With these tricks you can easily transfer any file from your mobile to a USB memory (or vice versa)

como pasar archivos memoria usb a movil android

With the popularity of cloud storage platforms, it’s getting rarer every day to store things on local storage devices . However, we all have a USB flash drive or an external hard drive where we store large files or files that cannot be posted on the Internet for privacy or security.

Viewing or transferring these files on the computer is really simple, it is also on your mobile, but there is a previous problem: the connection. For convenience and space, your smartphone does not have a USB-A connection, so you cannot directly connect devices of this type to it. Luckily, there is always a solution to everything (or two), because today we will teach you how to transfer files from a USB stick to your Android (or vice versa) .

Use your computer to transfer files from a USB stick to your Android phone

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The cheapest method to transfer data between a USB storage device and your phone is definitely to use a computer as a bridge between the two. Whether you have Windows, Mac or Linux, they are all able to identify both devices and allow you to transfer files between them.

The best? You only need the USB cable that comes with your mobile , or another that supports data transfer. What should you do? Follow these steps:

  1. Connect the USB stick or external hard drive to your computer .
  2. Connect the mobile to your PC using the USB cable.
  3. Take your phone and select “File transfer” in the notification that appeared on the screen.
  4. Go back to your computer and use the file explorer to navigate to the USB stick.
  5. Select and copy (or cut) the file that you are going to transfer to the mobile.
  6. Open your mobile storage and navigate to the folder where you will save the file.
  7. Paste the file you wanted to transfer , wait for the process to finish and that’s it.

In case you want to transfer a file from your mobile to the USB memory, all you have to do is reverse the order of copying and pasting. From step 4 onwards, starting in your mobile storage and ending in the USB memory.

By the way, this is the classic method using the computer and a cable, but it is also possible to do them through the WiFi of your home or work. Likewise, you will use a computer as a bridge, but your mobile will not be physically connected to it. How can you do it? Through our tutorials on how to share files over WiFi between your PC and mobile with ShareDrop or ES File Explorer.

How to transfer files from a USB stick to your mobile using OTG

transferir archivos memoria usb a movil android con otg

You may not know it, but most cell phones have supported the USB OTG (On-The-Go) standard for several years. What does this standard do? It allows your mobile to recognize and interact with other devices connected via USB, becoming their host (host).

Among its functionalities, it allows you to transfer and even play the files that are on the USB memory with your mobile . It also allows a lot of other things, as we show you in our tricks guide to take advantage of the OTG of your mobile.

What is the best of all? That you only need an OTG cable or adapter that allows a connection from USB-A to USB-C. There are dozens of options available on the market at different prices, but not every cable or adapter is of good quality, some are practically disposable. Thinking about quality and economy, in the end we will leave you two Amazon links so you can buy what you need. Now, what should you do to connect the USB memory to your mobile using OTG? This:

  1. Connect the USB stick to the OTG cable or adapter .
  2. Connect the other end of the OTG cable to your mobile .
  3. Confirm the connection on your mobile (some manufacturers require it, others do not).
  4. Open your favorite file explorer , start browsing and transferring the files.

Be careful, this also works for other storage systems with a USB connection, such as an external hard drive or an SD card to USB adapter. Normally, you won’t have to do anything extra, because OTG is factory-enabled on many phones . However, in the case of OPPOs, it is necessary to activate the OTG manually.

And if you have doubts about the compatibility of your mobile with OTG, you can always check it with USB OTG Checker.

The best OTG cables and adapters to transfer your files to and from your mobile

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We leave you different options of cables or USB adapter compatible with OTG, so that you can choose the option that best suits your needs:

If you want the classic option, we recommend the UGREEN OTG cable, with transfer speeds of up to 5 Gbps thanks to its USB 3.1 connectivity. It costs only €9.99 on Amazon .

Buy the UGREEN OTG cable on Amazon

If you prefer convenience, then UGREEN OTG adapter is better for you. It’s super small, has good transfer speeds (up to 480 Mbps), and comes in a 2-pack of adapters. It costs €12.99 on Amazon .

Buy the UGREEN OTG adapter on Amazon

Lastly, if you want as much compatibility as possible and are willing to pay a bit more, you can buy the TSUPY 7-in-1 USB OTG Adapter . It costs €25.99 at Amazon , but you can connect: three USB-A 3.0 sticks, a USB-C device, HDMI cable, as well as SD and microSD cards. All in one device.

Buy the TSUPY 7 in 1 OTG adapter on Amazon