MacDroid short-guide series

How to transfer photos from Samsung to Mac

Olga Weis Jun 21, 2022

Taking pictures on your Samsung phone is great, but what happens if you lose your phone or accidentally delete them? Transferring them to your Mac keeps them safe, and if you’ve ever wondered how to transfer photos from Samsung to Mac, we’ll explain all in this article.

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1. Best ways to transfer photos from Samsung to Mac

There are many different ways to move pictures from your Samsung phone to your Mac - and in this article, we’ll take you through some of the best ways to do this. You could use an app that you download, like MacDroid or SyncMate. Or you could use cloud services or free tools like Android File Transfer or Samsung Smart Switch.

Some apps and services support transferring pictures from your Samsung phone to your Mac via Wi-Fi, while for others, you’ll need to connect your phone to your computer using a USB cable. It can be difficult to decide which way is the best way to move Samsung photos to Mac, so below we’ll take you through a few different methods, provide you with step-by-step instructions, and help you choose the right method for you.

2. How to transfer photos from Samsung to Mac with MacDroid

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MacDroid is a Mac app that makes it quick and easy to connect Android to Mac to transfer photos from your Samsung phone to your computer. If you want to move pictures, from a single photo to a whole folder of holiday snaps, from your Samsung phone to your Mac computer, it’s simple to do.

MacDroid lets you choose between two modes: MTP Mode, which we’ll cover in our step-by-step guide, and ADB Mode (more on that below). Here are the step-by-step instructions you’ll need to follow to transfer your pictures from Samsung to Mac in MTP Mode using MacDroid:

1

Download and install MacDroid on your Mac.

2

Launch the software.

3

Connect your Samsung phone to your Mac via USB cable.

4

In MacDroid, select MTP Mode.

5

Click Next in MacDroid.

6

A pop-up window should appear on your phone. Select File transfer.

7

You should now be able to see your phone in MacDroid under Device list.

8

Click Mount to connect your Samsung phone to your Mac.

9

Open Finder (or any other file manager of your choice) to find the files you wish to transfer.

10

Copy and paste the pictures you want to copy - or you can drag and drop them, if you’ve already created a destination folder on your Mac.

11

Repeat this process for all the photos you want to transfer from your phone to your Mac.

As we mentioned earlier, MacDroid also allows you to use Android Debugging (ADB) Mode to transfer Samsung pictures to Mac. ADB Mode requires you to enable USB debugging mode on your Android phone and is a little more complicated than using MTP Mode. For this reason, we don’t recommend it for beginners as MTP Mode is much quicker and simpler to use.

MacDroid will work on your Samsung Galaxy device right from the box. As long as the device supports MTP or ADB, you can freely connect it using USB, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and be able to transfer all your favorite content directly to your computer. Some of the devices supported by MacDroid are:

Samsung Galaxy S24
Samsung Galaxy S23
Samsung Galaxy S22
Samsung Galaxy S21
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy A05
Samsung Galaxy A15
Samsung Galaxy A25
Samsung Galaxy A35
Samsung Galaxy A55
Samsung Galaxy A14
Samsung Galaxy A24
Samsung Galaxy A34
Samsung Galaxy A54
Samsung Galaxy M15
Samsung Galaxy M14
Samsung Galaxy M34
Samsung Galaxy Fold 5
Samsung Galaxy Fold 4
Samsung Galaxy Flip 5
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

3. Alternative solutions for transfer Samsung photos to Mac

Transfer photos with Android File Transfer

Don’t want to pay for standalone software to transfer images from your phone to your Mac (and vice versa)? You could always use Android File Transfer, a free app. In case you’re wondering how to transfer images from Samsung to Mac with Android File Transfer, just follow our step-by-step guide below:

1

Download Android File Transfer and install it on your Mac.

2

To launch it, drag the file to Application, then tap Get started.

3

Connect your Samsung phone to your Mac using a USB cable.

4

Search for the images you want to transfer on your phone.

5

Once you’ve located them, simply drag items to your desktop or a folder you have created on your Mac.

6

You can do this with individual photos or entire folders of images, depending on your needs.

It may take some time for images to transfer to your Mac, depending on the size and quality of the images you select and how many you are transferring. You can leave Android File Transfer running while you go and do something else, if you’re transferring a lot of high-quality photos.

Transfer photos files from Android to Mac using SyncMate

Another great way to move pictures from your phone to your Mac is using a dedicated sync tool like SyncMate. With SyncMate, your photos will be synced across both your devices, so they’ll automatically remain on your Samsung phone while also being copied to your Mac. Here’s how to transfer content, from Samsung to Mac with SyncMate:

1

Download and install SyncMate on your Mac.

2

Launch SyncMate.

3

From the left-hand panel, select Add new device.

4

Select the device type you’re using.

5

You’ll need to make sure you have USB debugging enabled on your phone.

6

Connect your Samsung phone to your Mac using a USB cable.

7

SyncMate should automatically install on your mobile device.

8

Open the SyncMate module and you can start syncing.

9

To sync files wirelessly, you’ll need to follow all the steps above the first time you sync.

10

Then ensure you’ve ticked the box to enable wireless sync.

11

SyncMate will ask for permission before linking your device to a new Mac. Accept the request and it won’t ask this in future for connections to the same Mac.

12

To sync automatically every time your Samsung and Mac are within range of each other, choose Autosync. You can also manually choose which files you want to sync each time.

Transfer photos with Smart Switch

Smart Switch is another way to share Samsung pictures to Mac. It’s free to download and relatively simple to use. As well as transferring files, you can also use Smart Switch’s backup feature to backup your data from your phone to your Mac – great in case you lose your phone or if you are buying a new Samsung phone and want to transfer data to it.

It’s easy to use Smart Switch to transfer images to your Mac or PC, although the app may not be as reliable as some software like MacDroid or SyncMate – and getting support if you get stuck can be tricky. Here are the step-by-step instructions you need to follow to transfer photos from Samsung to Mac with Smart Switch:

1

Download and install Samsung Smart Switch on your Mac.

2

Launch Smart Switch.

3

Connect your phone to your Mac using a USB cable.

4

On the Smart Switch home page, click Backup.

5

To change the type of data you want to backup (in this case, photos), or alter the location you want to backup to, just go to More > Preferences.

In this article, we’ve taken you through some ways to share content, from your Samsung phone to your Mac. We’ve looked at how to download photos from Samsung to Mac using Smart Switch and Android File Transfer, as well as paid apps like MacDroid and SyncMate.

We’d always recommend using a paid app like MacDroid or a sync tool like SyncMate to upload your content,, as these are generally more reliable and efficient, although apps like Smart Switch and Android File Transfer are easy to use and ideal if you’re only transferring files infrequently.

Android smartphones

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. How do I transfer photos from Android to Mac?

The easiest way to upload photos from Android to Mac is to use dedicated transfer software like MacDroid or a sync tool like SyncMate. There are also free alternatives you could use, like Samsung Smart Switch (for those with Samsung phones) or Android File Transfer.

2. How do I transfer files from Samsung to Mac?

You could use the free Samsung Smart Switch for Mac (formerly Samsung Kies for Mac) to do a Samsung file transfer Mac. However, we’d recommend using MacDroid to make the whole transfer process quick, easy, and reliable.

3. How do I transfer photos from Samsung to Mac without cable?

To copy content, from Samsung to Mac without using a cable, you can use a sync tool like SyncMate, which lets you connect Samsung phones to Mac wirelessly, after the initial setup. SyncMate is easy to use, and you can sync all types of data, not just your photos.

4. How do I get my Mac to recognize my Samsung phone?

By using a file transfer app like Android File Transfer, Smart Switch for Mac, or MacDroid to connect Samsung phones to Mac, your Mac should recognize your Samsung phone immediately as soon as it is connected via USB cable.

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