In This Article
Have you ever been in a tricky situation where you wanted to transfer files from your Android phone to a PC, but the moment you connected your device to the PC, it was not recognized, and nothing happened at all?
It is a known issue, and I came across this exact same issue with my Samsung Galaxy S21 running Android 14 and One UI 6.1. I wanted to move files from my phone to my PC as I was running out of storage space. I used a USB-C to USB-A cable to connect my phone to my PC running Windows 10, and it didn’t detect my phone. I couldn’t take a backup as my computer failed to recognize my phone as a storage device.
Another thing I noticed on my phone is how it was showing “slow charging,” while at the same time, I didn’t see any option to select “file transfers.” There was no notification about USB configuration and absolutely no prompt to allow access to data.
I tried various workarounds, including:
- Restarted my phone and my PC
- Switched USB ports
- Used multiple USB-C to USB-A cables
- Made sure “Transferring files” was already set as the default USB configuration
- Checked that the Samsung USB Driver (version 1.7.61.0) was installed on the PC
Still, nothing changed. My phone didn’t show up in the File Explorer. The internal storage was not visible.
What I Tried Next
I started searching online communities and forums, and that’s where I came across comments left by some people who suggested that the USB port might be damaged. Others mentioned that certain USB-C cables are designed for charging only and do not support data transfer.
This is when I remembered that I had a USB-C dongle with an SD card hub. When I connected that to my phone, surprisingly, it was recognized as a device for transferring files. But unfortunately, I couldn’t use that hub with my PC directly.
So, this helped me verify that my phone’s USB port is working fine, and maybe the USB-C to USB-A cables I tried didn’t support data transfer.
Another suggestion I found recommended enabling “Developer Options” and “USB Debugging.” I then went to Settings > About Phone > Software Information and tapped the Build Number several times, which unlocked developer settings. After enabling Developer Options, I turned on USB Debugging.
But again, my phone didn’t show any pop-up to allow file transfers.
I saw a post that mentioned using ADB tools, which is actually a part of Google’s Platform Tools. I set it up and tried the “adb devices” command to see if my PC could recognize the phone. That did work, the device showed up in the list. But I still couldn’t transfer files the usual way.
The Manual That Changed Everything
After trying everything that I possibly could, at this point, I visited manymanuals.com and searched for my phone model. I immediately found a full user manual for the Galaxy S21. The instructions provided within the manual included steps that were not explained clearly in any forum I had read.
The manual had a section about USB connection settings, which is precisely what I was looking for. It is suggested to do the following:
- Go to the Developer Options
- Scroll down to “Select USB Configuration”
- Change it to “Charging only”
- After that, switch it back to “MTP”
I followed the exact same instructions to the letter. After changing the setting back to MTP, I reconnected the phone to the PC. This time, I heard a sound, and the phone appeared in File Explorer. Now I could finally access internal storage.
Important Things I Learned
Here I am going to share with you some of the most important things that I learned during this whole process:
1. Not All Cables Work
I realized many USB-C cables are not made for data. Some are designed to work with Android Auto or CarPlay, and these are the type of cables that usually support file transfer. The cable I used before was probably charging-only. That was the reason my phone was not recognized.
2. No Pop-Up Doesn’t Mean No Connection
Sometimes the phone doesn’t show a notification for “Charging this device via USB” or “Allow access to data.” But if you go to the Developer Options, change the USB Configuration, and reconnect your phone to the PC, it will start working again.
3. Using ADB Can Help You Test
If the phone is not showing up in File Explorer, you can perform a quick check with ADB commands and figure out if the PC is able to see the device. If it does, then it verifies that there is no hardware problem. While you are at it, you can even use the “adb pull” command to move files if needed.
Sending Files from PC to Phone, Another Issue
Have you ever used the Phone Link feature for file transfers? I actually decided to try to send files from my PC to the phone using the Phone Link feature. It said the file was sent successfully. But I couldn’t find it in the Downloads folder on my phone.
I then actually had to check deeper within my phone, and I figured out that the file was saved in the following location:
Internal Storage > Downloads > Send from my PC
You must be wondering how I managed to figure this out. It’s the same manual I downloaded earlier, which helped me understand this behavior. To my surprise, every time I sent a file to my phone, a new folder was created in that location. I could move files later, but I just couldn’t simply stop the phone from creating a new folder each time it received a file through the Phone Link feature.
Other Options I Considered
While reading this, you must have been wondering why I didn’t try other wireless file transfer options. I did actually explore other options.
Bluetooth did not work; the PC and phone could see each other, but could not pair. I tried Nearby Share, but it didn’t connect at first. Later, I installed an update, and it worked, but only one way (sending files from phone to PC).
Moreover, I also looked into other apps, which include:
- LocalSend
- Snapdrop
- Orly (works well for photos only, not suitable for all file types)
- X-plore (has a file server that gives a URL you can open on your PC)
- Primitive ftpd
- SendAnywhere
- AirDroid
- Samsung Smart Switch
Some of these apps worked better than the others. X-plore was useful for accessing the file system. With the file server feature, I could open a browser on the PC and transfer files both ways. Snapdrop sometimes didn’t connect, and Nearby Share still had limits. Out of all these, my personal favorite and the simplest was LocalSend, as long as both devices are connected to the same WiFi network.
Concluding Thoughts
I lost a lot of valuable time trying to fix this issue with random cables and forum posts. None of them gave me a complete answer. If I had known about manymanuals.de and gone to it earlier, I would have saved hours. What’s surprising is that I later saw someone’s comment on a tech thread, “Check the Betriebsanleitung, that’s what we call the full manual here in Germany, it usually includes all USB configuration steps.”
That’s when it clicked for me. Whether it’s called a user manual, instruction for use, or Betriebsanleitung, having access to the right document early on makes the whole process easier.
The manual helped me clearly understand in easy words about how USB file transfer works, why some cables don’t work, how to enable Developer Options and USB Debugging, and where to find files that were sent through Phone Link. Every detail was clearly mentioned.
When dealing with common problems like this, it’s easy to assume the phone or PC is broken. But in many cases, the solution is already written down and available somewhere on the internet. You just need the right manual.
