How to download files off of a usb

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Related Articles. Article Summary. Part 1. Locate your computer's USB port. If you have a laptop, the USB ports are probably on the left or right side of the housing. Desktop users may find the USB ports on the back or the front of the desktop tower, though iMacs have the USB ports on the back of the monitor itself.

Determine your computer's USB port type. You should see a chunk of plastic in the upper half of this slot. USB 3. If your computer has both types of port, you're free to use whichever port you like depending on your USB flash drive type. Figure out which type of flash drive you have.

Look at the metal connector end of your flash drive: If the connector is rectangular and has a piece of plastic taking up part of the connector, you have a USB 3.

If the connector is oval and has no piece of plastic inside of it, you have a USB-C flash drive. Buy and attach an adapter if necessary. If the flash drive that you want to use is a USB 3. Plug your flash drive into your computer. If you're using a USB 3. USB-C flash drives can be inserted either way. Part 2. Make sure your USB flash drive is plugged in. If your flash drive isn't plugged into your computer, plug it in before proceeding.

This icon is used on wikiHow as fair use because it is being used to provide how-to instructions. Copy your file. If you want to copy multiple files, hold down Ctrl while clicking each file you want to copy. Click your flash drive's name. It's in pane on the left-hand side of the File Explorer window, though you may first have to scroll down on the left side of the window.

If you don't see your flash drive's name, click This PC near the top of the left-hand pane, then double-click your flash drive's name in the "Devices and drives" section. Paste in the file s. You should see your copied file s appear in the File Explorer window.

If you want to paste the file s inside of a specific folder inside of your flash drive, double-click the folder before pasting in the files. Eject the flash drive before removing it. Remove the USB drive. After ejecting the drive, you can pull it out of your computer by gently tugging on it. Part 3. Open your flash drive. Click your flash drive's name in the lower-left side of the Finder window. You'll find it under the "Devices" heading. Paste in your copied file s. You should see your copied file s appear in the Finder window.

Part 4. Open the program you want to use. Create your file if necessary. If you're using the program to create a new file to save on your flash drive, create the file before proceeding. Skip this step if you just want to create a copy of the file on your flash drive. Open the "Save As" window. Mac — Click File , then click Save As Name your document if necessary. If you want to add a different name to your file, type it into the "File name" Windows or the "Name" Mac text box.

Select your flash drive. Click your flash drive's name in the lower-left side of the window. You may first have to scroll down on the left side.

On a Mac, you may have to click the Where drop-down box and then click your flash drive's name either in the drop-down menu or on the left side of the Finder window. Click Save. It's in the bottom-right corner of the window.

This will cause your file to save onto your flash drive. Part 5. Open your preferred browser. If you want to download a file from the Internet onto your USB flash drive, open a web browser e.

Make sure download confirmation is enabled. Safari — Click Safari in the top-left corner, click Preferences Go to the file you want to download. In your web browser, navigate to the page or service from which you want to download a file. Click the Download button or link. This will vary depending on what you want to download. Indicating that you want to download a file will prompt a pop-up window to open.

Select your USB flash drive. When prompted to select a save location, you'll need to click your flash drive's name in the left-hand menu and then click Save. Doing so will cause the file to download directly onto your flash drive. On a Mac, you may click Choose instead of Save. If you want to save a file inside of a specific folder inside of your flash drive, double-click the folder before clicking Save.

Part 6. Ensure the drive isn't full. USB drives tend to fill up quickly—especially older drives that don't have much storage. Try clearing out some files that you don't need if your drive is full.

You can quickly clear a drive of files by dragging the files in question into your computer's Recycle Bin Windows or Trash Mac. Check the size of the file you are trying to transfer. If you need to transfer files larger than this, you'll have to format the USB drive with a different file system. See the next step for details.

If you do this, skip to the last step in this method. You'll find this option in the "Organize" section of the toolbar. A drop-down menu will appear. Click Choose location…. It's at the bottom of the drop-down menu. Doing so opens a new window. Select a folder. Click the folder into which you want to transfer the selected folder. You can also create a new folder by selecting a destination folder, clicking Make New Folder , and entering a name for the folder.

Click Move. It's in the bottom-right corner of the window. Your files will begin transferring into the selected folder; once they complete, you can proceed. Eject your flash drive. In the flash drive's window, click the Manage tab at the top of the window, then click Eject in the resulting toolbar.

Once you receive a notification that the flash drive is safe to remove, you can physically remove it from your computer by gently pulling on it. Method 2. Plug your flash drive into your Mac. Your flash drive should fit into one of the rectangular ports on the side of your Mac MacBook or the back of the Mac's monitor iMac.

Disregard this step if you have a USB-C flash drive. Click your flash drive's name in the left-hand column of options in the Finder window. This will cause your flash drive's contents to display in the Finder window. Click Edit.

This menu item is at the top of your Mac's screen. Clicking it prompts a drop-down menu to appear. If you're comfortable with your Mac's drag-and-drop feature, you can instead click and drag the selected files onto your Mac's desktop or into your preferred folder. Click Copy. It's near the top of the Edit drop-down menu. This will copy your file s. If you're copying one file, you'll see the file's name after Copy for example, if you're copying a file named "New", you'd click Copy "New" here.

If you're copying multiple files, you'll click Copy [number] Items e. Open a transfer location on your Mac. Go to the folder into which you want to move the files that you copied. If you want to move the files onto the desktop, for example, you'd go back to the desktop. Move the copied files. Did you know you can get premium answers for this article?

Unlock premium answers by supporting wikiHow. Chiara Corsaro. Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 4. Not Helpful 1 Helpful 3. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 1. Can I copy Quicken onto a USB flash drive, then use the flash drive to put the data onto another computer? You can. Open Quicken, and under file, there should be an option to backup the data. Insert your USB drive and choose that for the backup location.

To restore, use the reverse procedure to put it onto the new computer. Note: some versions may have the backup utility under "tools. Not Helpful 1 Helpful 4. Does the information from a flash drive move to the hard drive of the computer? This process simply copies the files, they will remain on the flash drive. To move them instead, use Cut instead of Copy.

Not Helpful 2 Helpful They will! All files and folders transferred to other devices will be readable, but don't expect to get programs transferred. Transferring software is a little more difficult, although possible. All of your pictures, videos, music, documents, and more will be able to be transferred. Not Helpful 2 Helpful 8.

If your email provider allows the file size, yes. Using a flash-drive would be more efficient. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 3. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Flash drives can be used for several purposes other than basic file storage, including installing operating systems and backing up information. Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0. Make sure to eject and remove the flash drive safely; otherwise, the flash drive can be corrupted or erased.

Helpful 0 Not Helpful 2. Related wikiHows How to. How to. Computer Specialist. Expert Interview. About This Article. Co-authored by:. Co-authors: Updated: July 2, Categories: Basic Computer Skills.