How to Extract Files From an Android

1. Connect your Android to a computer. Your Android device should have been supplied with a cable for connecting it to a computer. If the device is a smartphone, this cable may form part of the power cable you use to charge its battery. The cable will have a port for plugging into the Android device at one end, and a USB port at the other. Connect the cable to your Android device at one end, and plug the other into one of the USB ports on your computer.

2. Mount your Android as a disk drive. Your Android device will display a message in the notification area a few moments after you connect it to the computer. Open the notifications bar by sliding it down the screen. You should see a message reading 'USB Connected' or something similar, depending on your particular device and version of the operating system. Tap this message. Another message will pop up, offering you options about the type of connection you want to make. Choose 'Disk Drive' or 'Mount as disk drive.' The exact message depends on your own Android device.

3. View the Android disk drive on your computer. A few moments after choosing to mount your device, your computer should display a window representing the device contents. Depending on how your computer is set up, you may first see a pop up window asking what you want to do with the connected device. If this does happen, choose the option to view the device files and folders. The window displaying the device contents works in the same way as browsing a folder on your computer.

4. Browse the Android device folders to locate the files you need. When you mount an Android device as a disk drive on a computer in this way, it will typically open initially at the root directory of your Android SD card storage. If you cannot locate the files you are looking for, try performing a search. Once you find the files you need, copy them by pressing 'Ctrl+C' or 'Command+C' on a Mac. If you want to remove the files from the device, cut instead of copying, by pressing 'Ctrl+X' or 'Command+X.'

5. Browse to the location on your computer where you plan on storing the extracted Android files. Paste the files by pressing 'Ctrl+V' or 'Command+V.' Repeat the process if there are more files you want to extract. Close the Android file window and eject the device from your computer by right-clicking the device icon in your Windows system tray, normally in the bottom right corner of your screen, then choosing 'Safely remove drive.' If you're on a Mac, drag the device icon from your desktop onto the trash to eject it.