Sometimes you need to send photos in bulk or several large files from Android to Mac. However, when you connect your Android smartphone or tablet to a Mac then you find nothing happens! Transferring files from Android to Mac causes users a lot of trouble, to be true. Sometimes it's related to the compatibility issue. Then how to download pictures from an Android phone to Mac?
This article will give you 4 practical and easy ways to transfer Android files to Mac. You can choose any of the methods that suit you most!
Solution 1: Use Android File Transfer
The best way to send files to Mac is using Android File Transfer. It is an official tool developed by the Android team, small but powerful, allowing you to browse and transfer files between your Mac and your Android device. Notice that it only supports Android 3.0 or later; and it can read and transfer the files and folders only in the internal storage and portable storage of your Android device, so it can't transfer contacts, messages or call logs. But it's free and safe to use it to send files! All you have to do is:
Download the app from Android File Transfer.
Open the “androidfiletransfer.dmg” file and drag Android File Transfer to the Applications folder.
- Open the app and connect your Android device to your Mac with a USB cable as a media device.
- Now you are able to browse your phone's internal storage and portable storage. You can drag files and folders (up to 4GB) to your Mac.
Solution 2: Transfer Photos with FonePaw
It is a pity that the Android team stopped updating Android File Transfer, so for some phones, it may not work properly. When such an situation happens, there is an Android File Transfer tool as a reliable and convenient alternative - FonePaw Android Data Recovery for Mac (opens new window).
Don't feel confused by its name. Besides an Android file recovery tool, FonePaw Android Data Recovery is a powerful and versatile tool that allows you to transfer Android photos to Mac.
Also, you can utilize it to transfer files, including contacts, messages, call logs and other data that Android File Transfer can't read and transfer to your Mac computer.
To provide a better user experience, you can have options to preview pictures and videos before moving your photos to Mac for backup and therefore free up space on your Android device. Of course, FonePaw Android Data Recovery also allows you to recover deleted data safely and easily and provide features to save the deleted files on your Mac.
Download FonePaw Android Data Recovery and install it to have a try right now.
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Now launch FonePaw Android Data Recovery and connect your Android device to your Mac with a USB cable. There are only four steps to send files from your Android device to your Mac.
- Connect your Android device to Mac. Enable USB debugging on your phone.
- Select the file type that you want to backup then the app will start to ask for access to your Android data. For example, if you want to send photos from Android to Mac, just choose the particular type in "Media". But notice that the app will only scan the type of files that you choose in order to save time.
- Authorized after FonePaw gets permission, it will start scanning. FonePaw Android Data Recovery can also locate your deleted files. And if you don't need to recover the deleted files, you can stop scanning when the progress bar does not move for a long time. After the scan is finished, click on "Recover" and you can choose where to save your files.
Note:
Standard Scan can only find out the files that already in your device. If you need to recover the hidden or deleted files, try Deep Scan<.
- When the transfer process is done, go check your selected photos in the output folder where you can find all your files well-organized according to formats.
Solution 3: Use Samsung Smart Switch for Mac
The third solution we’re offering here is to transfer pictures via Google Photos from Android to Mac.
It’s a storage service provided by Google, and the only preparation you need to do is to download the Google Photos app on your Android device and have a Google account. If you are using Gmail, you can conveniently log in with your Gmail account. It’s easy to sync photos between your Android phone and other compatible devices.
Below is a brief tutorial on how to transfer photos from Android to Mac via Google Photos:
STEP 1. Download and install Google Photos on your Android phone.
STEP 2. Open the app and tap “…” on the top-left corner. Select "Settings" and then enable "Back up & sync".
STEP 3. Use your Mac's browser to access Google Photos, and sign in with the same credentials. You can see the photos you have chosen appear on the browser. Just choose the photos you'd like to save.
STEP 4. Click "More" next to the photo and select "Download" to save it to your Mac.
Solution 4: Use Samsung Smart Switch for Mac
For Samsung smartphones, an app called Smart Switch developed by Samsung is safe and fast to use. Originally, it was made for users who are switching from old Android devices, iOS, BlackBerry, or Windows mobile to a new Samsung Galaxy smartphone, but it can also be used to send files to Mac.
By the way, there is a similar app for LG, called LG Bridge. With such tools, you can manage content on your device wirelessly or simply back up and restore files via USB.
Though both of them are for certain devices, it is convenient and efficient to transfer files from Samsung or LG smartphones to Mac. Here we take using Smart Switch as an example:
Download the app fromSmart Switch then install it. (For LG phones, download LG Bridge here and follow the steps showed in the website.)
Connect your Samsung device to your Mac with USB cable;
Just click on the "Backup" button then it will backup your contacts, emails, applications and etc. automatically.
FAQ on Transferring Files from Android to Mac
Q1: It seems most methods require a USB cable. Can I transfer photos from Android to Mac wirelessly?
A: Yes. Actually, the third method with Google Photos does not need the USB.
If you don't have a Google account and don't want one either, you may try the following steps with your Android device and a non-Google e-mail address:
Step 1: Open the Gallery on your Android phone and select the photos you want to transfer.
Step 2: Tap “Share” to send the selected photos.
Step 3: Choose e-mail as the way to transfer.
Step 4: The selected pictures will be added to an e-mail. You just need to send it to the available address.
Step 5: Open a browser on your Mac and sign in to the e-mail. Then you can receive the photos in the mail. Just download them and save them on your Mac.
Q2: Can I also transfer files that are not photos from Android to Mac via the methods above?
A: Except for Google Photos, the other 3 methods also allow you to transfer files in other formats from Android to Mac. The steps are much similar to that of transferring pictures.
All the above is the 4 efficient ways to transfer Android files or photos to Mac. Could the above solutions help with the issue? Welcome to share it with your friends and feel free to share your ideas below.