Android File Transfer

Version: 1.4.0 - 23/02/2026 Written by Jason Severn

A cross-platform application for transferring files between your computer and Android devices without requiring cloud storage or additional software on your Android device. Works on both macOS and Windows.

Changelog

Version 1.4.0 (February 23, 2026)

New Features:

• ✨ Dark/Light Mode Toggle: Full dark mode support across all UI elements (headers, panels, modals, dialogs)
• ✏️ File/Folder Rename: Dynamic popup modal for renaming files and folders on both local and Android systems
• 🔄 Auto-Refresh: Automatic UI and data refresh after all operations (rename, delete, copy, move)
• 🎯 Drag & Drop Support:
  • Drag items from local → Android or Android → local (copy operation, not move)
  • Multi-select support for batch transfers
  • Visual feedback with drag-over states
• 🎨 Enhanced UI: Improved visual feedback for all user interactions
• 🔐 macOS Code Signing: Signed with Apple Developer certificate for distribution

Improvements:

• Fixed all file operations to properly refresh UI with fresh data
• Optimized CSS variables for consistent theming
• Enhanced error handling and user feedback

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Features

• Seamless File Transfer: Easily transfer files between your computer and Android devices over USB
• Cross-Platform Support: Works on both macOS and Windows
• Dual File Explorer: Side-by-side browsing of local and Android file systems
• Media Preview: Built-in viewer for images, audio, and video files
• File Operations: Create folders, delete files, and navigate through directories on both systems
• No Android App Required: Works directly with Android's USB debugging
• Platform-Specific Optimizations: Native drive selection for Windows, streamlined macOS experience
• About Information: Access author and GitHub repository information via Help > About menu

Requirements

• macOS 10.13 or later, or Windows 10 or later
• Android device with USB debugging enabled
• USB cable to connect your Android device to your computer
• Node.js and npm for building from source

Installation

macOS

1. Download the latest release from the Releases page
2. Mount the DMG file
3. Drag the application to your Applications folder
4. Open the application from your Applications folder

Windows

1. Download the latest release from the Releases page
2. Run the installer (.exe) file
3. Follow the installation prompts
4. Launch the application from the Start Menu or desktop shortcut

Setting Up Your Android Device

1. Enable Developer Options on your Android device:

   • Go to Settings > About Phone
   • Tap "Build Number" 7 times until you see "You are now a developer!"

2. Enable USB Debugging:

   • Go to Settings > System > Developer Options
   • Toggle "USB Debugging" to ON

3. Connect your Android device to your computer using a USB cable

4. When prompted on your Android device, authorize USB debugging for your computer

Using the Application

Getting Started

1. Launch the Android File Transfer application
2. Connect your Android device via USB
3. Click "Refresh Devices" to detect your Android device
4. Select your device from the dropdown menu
5. The application will display your local files on the left and Android files on the right

Transferring Files

1. Navigate to the source directory
2. Select files or folders you want to transfer (use Cmd/Ctrl + click for multiple selections)
3. Click the arrow button to transfer:
   • "→" to copy from computer to Android
   • "←" to copy from Android to computer

Viewing Media Files

1. For media files (images, audio, or video), a 👁️ (eye) icon will appear next to the file
2. Click the icon to preview the file directly within the application
3. The media viewer supports various formats including MP4, MP3, JPG, PNG, and more

Managing Files

• Click "New Folder" to create a new folder in the current directory
• Select files/folders and click "Delete" to remove them
• Use the back buttons or path field to navigate between directories

Interface Controls

• Path Navigation: Enter a path directly in the path field and click "Go"
• Swap Sides: Click the "Swap Sides" button to switch the positions of the local and Android explorers
• Status Bar: View operation status and transfer progress at the bottom of the window

Platform-Specific Features

Windows

• Drive Selection: Dedicated dropdown menu for easily navigating between drives
• Windows-Native Paths: Full support for Windows path formats (e.g., C:\Users...)
• Portable Version: Available as a portable .exe that doesn't require installation
• UAC Compatibility: Works with Windows User Account Control (UAC)

macOS

• Native UI Integration: Follows macOS design guidelines for a seamless experience
• Dark Mode Support: Fully supports macOS dark mode for comfortable viewing
• Hardened Runtime: Enhanced security with macOS hardened runtime
• File System Navigation: Optimized for macOS file system structure

Building from Source

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18 or later
• npm 9 or later
• Git

Common Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/j7j7/Android-File-Transfer.git
cd Android-File-Transfer

# Install dependencies
npm install

Development Mode

# Run in development mode
npm start

Building for Windows

# Build for Windows (creates both installer and portable versions)
npm run build:win

# Output will be in the dist folder:
# - Android-File-Transfer-Setup-1.0.0.exe (Installer)
# - Android-File-Transfer-Portable-1.0.0.exe (Portable)

Building for macOS

# Build for macOS (creates DMG and ZIP files)
npm run build:mac

# Output will be in the dist folder:
# - Android File Transfer-1.0.0.dmg (Disk Image)
# - Android File Transfer-1.0.0-mac.zip (Zipped Application)

Project Structure

• main.js - Main Electron process, handles ADB communication
• renderer.js - Renderer process, handles UI and user interactions
• index.html - Application HTML structure
• styles.css - Application styling
• modules/ - Modular components:
  • deviceManagement.js - Android device connectivity
  • fileSystem.js - File system operations
  • localFileSystem.js - Platform-specific local file handling
  • transferOperations.js - File transfer logic
  • uiOperations.js - UI interaction handling
  • state.js - Application state management

Troubleshooting

Device Not Detected

1. Ensure USB debugging is enabled on your Android device
2. Try disconnecting and reconnecting the USB cable
3. Verify that your Android device is not in "Charging Only" mode (check USB notification)
4. Try using a different USB cable or port
5. Restart the ADB server from the application's "Help" menu

Transfer Issues

1. Check that you have sufficient storage space on the destination device
2. Ensure you have proper permissions for the files and directories
3. For large files, allow sufficient time for the transfer to complete
4. On Windows, try running the application as Administrator if transferring to system folders

Application Crashes

1. Verify that you're using the latest version of the application
2. Restart both your computer and Android device
3. Check system logs for error details
4. On macOS, check Console.app for application crash logs
5. On Windows, check Event Viewer for application errors

License

This project is licensed under the GNU License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgements

• Built with Electron
• Uses ADB for Android communication
• Created with aid from Cursor AI (https://www.cursor.com) IDE and Anthropic Claude (https://claude.ai) LLM models

Privacy

This application does not collect or transmit any user data. All file transfers occur directly between your computer and Android device over USB.