Samsung Galaxy J5/J5 Prime – How to Move Files to PC

Nik Read more February 24, 2019

Your Samsung Galaxy J5 or J5 Prime comes with about 10 GB of internal storage space, which you can expand by up to 128 GB (J5) or 256 GB (J5 Prime) using a microSD card. While this will be enough for most users, some will still scramble to find free space for their audio files, digital downloads, and Netflix content stored for offline viewing.

Samsung Galaxy J5/J5 Prime – How to Move Files to PC

Luckily, you can easily free up space from your J5 or J5 Prime by transferring some of the files you no longer need to your PC. This is also very convenient if you just want to back up your files to prevent data loss in case your phone gets broken, lost, or stolen.

Moving Files to PC

To move files from your smartphone to a PC, follow these simple steps:

Step 1 – Connect Your Smartphone to Your PC

Take the data cable that came with your phone and plug the smaller (Micro-USB B) connector into the socket on the bottom of your smartphone. The other connector (USB A) should go your computer’s USB port. Make sure that your phone is turned on while you’re doing this or the following steps won’t work.

Step 2 – Set Up Your Phone for File Transfer

Slide your fingers down from the top of the screen to pull down the status bar and the Quick Settings menu. You will see a notification with the text “USB for File Transfer” written on it. Tap on the notification to open up the USB Settings menu.

The USB Settings menu will give you four options: Transferring Media Files, Transferring Images, Connecting MIDI Devices, and Charging. Since you’ll be transferring various types of media files, you should tap on Transferring Media Files.

Step 3 – Browse the Files on Your Phone

After you set your phone for USB file transfer, your computer will recognize the device. If you have AutoPlay enabled, a window will pop-up on your screen with several options to choose from. To browse the files stored on your Samsung Galaxy J5 or J5 Prime, you need to click on Open Folder to View Files.

If the pop-up menu doesn’t appear automatically, you should click on the Windows Explorer icon in the taskbar. Alternatively, you can press the Windows key and the letter E on your keyboard to access Windows Explorer. When the Explorer window opens, find your phone in the panel on the left side of the screen and click on its name to browse its contents.

Step 4 – Move Files to Your PC

Find the files you want to move to your PC, select them all, and then right-click on one of them. If you want to copy the files to your computer and delete them from your phone, click on Cut in the drop-down menu. If you want the files to stay on your phone after you’ve copied them to your PC, click Copy instead.

Create a folder on your computer where you want to move the files. Open this folder, right-click on an empty area inside it, and select Paste from the drop-down menu. Depending on the size of the files you’re copying and the speed of the USB connection, file transfer can take anywhere from a few minutes to more than an hour. Don’t cancel the process mid-transfer, as some files may get damaged.

The Final Word

Although it requires time and effort, transferring files from your Samsung Galaxy J5 or J5 Prime is fairly simple. Once you’re done, click on the USB icon in the system tray to safely disconnect your smartphone. As soon as you see a notification in the bottom right corner of your computer screen informing you that it’s safe to remove hardware, you can unplug the USB cable from the PC.

Repeat this process on a regular basis to free up space on your phone and ensure that you have backup copies of your files in case of emergency.