Want to copy a file to or from your PC without having to faff about with USB drives? Jonathan Parkyn explains the easiest, fastest ways to transfer files between your devices
Windows to Windows
Emailing yourself files or using a USB memory stick is fine for the occasional transfer, but if you often need to move files between Windows PCs, then setting up a shared folder is the smartest option. First, make sure all the PCs are connected to the same network and belong to the same HomeGroup. To do this, click Start, type homegroup and click the HomeGroup option on each PC to either create or join a HomeGroup as required. Certain libraries are shared among HomeGroup PCs by default, including Music, Pictures and Videos, and you can also add specific folders.
Navigate to the folder you want to share, then right-click it and select ‘Share with’, then choose ‘HomeGroup (Read/Write)’ - or, if you’re using Windows 8, ‘HomeGroup (view and edit)’. To access the folder from another PC, open an Explorer window, click your HomeGroup on the left and browse for the folder on the remote PC.
If you’re transferring files between PCs that aren’t on the same network, see the ‘Transfer any file to any platform’ box, opposite.
Windows to Mac OS X
You can use shared folders to transfer files between Macs and Windows PCs over a network, too. On the Windows PC, right-click the network icon in the Notification Area and select ‘Network and Sharing Center’, then click ‘Change advanced settings’ and make sure Network Discovery and File Sharing are both turned on. Tick the ‘Use user accounts and passwords’ option under ‘HomeGroup connections’, then navigate to the folder you want to share on your PC. Right-click it and select Properties, then click the Sharing tab and click Advanced Sharing. Tick the ‘Share this folder’ box and click Permissions, then tick Allow for all options and click OK three times.
On your Mac, open Finder. You should see your Windows PC’s name under Shared on the left. Click it, then click Connect As and type your Windows username and password before clicking Connect. You’ll see your shared folder, and be able to drag and drop files to transfer them to and from your PC.
Linux to Windows
A quick way to transfer files between a Windows PC and a Linux (Ubuntu, for example) computer is to use FTP. On the Ubuntu computer, open the Terminal and type sudo apt-get install openssh-server then press Enter. On your Windows PC, install FileZilla (bit.ly/fileziIla376) and run it. In the Host box, type your Linux computer’s IP address. Enter your Linux login details in the Username and Password boxes and enter 22 under Port, then click Quickconnect. You should now be able to browse your Linux PC from your Windows computer and transfer files back and forth between them.
Android to Windows
You could just plug your Android device into your PC using USB but these days, let's face it, cables are a hassle. For full wireless transfers between your devices, grab yourself a copy of the free ES File Explorer File Manager app from Google Play (bit.ly/esfile376). Once it’s installed, tap the three-line Menu button, then tap Network followed by LAN. Tap New and enter your PC’s IP address under Server, along with your Windows login under Username and Password. If you don’t know your PC’s IP address, you can find this out by clicking Start, typing cmd and pressing Enter on your keyboard, then typing ipconfig and pressing Enter again - the IP address will be listed under IPv4 Address.
Once you’ve entered these details in ES File Explorer, an icon for your PC will appear under LAN. From here, you can browse and transfer files from any of your PCs shared folders (see the first two tips for instructions on sharing folders).
To wirelessly access your Android device’s files from your PC, tap the menu button in ES File Explorer, then tap Network, Remote Manager and ‘Turn on’. You’ll see an ftp address. Type this into the address bar of an Explorer window on your PC to access folders on your Android device and transfer files to and from them.
Windows to iOS
Apple iPhones and iPads make it notoriously difficult to transfer files, even when plugged in via USB. But, thankfully, there’s a free way to easily make wireless file transfers without jailbreaking your device.
Install and run FileApp on your iOS device (bit.ly/fileapp376). Tap File Sharing and switch on Sharing. You’ll see a username and password, which you can change to anything you want. Underneath, you’ll see an IP address. On your PC, open a browser and type the IP address into the address bar, then press Enter. When prompted, enter the username and password shown in FileApp. Now you can drag and drop files into the browser window or click ‘Upload files’ and browse your PC. The files you transfer can be found in the Downloads folder under FileApp’s ‘Files and Folders’.
Android to Android or iOS to iOS
You can transfer files between two Android devices via Bluetooth, but it’s slow and unreliable. Instead, you could use Wi-Fi Direct, which is much faster and more stable. Most recent Android devices have Wi-Fi Direct built in. On your first device, tap Settings, Wi-Fi, Menu (the three-dots icon), Advanced, then Wi-Fi Direct. Tap the device listed under‘Peer devices’ to send an invitation, then tap Accept on your other device. Use ES File Explorer File Manager to locate the file you want, then long tap it and tap Send. Now select the other Android device and tap Send. For devices without Wi-Fi Direct built-in, try using a third-party app, such as SuperBeam (free, bit.ly/superbeam376)
Similarly, you can use AirDrop to transfer between newer iOS devices such as the iPhone 5 and 4th generation iPad. Swipe the Control Center up from the bottom of the screen on both devices and tap AirDrop to turn it on, then locate your file and tap the Share button. Select the icon for the person you want to transfer to, then tap Accept on the other device when the notification appears.
Android to iOS
To transfer files between any mobile devices - however old and whatever OS they are running - try the free app Feem Lite (bit.ly/feemdroid376 for Android, bit.ly/feemios376 for iOS). The two devices have to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network or hotspot. Install and open the app on both devices, then browse one device for a file you want to send, select it and tap Share. The other device will appear as a destination - tap it to send the file which, once transferred, will appear in Feem’s Camera, Music or Files folder (depending on the type of file) on the destination device.
TRANSFER ANY FILE TO ANY PLATFORM
If you want the freedom to transfer files between any devices, regardless of the operating system they run, a number of options are available. The obvious route is to use a cloud-storage service, such as Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive. Any files saved here can be accessed from any device once you’ve logged in with your account. Large files (up to 2GB) can be transferred over the web for free using the excellent WeTransfer (www.wetransfer.com).
Another great way to move files around is by using Pushbullet. Install the app for your Android (bit.ly/pushdroid376) or iOS (bit.ly/pushios376) device, then get the Chrome (bit.ly/pushchrome376) or Firefox (bit.ly/pushfox376) extension for your PC. You can now ‘push’ content - including text messages, links, files, maps and more - to specific devices.