# How to transfer photos from Android to PC without a cable

> No USB cable? With the free Android companion (coming soon), pair once with a code, then copy photos to your Windows PC over Wi-Fi or let them sync themselves.

Source: https://firelet.media/blog/transfer-photos-android-to-pc-without-cable
Published: 2026-11-03 · Updated: 2026-11-03
Applies to: Windows, Android

To transfer photos from Android to PC without a cable, firelet.media Gallery uses a direct, encrypted Wi-Fi link between your phone and your Windows PC, with no cloud and no account. The PC side is in the Windows app today. The free Android companion it pairs with is coming soon and isn't on Google Play yet, so this post also covers what works right now.

Once both halves are in place, it's a one-time pairing and then either a few taps per transfer or none at all.

## Transfer photos from Android to PC without a cable: why Wi-Fi wins

A cable works, when you can find it, when the phone asks the right question, and when you remember to tap "allow". A Wi-Fi link removes all three.

- **Nothing goes through the internet.** Pictures travel only between your own devices, on your own network, encrypted.
- **Full-size originals.** Files are copied as they are, not compressed, and each copy is checked after it lands.
- **Filed by date.** Photos arrive in `yyyy\yyyy-MM-dd` folders using the date they were taken.
- **No duplicates.** Anything already in your library is skipped, so copying twice is harmless.
- **It can run by itself.** With auto-sync on, the PC copies new photos whenever the phone is home.

It works the other way too: the phone can browse your whole PC library and save pictures from it.

## Availability: the Android app is coming soon

Here's the honest state of things:

| Part | Status |
| --- | --- |
| PC side (Windows app, **Devices** panel) | Available now, in version 2026.10 |
| firelet.media Gallery for Android | Coming soon, free, for Android 10 and later. Not on Google Play yet, and no date announced |
| iPhone | No app |

To hear when the Android app is ready, use [Email me when it's ready](https://firelet.media/app/updates/notify). Meanwhile, these work today without the companion:

- **Your phone's cloud sync folder.** If your phone already backs up to a cloud service that syncs to a folder on your PC, open **Library** and press **Add a cloud folder**. The gallery reads the synced folder from your disk, with no sign-in. See [how to add OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive or iCloud folders](https://firelet.media/help/add-cloud-folders-onedrive-dropbox).
- **A memory card**, if your phone has one: put it in the PC and use **Imaging** → **Import**.
- **A cable after all**: a phone plugged in by USB should appear as a source in **Imaging** → **Import**. [How to import from an SD card or camera](https://firelet.media/help/import-from-sd-card-or-camera) covers both.

Everything below describes the Wi-Fi link once the Android app is available.

## Pair once

Pairing introduces the phone and the PC to each other, once. Put both on the same Wi-Fi first.

1. On the PC, open **Devices** with [[Alt]]+[[0]] and press **Pair a phone**. A QR code and a 12-character code appear.
2. On the phone, open firelet.media Gallery, go to **Devices** and tap **Pair with a computer**.
3. Point the phone at the QR code. Or tap **Type it instead**, choose your computer under "Which computer?" and type the code.
4. Keep the PC window open until the phone says it's paired.

![The Pair a phone window, with a QR code, three numbered steps, a 12-character code and a countdown](https://firelet.media/help/media/shot-pair-phone-dialog.webp "The code works for 10 minutes; press New code if it runs out")

The code works for 10 minutes and only once. If Windows asks whether to let the gallery use the network, allow it on private networks. [How to pair an Android phone](https://firelet.media/help/pair-android-phone) has the full walk-through.

## Copy from the device browser or Imaging → Import

For the PC to see the phone's pictures, turn on **Visible to your computers** on the phone. It's off by default; while it's on, the phone shows a notification with a **Stop** button. Then use whichever of these suits you.

**The device browser**, to pick particular photos:

1. On the PC, open **Devices** ([[Alt]]+[[0]]).
2. Press **Browse** on the phone's card.
3. Select the photos you want. Use the kind list (**Everything**, **Photos**, **Videos**) to narrow them down.
4. Press **Copy to this PC**.

**Imaging → Import**, to bring in everything new:

1. Click **Imaging** in the title bar ([[Ctrl]]+[[2]]) and choose **Import**.
2. Pick the phone under **Where from**. A paired phone on the network is listed like a card.
3. Press **See what is new** to see how many photos are new.
4. Press **Import**.

Copies land in your import folder (or `Pictures\Firelet Link` if you haven't chosen one), in a folder named after the phone, then by date. They're added to your library straight away, and copying never deletes anything from the phone.

From the phone's side, you can also select photos and tap **Send to PC**, or use **Send to computer** from any app's share menu, as long as the gallery is open on the PC.

## Auto-sync from now on

This is the part that removes the chore altogether.

1. On the PC, open **Devices** and press **Settings…** on the phone's card.
2. Tick **Copy new photos and videos to this computer whenever the phone is on this network**.
3. Tick **Include the pictures that were already on the phone** if you want the backlog too. It's off by default.
4. Choose **Every album**, or **Only these:** and tick the albums you want.
5. Press **Save**.

The PC does the copying: it checks every five minutes while the phone is visible. For that, the phone needs **Visible to your computers** on and the same Wi-Fi, and the PC needs the gallery open with **Let paired phones connect** on. Auto-sync never changes anything on the phone. [How to auto-sync phone photos](https://firelet.media/help/auto-sync-phone-photos) explains every setting.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> The same **Phone settings** window has **Let this phone move pictures on this computer to the Recycle Bin**, and it's on by default. If you don't want the phone to be able to delete pictures on your PC, untick it and press **Save**.

Auto-sync copies; it doesn't free space on the phone by itself. Once you've checked the copies, see [back up phone photos to your PC without the cloud](https://firelet.media/blog/back-up-phone-photos-to-pc-without-cloud) for a safe way to clear the phone.

## Troubleshooting

When the phone and PC can't see each other, it's almost always the network.

- **Same network.** Both must be on the same home network. Mobile data and VPNs don't work, and guest Wi-Fi often keeps devices from seeing each other.
- **Windows firewall.** If you dismissed the network prompt, the link can't listen. Allow firelet.media Gallery on private networks in Windows' firewall settings.
- **Let paired phones connect** must be ticked at the top of the **Devices** panel.
- **Code expired.** Press **New code**. After five wrong tries the pairing window closes; open it again.
- **Photos don't arrive.** An unlicensed PC after its 14-day trial won't add received pictures to the library; pairing and browsing still work.

> [!TIP]
> [Phone link not connecting?](https://firelet.media/help/phone-link-not-connecting) goes through each of these checks in order.

## Questions

### Is the transfer compressed?

No. Files are copied as they are, checked with SHA-256 after copying, and filed in folders by date.

### Does it work over mobile data?

No. The phone and the PC must be on the same home network, the phone on Wi-Fi. Mobile data, VPNs and guest Wi-Fi that keeps devices apart all block the link.