Move photos, videos, or music on your Galaxy phone or tablet

Photos moving between Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra and laptop

Do you have too many pictures, videos, or music saved on your Galaxy phone or tablet? Don't worry, you're not alone. There are a number of options available to you for moving or transferring your pictures, videos, or music using a microSD card, an OTG flash drive, a PC, cloud services, or Smart Switch.

Note: Available screens and settings may vary by wireless service provider, software version, and device model. Media that is stored in Secure Folder cannot be transferred using these methods.

Use a microSD card or OTG flash drive

Note: Not all phone or tablet models support microSD cards or external storage options that use excessive amounts of power to operate. Encrypted music or other purchases cannot be moved to external storage.

No need to hire a moving crew; just transfer your files to some handy flash memory. You can also use the options in Device care to help clear space.

  1. First, insert your microSD card or USB OTG flash drive, navigate to the Samsung folder, and then tap My Files.

    Samsung My Files Home screen
  2. Find the file you want to move, and then touch and hold the file. 

  3. To move additional files in the same folder, you will need to select ALL at the top of the screen. Or, you can select multiple files individually.

  4. Next, tap Move or Copy at the bottom of the screen, and then tap the Return arrow to navigate back to the My Files home page.

  5. Tap SD card or USB Storage - this will only show up if you have a flash device inserted. Then, tap Move here.

Please note you can only move or copy files this way in the My Files app. You cannot move or copy files to other apps, such as Gallery.

MicroSD cards are not limited only to files. You can even move certain apps to the SD card!

Transfer to a PC or laptop

Every Galaxy phone and tablet will come with a USB cable for charging and connecting to a PC. Depending on your specific devices, you may need an adapter or different cable for the PC connection.

  1. First, unlock your phone or tablet, and then connect it to your PC using a USB cable.

  2. If it's the first time connecting this device and PC, you may have to give permission for the connection. Tap Allow on the mobile device.

  3. By default the connection will be configured for file transfers. While other USB modes are available if you tap the USB notification on your device, you will need to select Transferring files or MTP when transferring files.

  4. You can now use your PC's File Explorer app to browse and copy files. Windows may suggest other apps that you have installed; if one of them suits your needs, feel free to select it.

    PC folder displaying Galaxy S10+
  5. You can also use Samsung Flow to transfer media wirelessly.

Use a cloud option

You can also store your files on a cloud service. These have the benefit of being accessible on a variety of devices, making it easy to get and use your data where you need it.

Your Samsung device is compatible with a number of Cloud storage providers.

A list cloud services on a Galaxy phone

Use Smart Switch

There is one more option for moving your files off your phone or tablet: it's called Smart Switch. This app lets you transfer media to another phone or tablet, or even transfer files to a computer. And the best part is that in certain situations, you can transfer files wirelessly.

Learn more about how Smart Switch works.

Smart Switch introduction screen on phone

Use the Trash feature in Gallery

The Gallery app now has a Trash feature that's like the Recycle bin or Trash folder on your computer. It will store your deleted photos or videos, just in case you deleted one by accident. But keep in mind the photos will be deleted permanently after 30 days.

  1. Open the Gallery app, and navigate to an image you want to delete.

  2. Tap the trash icon (it looks like a trash can) to delete it, and then tap Move to Trash to confirm.

    Trash icon highlighted in the Gallery app
  3. To view photos and videos in the Trash, tap Back to navigate to the Gallery.

  4. Tap Menu (the three horizontal lines), and then tap Trash.

  5. To delete media forever, tap More options (the three vertical dots), and then tap Empty. You will be asked to confirm; just tap Delete.

  6. If you would like to instead restore items, tap Edit, and then select the items you'd like to restore. Tap Restore all and the items will be returned to the Gallery.

Transfer images to your Samsung smart watch

Note: You cannot transfer images from a tablet to a smart watch.

Did you know your smart watch can store music and images too? So why not transfer some from your phone as a backup? It's easy, and your pictures will always be there if you need them.

  1. On the connected phone, open the Galaxy Wearable app. Tap Watch Settings, and then tap Manage content.

  2. Tap Add images and then select your desired image(s). Tap Done. Your phone will send the images to your watch, where you can view them in Gallery.

  3. You can also automatically sync images from your phone. Navigate back to the Manage content menu, and then tap the switch next to Auto sync, underneath Gallery.

  4. Select your Image limit, and then choose which photo albums you want to sync.

Selected images with check marks and Done at the upper right side.
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