WinDroidFS

Use your Android phone like a drive on Windows.

Plug your phone in and its storage shows up in File Explorer with its own drive letter. Open, copy and move files the same way you would on your own local drives.

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Needs the Windows app and the Android app. Windows 10 or 11, Android 7.0 or newer.
This PC
Local Disk (C:)
Android (Z:)

4 ways to connect

Most people only need Direct USB. Pick one to see how to set it up.

Direct USB

  1. Open WinDroidFS on the PC. It sits in the tray, by the clock.
  2. Open WinDroidFS on the phone.
  3. Plug the phone in with a USB cable. If the phone asks which app should open the USB accessory, choose WinDroidFS.

The drive shows up in File Explorer a few seconds later. A USB 3 port and cable make it noticeably faster.

Wi-Fi

  1. Put the phone and the PC on the same Wi-Fi network.
  2. Pair them once. The easy way is to connect over USB one time, and they pair by themselves. Without a cable, tap Pair a new PC under Local Wi-Fi on the phone, choose Pair a phone over Wi-Fi... in the tray menu on the PC, and check that both show the same code.
  3. From then on, keep the app open on the phone with no cable plugged in, and the PC connects on its own.

Only paired PCs can connect, and everything sent over Wi-Fi is encrypted.

USB tethering

  1. In the tray menu on the PC, set Connect over to USB tethering only.
  2. Plug the phone in with a USB cable.
  3. On the phone, turn on USB tethering (Settings, Hotspot & tethering) and keep WinDroidFS open.

Windows treats the phone as a network connection here, so it may use a little mobile data.

ADB forwarding

  1. On the phone, turn on Developer options (Settings, About phone, tap Build number 7 times), then USB debugging.
  2. On the PC, install Android's platform-tools (adb).
  3. Plug in and accept the Allow USB debugging? prompt on the phone.

The PC starts the phone app for you. This is also the only way to reach Android/data and Android/obb, as long as the phone shares its whole storage.

Also in the app

Choose what the PC sees

Share all of your storage, or only the folders you tick, like DCIM and Download. The rest doesn't show up on the PC at all.

Fingerprint before connecting

Turn on Require biometrics and a PC sees nothing until you confirm on the phone, even one you've paired before.

Works with any program

It's a real drive so any app can open files on it, and command-line utilities like move, xcopy and drag-and-drop all work.

Stays on your network

The phone and PC talk directly over the cable or your Wi-Fi. No account, no cloud, nothing over the internet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why not plug a USB cable directly to the phone?

You can, but then Windows uses MTP, the phone's normal file transfer. It shows the phone as a device rather than a drive, so many programs can't open files on it, copies can't be scripted, and big transfers often stall or fail partway. WinDroidFS uses the same cable but gives you a proper drive letter.

How does this work?

The Windows app creates a virtual drive using WinFsp. Whenever File Explorer or another program touches that drive, the request goes to the Android app over USB or Wi-Fi, and the phone answers with the folder listing or the bytes asked for.

I plugged my phone in, but nothing happens.

Usually it's one of these:

  • The cable only charges. Try another one that you know carries data.
  • The phone was asleep or locked. Unlock it and plug in again, then allow WinDroidFS if Android asks.
  • On a Samsung phone, Auto Blocker (Settings, Security and privacy) is blocking USB commands. Turn it off and replug.
  • Advanced Protection mode or a work or school policy is turning off USB data while the phone is locked.

If none of those help, try USB tethering or Wi-Fi from the list above.

Is the Android app on Google Play?

Not right now. Get the APK from the releases page. If you'd like updates without checking back, Obtainium can watch it for you.

Why can't I look into some folders in Android?

Since Android 11, Android/data and Android/obb are off limits to apps, WinDroidFS included, because they hold other apps' private files. ADB forwarding gets around this, since adb is allowed in, as long as you share your whole storage.

How fast is it?

Over a USB 2.0 port, copying 1,000 mixed files (150 MB) onto the phone took about 19 seconds, and copying them back took about 8. MTP is at its slowest with many small files like these, because it handles them one at a time. A USB 3.0+ port and cable will speed this up significantly, while Wi-Fi depends on your signal.

Something's broken. What can I do?

Sorry about that. Please open an issue with your phone model, your Windows version and the connection method you used.