File Transfer works cross-platform on Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and Android. This app does not need any configuration and no need to enter an address to connect. Devices will be automatically discovered, and you can select files, and they are transferred to your devices and computers in seconds over WiFi. Just taking a second stab at something I gave up on last year. Getting Android File transfer to work on my Mac.With the help of this blog post I figured it o.

1. How To Use Android File Transfer On A Mac
2. How To Use Android File Transfer On A Macbook Air

Summary

In an era where smartphones have become the main tool in taking photos, transferring photos from a cell phone to a computer is common. As such you may have to find out how to transfer photos from Samsung to Mac if you have those specific devices.

For those who have Samsung phones and Mac/iMac/MacBook computers, below are some of the methods you can use. You can pick one as you like to download photos from Samsung phone to Mac for backup or freeing up Samsung phone space.

Method 1. How to Transfer Photos from Samsung to Mac with The Best Samsung Transfer for Mac

When you need to transfer photos from Samsung to Mac, a professional Samsung Transfer for Mac - Samsung Messages Backup (Mac Version) is designed for you. We list this program as the first choice because its all-around & powerful functions can provide big convenience for every Android user. Those who do not have a technical background can even use it intuitively.

The Highlights of Samsung Messages Backup (Mac Version)

1) Support photos, music, videos, contacts, call logs, SMS, apps, and so on.

2) Allow previewing files before data transferring.

3) Transfer files between Android and Mac with few clicks (Manage Android files on Mac).

4) No third-party app is required. Easy to use.

5) 100% clean & safe. Without data loss.

6) Support almost all Android phones on the market, including Samsung Galaxy S10/S9/S8/S7/S6, Galaxy Note 9/Note 8, Galaxy A9/A8, and more.

You can free download Samsung Messages Backup to your Mac here and follow the steps to transfer photos from Samsung to Mac easily.

[Step-by-step Tutorial] How Do I Transfer Photos from Samsung to Mac with The Best Samsung Transfer for Mac?

You can have a quick look at the brief steps and learn the details at the following instructions.

Quick Look

1. Launch Samsung Messages Backup software and connect your Samsung phone to the Mac with a USB cable.
2. Preview and tick on the photos from the interface of the program.
3. Click Export to transfer photos from Samsung to Mac without data loss.
4. Additional: Backup your whole Samsung Galaxy to the Mac with 1 click (photos are included).

See the 1-2-3 steps to easily transfer photos from Samsung Galaxy to the Mac

Step 1. Please run the program and connect your Samsung Galaxy to the Mac with a USB cable. You can see the interface as below to let you enable USB debugging on your Samsung phone, just do like the prompts.

Step 2. Follow the on-screen prompts to make the program recognize your Samsung Galaxy. You can enter the main interface of the program, from which you can see all the detected files are sorted into different folders on the left panel.

Step 3. Please go to the Photos folder, choose Phone Gallery and preview the pictures that you want to transfer to your Mac, tick them on.

Step 4. Click the Export button on the top menu bar, then you need to select a local folder to save the transferred photos, confirm your choice and the photos you have ticked are backed up from Samsung phone to the Mac.

Additional: 1-click backup your whole Samsung Galaxy to your Mac.

On the main interface of Samsung Messages Backup, please go to Super Toolkit on the top menu bar. Then click the Backup button, choose a location to save the backups and tap on Back Up. Wait for a few minutes and all the files on your Samsung Galaxy are transferred to your Mac.

You may need:

Method 2. How to Transfer Photos from Samsung to Mac with Android File Transfer

Android File Transfer is one of the most popular desktop apps among Android users. It has many who praise it for its features and at the same a smaller number who have had a bad experience using it. Despite that, it is one of the most reliable Android file-sharing apps you can come across.

Steps to transfer photos from Samsung to Mac using Android File Transfer

1. Install Android File Transfer on your Mac then connect the Samsung device to the Mac computer using a USB cable.
2. Swipe downward on your Samsung screen to go to the notification bar and connect it in MTP mode.
3. Open Android File Transfer on Mac then look for the location of the pictures. You will most likely find them in the Camera folder under DCIM.
4. Create a folder on Mac and select the photos you wish to transfer then drag them over to the folder.

Pros:

- Support to transfer files between Android devices and Mac computers.

- Android phones with Android 3.0 or later are supported.

- Support media files and documents.

Cons:

- Do not allow to preview data before transferring, which makes it harder for the first time users to locate anything they need.

- Only support to import photos from a Samsung Galaxy to Mac one by one.

Check if you need:

Method 3. How to Transfer Photos from Samsung to Mac with Smart Switch

Samsung Smart Switch is one of the fastest photo-sharing apps and is also great for the transfer of other types of files, which is believed to have contributed to its wide popularity. It has both the mobile apps and desktop apps for Mac/Windows, so you can use its Mac version to import photos from Samsung Galaxy to Mac.

Here's how:

1. Install and launch Smart Switch on your Mac.
2. Connect your Samsung device to the Mac with a USB cable and allow access to the phone data on your Samsung screen. After that, Smart Switch will detect your phone automatically.

3. On the main interface, please hit the name of your phone, and go to the Internal memory by tapping on the folder icon.

How To Use Android File Transfer On A Mac

4. You can get a list of files of your phone memory. Please go to DCIM > Camera > select the photos that you like to copy > drag them to the Mac computer.

How To Use Android File Transfer On A Macbook Air

Pros:

- Widely support Android devices with Android 4.3 or later and Mac OS X 10.6 or later.

- Support photos, videos, music, contacts, messages, calendars, and more.

- Support to backup your Samsung to Mac with 1 click.

- Support to restore from iTunes backup.

Cons:

- Do not allow to preview data before transferring.

- When backing up your whole Samsung phone to Mac, the speed is slower than Samsung Messages Backup software (mentioned in Method 1).

Read Also:

Method 4. How to Transfer Photos from Samsung to Mac with Image Capture App

For those who do not like installing third-party software on your Mac computer, the Image Capture app is the most appropriate method for you to copy photos from Samsung to Mac. It comes installed on Mac which means all you have to do is open it and use it.

Here's how:

1. Launch Image Capture app on your Mac.
2. Connect your Samsung device to the Mac with a USB cable, choose the PTP mode from the Samsung notification screen.
3. Select your Samsung phone from the Devices list.
4. Choose a local folder for storing the transferred photos.
5. Preview the photos and choose the ones that you want to copy, then click Import. You can also click Import All to copy all the photos from Samsung to Mac.

Pros:

- Support to preview pictures before copying.

- No third-party software required.

- Allow transferring a large number of pictures at once fast.

- Easy to use.

Cons:

- Only support photos/pictures.

Conclusion

With the 4 simple ways mentioned above, transferring photos from Samsung to Mac will no longer trouble you. Pick one as your will to have a try.

If you need to transfer other files between Samsung Galaxy S10/S9/S8/S7/S6 to the Mac, such as contacts, call logs, SMS, music, videos, apps, and documents, you can choose Samsung Messages Backup, which is a powerful software for Android data management.

Related Articles:

If you have never used your Android device with your Mac machine, you probably have no idea what the Android File Transfer utility is. This guide tells you exactly what this tool is and how you can use it to transfer your files.

Android Manage & Backup Tips

As long as you use a Windows computer, most of the basic things are pretty easy to do on your machine. For example, you can attach almost any device to your computer and have it show up in the Explorer. You can then transfer files to and from the attached device on your machine. But when you make a switch to a Mac, things no longer remain easy.

If you need to transfer files from your Android device to your Mac, you will find that your device does not come up as a storage device in the Finder on your Mac. It is simply because your Mac does not recognize each of your attached devices as a storage device. However, that does not mean you have no way to transfer files between your Android device and your Mac.

Android has developed a dedicated tool that you can run on your Mac and exchange files between your Android and your machine. In the following guide, we take a look at the tool and how you can use it on your machine.

What is Android File Transfer

The tool that allows you to mount your Android device as a storage device on your Mac is called Android File Transfer. As the name implies, it helps you transfer files between your Android and your Mac.

It is actually a regular Mac app that you can download from the official Android website and install on your Mac. Once you have installed the app, all it requires you to do is connect your device to your machine and you are ready to start transferring your files.

Despite having a large number of users, Android has not updated the Android File Transfer tool for a long time. And because of that, you are likely going to encounter issues once in a while with the tool on your machine. We have you covered for that as well, though.

How to Use Android File Transfer on Mac

Now that you know what the tool is, you may want to learn how you can use the Android File Transfer tool to start exchanging files between your Android and your Mac machine.

Using the tool is extremely easy as it does not come preloaded with a ton of options to configure. It is a basic tool that requires minimal configuration, and you can even use it out of the box if you do not want to configure anything at all.

The following shows how you connect your Android phone to your Mac using the aforementioned tool:

Step 1. Head over to the Android File Transfer website and download and install the app on your Mac.

Step 2. Launch the Android File Transfer app from the Launchpad on your Mac.

Step 3. When the app launches, connect your Android device to your computer using a USB cable. Make sure to use the cable that came with your device as third-party cables may cause issues.

Step 4. The app will recognize your device and let you explore your device files from your Mac. You can now copy files from your device to your Mac and vice versa.

Android File Transfer provides you with an easy way to connect your Android device to your Mac and transfer files between your devices.

The Common Android File Transfer Problems and Fixes

Although the tool has not been updated for months, it still works great most of the time. There are some occasions, though, when it may not work the way it is supposed to.

If you ever encounter any issues with the tool, the following common fixes should help you resolve the issues and get the tool to help you transfer your files.

Fix 1. Update the macOS Version on Your Mac

The Android File Transfer app requires your Mac to be running at least macOS version 10.5. If you are not running this version of macOS, you will need to first update the version before you can use the app.

Step 1. Click on the Apple logo at the top-left corner and select About This Mac.

Get to the Mac information panel

Step 2. Click on the Software Update button on the following screen to update the macOS version on your Mac.

Once the macOS version is updated, launch the app again and it should work flawlessly on your machine.

Fix 2. Reboot Your Mac

It may be that there is a small temporary glitch in the system of your Mac. Most of the time, these glitches can be resolved by rebooting your machine.

Restart the Mac

To reboot your Mac, click on the Apple logo at the top left corner of your screen and select Restart. Your Mac will reboot.

Fix 3. Reboot Your Android Device

It may also be that there is a temporary issue in the system of your Android device. Rebooting your device should fix the issue and the following is how you do it.

Press and hold down the Power button on your device. Select Restart from the menu that appears on your screen to restart your Android device.

Fix 4. Update the Android Version on Your Device

The app requires your Android device to be running Android 3.0. While most devices run greater versions of Android than that, it is still a good idea to check the version of Android you have.

Step 1. Head to Settings > About phone on your device and check the current Android version you are running on your device.

Restart your Android device

Step 2. If the version is an older one, head to Settings > System > System updates and download and install a newer version of Android on your device.

Reboot the device and connect the device to your Mac. The app should be able to recognize your device and let you transfer your files.

Fix 5. Replace the USB Cable

If it has been a long time since you bought your Android device, the USB cable you use with the device may have got tear and wear.

It is worth checking if the cable has any issues. If it has, gets it replaced with a new and working one.

Fix 6. Enable USB Debugging on Your Android Device

You should have the USB debugging option enabled on your device for the app to be able to recognize it on your Mac. This option is located in the Settings app but it is hidden by default. You will need to first unhide it before you can enable it, and here we show you how to do just that.

Step 1. Head to Settings > About phone and tap on Build number for 7-8 times. It will say you are a developer.

Step 2. Head back to Settings and tap on Developer options. Then, enable the option that says USB debugging.

Turn on the USB debugging option on your device

Your device should now connect to your Mac without any issues.

The Bottom Line

Connecting an Android phone to a Mac is not as difficult as you might think. As long as you meet the minimum requirements, you can easily connect your device and transfer files to and from it on your Mac machine.

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