How to Transfer Photos from Android Phone to External Hard Drive [4 Simple Ways]

Summary

From USB 1.0 to USB 3.2, it means that people have higher requirements on file transfer speed. Most of us usually use Android phones and hard drives for our work and study. So how to transfer photos from Android phone to external hard drive with ease? To save you time, we have listed 4 efficient approaches for photos transfer in this article. Even though you intend to back up batches of pictures to an external hard drive, you won't spend a whole day on it.

Part 1: How to Transfer Photos from Android Phone to External Hard Drive via Android Photo Manager

Nowadays, it is easy to connect a phone to an external hard drive on a computer to access both of them. So, what you need is this seamless Android photo manager - Samsung Messages Backup. No matter how many pictures you have on your phone, it can transfer pictures from Android to an external hard drive at once. Also, you can export photos selectively.

Key characteristics of this Android photos transfer tool:

- Help you swiftly transfer files from a phone to a hard drive.

- You can also use it to import files from your hard drive to your Android phone/tablet.

- Support photos, apps, music, documents, videos, contacts, call logs, and text messages.

- Don't alter file formats or quality after transferring your files.

- Allow you to preview your photos and other files before you move them.

- You can create new albums and move pictures to these albums.

- Widely compatible with most Android mobile devices, including Honor Magic3 Pro/Magic3/P50 Pro/P 50, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4/Z Flip4/Z Fold3/Z Flip3/Z Fold/Z Flip, ZTE Axon 50 Ultra/Axon 40 Ultra/Axon 40 Pro/Axon 30 Ultra/Axon 30 Pro/S30/nubia Z30 Pro/nubia Red Magic 6, Google, OnePlus, Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo, and more.

Download this Android file manager for free below.

Here's how to transfer photos from Samsung to the external hard drive in 1 click:

Step 1. Install the Transfer Software

After the download, please install it on your computer, and click the "Android Assistant" tab on the interface.

Step 2. Link Android to Computer

Link your Android Samsung device to the computer via a USB cable, and enable the USB debugging on Android. Then it will quickly recognize your mobile phone.

Step 3. Back Up Android Phone to an External Hard Drive

- Next, please tap the "Super Toolkit" > "Backup" option, and you can select the file types on the popup.

- After that, tap the "Browse" button to choose your hard drive. Finally, hit the "Back Up" button to save your select files to the hard drive.

Bonus:

Planning to transfer your photos from Android to PC Windows 10? Why not use these methods?

It is easy to transfer photos from Mac to Android with these methods. If you are interested in this topic, you can click it.

Part 2: How to Transfer Pictures from Android to External Hard Drive via a USB OTG Adaptor

Are you curious about how to transfer files from Android to an external hard drive without a computer? In fact, it is simple. As long as you get a USB OTG adaptor, you can directly move your pictures to the hard drive. Please note that not all the OTG adaptors are compatible with your Android device. You'd better check if the port is suitable for your device before you buy it.

Guide on how to transfer photos from a tablet to an external hard drive via a USB OTG:

Step 1. Make a Connection

Use your USB OTG connector to connect your Android tablet to the hard drive. Then your device will detect your drive. If prompted, please choose the "File Transfer" option on your phone.

Step 2. Move Pictures to the Hard Drive

- Open the File Manager, and navigate to the folder storing your photos. Then select the photos you want, and choose the "Move" or "Copy" option to transfer them to your hard drive.

- By the way, to avoid losing pictures because of transfer errors, it is recommended to copy your photos.

Read also:

With these proven tips, you can also move pictures from an SD card to a computer.

With these methods, you can easily move iPhone photos to a USB drive. Let's take a look.

Part 3: How to Transfer Photos from Samsung to External Hard Drive via Android File Transfer (on Mac)

How can you transfer photos from Samsung to an external hard drive if you are a Mac user? It's time to welcome our old friend - Android File Transfer, a necessary tool to access Android devices on Mac. With it, you can pick the desired Android files before the transmission.

Steps on how to transfer photos from Samsung to a hard drive using Android File Transfer:

Step 1. Connect Samsung Device to Mac

After installing Android File Transfer on the Mac computer, please use a data cable to connect your Samsung device to Mac. Then link your external hard drive to Mac via another available cable.

Step 2. Access Your Device

Launch Android File Transfer, and you can open your Samsung folder on Mac. Next, open the folder on your hard drive.

Step 3. Drag and Drop Photos

You can now drag and drop the photos from Samsung to your hard drive. After the transmission is over, you can disconnect them from your Mac.

Further reading: Want to copy your Android photos to Mac wirelessly? Check it out.

Part 4: How to Transfer Files from Samsung to External Hard Drive via MTP

It is much easier to transfer files from Samsung to an external hard drive on a Windows PC using the MTP extension, because you needn't install any program. However, it is slightly slow when you transfer quantities of photos, especially when your device is USB Type-C 2.0.

Here's how to transfer files from Samsung to a hard drive via MTP:

Step 1. Establish Connections

Please use USB cables to respectively connect your Samsung phone and external hard drive to your computer. Then choose the "MTP" option on your phone.

Step 2. Go to This PC

Double-click This PC icon on the desktop, and you can open folders from your mobile device and hard drive.

Step 3. Select and Transfer Files

Please select the content you plan to transfer from your Samsung phone. Then copy them to your hard drive's folder. Next, wait for the process to get completed.

Conclusion

It is useful to learn how to transfer photos from an Android phone to an external hard drive in the digital era. So, do the previous methods help you? Time is valuable so that you can use the Android photo manager - Samsung Messages Backup, to complete the file transfer with simple clicks. If needed, you can breezily manage your photos and other Android files on the computer.

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Sophie Green Chief Editor

Sophie Green, Chief Editor of Samsung-messages-backup website, has been focusing on the realm of Android Recovery, Android Transfer (Backup), Android Device Tips, Phone Clean, and Phone Transfer technologies. Recognized contributions on leading platforms attest to her esteemed expertise and reliability.