How to Use a Flash Drive to Copy Files
If you work on multiple computers, you may occasionally need to transfer files from one computer to another. While many files can be sent via email, if you have a very large file to send or if either computer doesn’t have Internet access, you can copy the files from computer to computer using a flash drive. A flash drive plugs into an empty USB port on the computer and, while it is plugged in, acts just like a native drive.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
Copy the Files to the Flash Drive
-
1
Insert the flash drive into the computer from which you want to copy files. If the “AutoPlay” window appears, click the “Open folder to view file” option to open the flash drive folder on the screen. If the window does not appear, go to the “Start” menu, then “Computer” and double-click the flash drive in the list.
-
2
Go to the folder on the hard drive that contains the files that you want to copy. To get to the folder, return to the “Start” menu and click “Computer” again. Navigate to the folder that contains the files on the hard drive and double-click the folder to open it.
-
-
3
Drag and drop any file that you want to copy from the folder on the hard drive to the flash drive folder. To drag and drop multiple files at once, press the “Ctrl” key on the keyboard as you click the files. Once all the files appear highlighted, click on any file and drag it to the flash drive folder to move all the files at once.
-
4
Eject the flash drive from the computer using the “Safely Remove Hardware” function. Right-click the icon with the image of a USB plug in the System Tray and click “Safely Remove Hardware” when it pops up to open the “Safely Remove Hardware” window. Click on the flash drive in the window and choose “Stop” to stop the drive.
Copy the Files to the Computer
-
5
Remove the flash drive from the computer and insert the drive into the USB port of the computer onto which you want to copy the files. Click on “Open folder to view files” in the “AutoPlay” window or open the folder from “Start > Computer.”
-
6
Open the folder on the hard drive that you want to copy the file into. Go to “Start > Computer” and navigate to the folder on the drive.
-
7
Select all of the files that you want to copy onto the computer. To select the files, hold down the “Ctrl” key and click each file until they all appear highlighted. If you want to copy every file saved on the flash drive to the hard drive, go to the “Edit” menu and choose “Select All.”
-
8
Drag any one of the highlighted files from the flash drive folder into the folder on the hard drive. All of the highlighted files copy into the hard drive folder.
-
9
Right-click the “Safely Remove Hardware” USB plug icon in the System Tray and then click “Safely Remove Hardware.” Select the flash drive in the window and click “Stop.”
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Flash drives generally appear with the “Removable disk” label in the drive list.
On a Mac, the flash drive appears directly on the desktop and can be opened by double-clicking the icon on the desktop.
References
- Photo Credit flash drive image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com
