Device Connect — Access Phone Files from Any Computer
Device Connect is AnExplorer's HTTP server feature. Start it on your phone, open a browser on any computer on the same Wi-Fi, enter the displayed URL — and your phone's entire file system is browsable in the browser. Download individual files or entire folders as ZIP archives. Upload files from the computer to the phone.
No USB cable. No extra software on the computer. Works in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. Works on Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook, iPad, and any browser-capable device.
How to Start Device Connect
- Open AnExplorer
- Tap ≡ in the sidebar > Device Connect
- Tap Start Server
- AnExplorer shows:
http://192.168.1.105:8080 - On any computer on the same Wi-Fi, open a browser and type that URL
- Browse, download, and upload files
What You Can Do from the Browser
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Browse phone folders | Click folders in the browser UI |
| Download a file | Click the download icon or file name |
| Download a folder as ZIP | Click the ZIP icon next to the folder |
| Upload files to phone | Drag files into the browser or use the upload button |
| Search for files | Use the browser's built-in search through the Device Connect UI |
Use Cases
Grab photos quickly on a PC:
Instead of plugging in a USB cable, start Device Connect, open the browser on your PC, navigate to /sdcard/DCIM/Camera/, and download the photos you need. Much faster for selecting specific photos.
Share files with someone on the same network: Tell a colleague on the same Wi-Fi the Device Connect URL. They can access and download your files from their browser without any app. Ideal for quick file transfers in a meeting room.
Chromebook without special drivers: Android File Transfer doesn't exist on Chromebook. USB MTP works but is unreliable. Device Connect lets you move files between an Android phone and a Chromebook entirely over Wi-Fi in a browser tab. See the Chromebook file manager guide for more options.
Transfer large videos to a Mac: Start Device Connect on the phone, go to the file in the browser, click download. The video downloads at Wi-Fi speeds — typically 10–30 MB/s on Wi-Fi 5, faster than USB 2.0 MTP. For other Mac transfer methods, see transfer from Android to Mac.
Send files to a TV browser: Android TV's Silk Browser (Fire TV) or Chrome browser can open a Device Connect URL and download files from your phone directly to the TV storage. This is unique — no other file transfer method works from a TV browser.
Device Connect vs Other Server Methods
| Device Connect | FTP Server | WebDAV Server | SFTP Server | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Works in any browser | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Requires software on computer | ❌ | ✅ FTP client | ✅ WebDAV client | ✅ SSH client |
| Upload from computer | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Download to computer | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Encrypted | ❌ (HTTP) | ❌ | ❌ (HTTP) | ✅ |
| Native Mac Finder mount | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ (⌘K) | ❌ |
| macOS drag-and-drop | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
Device Connect wins on accessibility (zero setup on the computer side). WebDAV Server wins for macOS Finder integration. FTP Server wins for bulk transfers with FileZilla.
Security
Device Connect uses plain HTTP on your local network. No encryption. This is appropriate for home Wi-Fi where you trust all connected devices.
Do not use Device Connect on:
- Public Wi-Fi (coffee shop, airport, hotel)
- Shared office networks where you don't know all connected devices
- Networks with untrusted users
For secure wireless transfer, use SFTP Server instead.
When you're done, tap Stop Server in AnExplorer to immediately close the port. The server also stops automatically when AnExplorer is closed.
Port 8080 Blocked?
If you can't reach the server:
- Change the port: In Device Connect settings, try port
8888,9090, or any port above 1024 - Same network check: Phone and computer must be on the same Wi-Fi router (not one on 5GHz and one on 2.4GHz if the router has "band steering" isolation enabled)
- Android battery optimization: If the server stops unexpectedly, exempt AnExplorer from Android's battery optimization (Settings > Battery > More battery settings > App battery usage > AnExplorer > Unrestricted)
Related Guides
- FTP Server on Android
- WebDAV Server on Android
- SFTP Server on Android
- Transfer Android to PC wirelessly
- Transfer Android to Mac