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I am using a cloud service (Dropbox) when I am using internet for file transfer. But how can I transfer files between my PC and my Android device without going via the Internet? and of course without using data cable.

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Please note that this kind of questions are off topic here per FAQ ("Is there an app for X"). Aside from that: Just connect your device to your PC via USB is the easiest method. No additional app needed. – Izzy Dec 24 '12 at 11:48
Oh. Sorry for that. I was unaware. – najus Dec 24 '12 at 12:08
I noticed :) You can easily circumvent this by rephrasing your question to something like "How can I transfer files from PC to phone without Internet", and in the question's text do not fix it to apps. Being open for all solutions (e.g. also the one with the USB cable) makes your question fully valid and on-topic again, so nobody can complain :) – Izzy Dec 24 '12 at 12:23
As you didn't re-phrase your question, and the first close-votes come in, I did it for you to prevent your question from being closed. I hope I reflected your interest -- if not, feel free to edit your question again. – Izzy Dec 24 '12 at 14:16
@Izzy, Edited. Not fixed to apps. – najus Dec 25 '12 at 3:26
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closed as not constructive by Al Everett, Liam W, Zuul, roxan, t0mm13b Dec 24 '12 at 17:25

As it currently stands, this question is not a good fit for our Q&A format. We expect answers to be supported by facts, references, or specific expertise, but this question will likely solicit debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion. If you feel that this question can be improved and possibly reopened, see the FAQ for guidance.

1 Answer

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There are multiple solutions available:

Using an USB Cable

If you connect your device to your PC via an USB cable, it shares (parts of) its storage to the PC. With versions prior to Android 4.x your device usually identifies as USB storage (like any external disk/USB-stick attached), never Android versions might use MTP instead, which might require special drivers on your PC to be used.

Once connected, you can transfer files easily between PC and Android device.

Using a card reader

If your device features a slot for sd cards, you could simply remove the sd card from your device (remember to unmount it first via the device's setup menu), put it into a card reader, and attach it to the PC. It should then pop-up on your PC as "USB storage" as described above.

Wireless solutions (Browser-based)

There are a bunch of wireless solutions available -- and this is not the place to list them all. Principially, you can install any FTP/Web server, and configure it to offer the directories you wish to access.

As this might be too complicated for many users, there are quite easy solutions. The probably most well-known is AirDroid, which offers a nice interface to manage almost your entire device from your PC:

Airdroid

As the example screenshot shows, a file browser is included -- and permits you to upload and download files to/from your device.

A second example for an easy-to-use app would be WiFi File Transfer, which -- as the name suggests -- is specialized to transfer files via WiFi:

WiFi File Transfer

There are many more possibilities, just check the playstore. A good starting point are the playstore pages of the mentioned two examples, then lookup related apps.

Other Wireless Solutions

There are many more wireless solutions available. As Logos mentioned it in his comment, I will add some examples here for completeness:

Samba

You can use apps like Samba Filesharing to turn your Android device into a Samba server. In short, Samba (or SMB, or CIFS) is the protocol used by Windows shares. Linux also understands this protocol. Using Samba, one thus can access the Android device's file system (without root, this will be restricted to the internal/external sd card) like any Samba-/Windows share.

WebDAV

Several apps like e.g. DavDrive can share the Android device's storage via the WebDAV protocol. This works via HTTP, but can also be accessed like a "shared drive" using the appropriate software on the PC.

Bluetooth

Don't forget that we also have this available -- at least on our Android devices. But also keep in mind this is much slower than WiFi. Nevertheless, it can be facilitated using apps like Bluetooth File Transfer.

FTP

The File Transfer Protocol also is an option. There are several apps available turning an Android device into an FTPServer...

Other solutions

For completeness, let's just name them in short: SSH Server, Web server, File Synchronization tools (like e.g. FolderSync), and probably several other options I'm currently unaware of...

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If you know networking at all, in my opinion for simple filesharing using a small app Samba can't be beat: play.google.com/store/apps/… – Logos Dec 24 '12 at 13:28
Depends on user experience, @Logos -- sure I could have mentioned Samba, WebDAV, FileSync apps, and a lot more. For completeness, I could of course include them. – Izzy Dec 24 '12 at 13:41
yup, depends on user experience. Mine is good. So I mentioned it :) – Logos Dec 25 '12 at 0:51
Great answer @Izzy. Thanks. – najus Dec 25 '12 at 3:26
Great! So it holds a variant for everybody now :) – Izzy Dec 25 '12 at 18:36

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