How to Access Your Windows Desktop Storage Using an Android Phone

Need to remotely access the files stored on your Windows computer on your Android device? Here’s how you can set it up.

It can sometimes be harder than you would like to access the files stored on your Windows desktop or laptop on your Android phone. There are a few methods you can use to do this, but the PC Remote app for Android really helps simplify the setup process and make it convenient whether you want a wired or wireless connection.

This is how you can access your Windows computer storage to share files with your Android phone.

How to access PC storage with an Android phone

For this guide, we will use one of the best third-party PC remote control apps for access This PC on a Windows desktop. You need to download two apps: PC Remote Receiver on your computer and PC Remote on your Android phone. Both apps are free to use, and the Android app has in-app purchase options.

The apps offer four modes to access the files on the computer: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB and QR Scan. They are also easy to use, the interface is minimal and easy to navigate, and the connection process is simple. In addition to download support, there are options for managing files, including deleting, renaming, and creating shortcuts.

Step 1: Connect your PC and phone

After downloading both apps, you need to launch them and follow the steps to establish a connection between your computer and your Android phone. There are four ways to connect. If you prefer to use Bluetooth:

1. Activate Bluetooth on both your PC and your phone.
2. On the Android app home page, select the Connect Possibility.
3. From the options menu, tap Bluetooth icon and select your PC from the list of available devices.

If your phone and computer use the same Wi-Fi network, you can also pair them by selecting the Wi-Fi icon instead of Bluetooth and choosing your PC from the list of available ones Local PC.

In case you don’t want to use the wireless method, don’t worry as you can also connect your phone via a USB cable. Here’s how:

1. Connect a USB cable to your phone and connect it to the PC.
2. On the mobile app, tap Connect and select USB mode by tapping USB Symbol.
3. The app will prompt you to enable USB tethering on your phone, and once you do, pairing is complete.

Aside from these three methods, there is also an option to pair with a QR code scanner:

1. Select the Generate QR code option under the Local connection Menu in the PC Remote Receiver app. This will display a QR code on the computer screen.
2. On the mobile app, tap Connect to PC in the connection mode menu. It will now open the scanner on the phone.
3. Scan the QR code and the connection will be successful.

If problems occur during pairing, e.g. E.g. the device name doesn’t appear in the list or the connection failed error, quit the mobile app, remove it from the recent menu, force quit the app from the phone’s settings and try again. Open the app.

If the error persists even after completing these steps, go to the app info in your phone’s settings and clear the cache and save data for the PC Remote app. After that, open the app again and you’re good to go.

Step 2: Access your PC’s storage

Now that you have successfully established a connection between the PC and the phone, follow these steps to access your files.

1. On the mobile app home screen, tap auxiliary tools icon in the bottom bar.
2. In the Tools section, tap This PCand you can see the files.
3. Now you can navigate your computer’s files and folders on your phone. A long press on the folder offers options to rename, delete, check properties, create shortcuts and open the folder on PC.
4. Unfortunately, you cannot download the entire folder from PC to your phone, but you can download individual files by long-pressing and selecting the download option from the Operations menu.
5. To disconnect your phone when you’re done, tap Me icon next to the Utility Tools icon, and then select the SEPARATE Possibility.

Download files locally from your PC with an Android phone

The PC Remote apps make it pretty easy to access the files stored on your Windows computer using your Android phone. It’s ideal for accessing individual files, but there are many other methods worth trying if you need to move large amounts of data between your phone and computer.