Transferring Videos Using a USB Cable

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Transferring Videos from Android to PC over Email

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This wikiHow article shows you how to move videos from your Android phone or tablet to your PC. Fortunately, transferring these videos is much easier than transferring videos from a camera. For shorter videos, you can send them to yourself over email. For larger files, though, you'll want to either connect your Android to your computer with a USB cable or upload the video file to Google Drive. Either way, we have you covered with everything you need to know!

Moving Video Files to a PC from Android

Connect your Android device to your computer with a USB cable, then tap the USB notification that appears on your device. Then, when you see the "Use USB for..." prompt, choose "File Transfer." Use your computer to drag and drop videos.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Transferring Large Video Files on Google Drive

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1
Tap the Google Drive icon to open the app. The icon looks like a green, yellow and blue stylized triangle.
- You can find the Google Drive app in the Google Play Store if you do not own it already.
- If this is your first time using the app, you'll be prompted to sign in with your Google account information.
This icon is near the bottom right side of the screen.

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This icon looks like an upward-pointing arrow over a straight horizontal line.
This opens your media library.
The Upload option is in the upper right corner of the screen.
6
Switch to your computer and visit drive.google.com .
- If you're not currently logged in to Google on the computer, you'll be prompted to log in upon visiting the site.
This option is on the left side of the Google Drive screen. You may need to scroll down a bit to reveal it.
This brings up a contextual menu.
The video is downloaded to your computer. ^{[1]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Transferring Videos Using a USB Cable

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Enter your passcode to unlock the device.
2
Connect a USB cable from your phone to your computer. The small end goes in your device and the large end goes in your computer.
- The exact location of the USB plug will vary depending on your hardware, but the mini-USB port on the device is usually on the bottom. On laptop computers, the port is usually on the side, and on desktop computers, it's usually on the front or back.
This opens a file transfer window on your computer.
5
Double-click on the folder that contains your videos.
- The exact name of the folder that contains the videos varies by device, but you can usually find them in the DCIM folder, the Camera folder, the Photos folder, or the Videos folder.
6
Drag and drop the videos from your phone to your PC.
- To drag and drop, click on a video and hold the mouse button down, then move the video to a folder on your PC and release the mouse button. ^{[3]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Transferring Videos from Android to PC over Email

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It is likely the Photos app on a Google Pixel, but its exact name may vary across different Android models.
Scroll through your gallery until you find the video you need to transfer.
It is along the bottom of your screen on most phones.
4
Tap an email option. Use Gmail, Outlook, or your e-mailing app of choice. This will open an e-mail template with your video already attached.
- If your video is over 25MB, Gmail may prompt you to upload it to Google Drive. If this is the case, you may consider using this method instead.
Enter your own email address, or any email address that you can check from a PC.
Open the email you just sent to yourself. The method you use to check this email will vary depending on your email service.
9
Click Save Link As from the pop-up menu.
- Depending on your email service or browser, this option may be listed as Save or Download instead.
10
Click OK . This opens the video on your computer.
- Depending on your browser, the option may be listed as Open or Open File instead.