How to Put Samsung Galaxy S2(SII) in to USB Mass Storage Mode When Connected to a Computer [Tip]

by Jawwad in Android, Mobile, Tips&Tricks | 50 comments


Flash Drive U3 | How to Put Samsung Galaxy S2(SII) in to USB Mass Storage Mode When Connected to a Computer [Tip]

Samsung Galaxy S2(SII) can come pretty handy for transferring files from one computer to another without installing any software or drivers just like a USB drive, if one converts it to USB mass storage mode. In fact, this is not difficult to do at all, as we have two alternative methods to force the Samsung Galaxy S2(SII) to enter in USB mass storage mode after connecting to computer. Here you go:

Method 1

-Enable usb debugging from Menu > Settings > Applications
-return to home screen
-plug usb cable in
-pull down status bar
-press ‘ connect usb storage’ button

Method 2

Alternatively, without USB debugging enabled

Go to Settings > Wireless & Network > USB utilities and click the button > then (and ONLY then) plug in USB cable

Pretty neat, isn’t it?

[Source]

Tagged as: android, mobile, Samsung Galaxy S II, storage, Tips&Tricks, usb

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  • christian

    Thanks a lot !

    Cheers!

    • C.Umashankar

      Yes, it worked neat on Ubuntu 10.04. Thanks.

  • Nies

    Holy ….
    Thank you so much it worked for me (second method)!
    I was first trying to do this with kies, but that piece of crap doesn’t work at all! now I can transfer files to the external sd without removing the whole battery.
    Thanks again xD

  • Lex

    First method worked like a charm.
    Was confused while I first was searching for the option in windows, but this instruction is for Android (so on the Galaxy S2).
    This was the only solution I found on the web. So thanx

  • shetty

    use ubuntu on ur laptop… u’ll be able to do much more..
    :)

  • Pingback: What are you thinking Samsung? « Zenophran's Zone

  • Alvaro

    Thanks. Method 1 worked for me with my Mac. With Method 2 the phone kept telling me that some apps were running so it couldn’t connect.

  • Alf

    Thanks! That helped me :)

  • stray

    thanks so much for method 1, it becomes much convenient now to connect as usb storage!!

  • http://www.rid1.co.za RiD1coza

    Thanks very much, Method 1 rocks…..
    Just got my s2 a few hours ago and still learning the ropes.

  • Sheridan Williams

    Doesn’t work on Windows 7 64-bit. Says device has malfunctioned.

  • Carlo

    Sometimes it doesn’t work. I followed all the instructions and it still does not connect.

  • Sheridan Williams

    Absolute rubbish. Doesn’t work on Windows 7 64-bit.
    Do your research before wadting people’s time.

  • http://www.rid1.co.za Rid1coza

    LOL at the 2 people above…ever consider your PC’s to be at fault???
    This method works perfect for me and it still works right now….
    BUT
    Sometimes after i enter CMW mode on the phone, it takes 2 restarts of the phone before the pc will detect it again…

  • matt

    wudnt really say it works like a charm, but yeah thanks for the tip mate

  • http://www.rid1.co.za RiD1

    People should quit complaining…. this is the only method!

  • neejakeir

    I tried both methods on a windows 7 and xp machine.
    Both methods simply don’t work.

    I’m dissapointed but G2 worked perfectly.

  • http://www.rid1.co.za RiD1

    @NEEJAKEIR

    May i ask, whats “G2″?

  • Chris

    thanks a lot! mass storage works now!

  • pica

    Thanks very much…

  • SAL_69_USA

    method 1 worked perfect on 2nd try

  • Curti

    I have MAC OS Server 10.6.8. & Galaxy S2
    Method 1 doesn’t result in a “connect USB storage” button
    Method two just sits there showing me a cancel button.

    Any ideas?

  • http://www.rid1.co.za rid1

    Err Maybe try installign the USB Connectivity driver by installing Samsung “Kies” for PC

    ITs worth a shot?

    But i dunno if it supports MAC OS.

    Maybe the topic of this post should be changed from “COmputer” to “Windows XP “

  • T

    Ah, thank you so much! Method 1 scared me so I used method 2 – required a bit of a play to work through the prompts but worked for me. thanks :)

  • And

    I’m with Curti… it doesn’t work for me via either method.
    I run Mac OSX 10.7.2, GS2 runs Gingerbread 2.3.4 (xwki4)

  • MDS

    Worked for me,
    thanks so much!!!!!

  • Baz

    Not working for me either. Both methods dont work at all. Im in the same boat as And and Curti. Sickenned I cant find a solution anywhere

  • Joanna

    I just got a 32 GB micro SD card and I can’t seem to use it. I am starting to hate this phone. The learning curve for it is just too high I think. I have followed these instructions found on another forum with zero results. Please help!

    Method 1
    I did this and no Connect USB Storage button appears. I just see the buttons to turn WiFi, Bluetooth etc on and off and My Battery Life App and my Task Killer app.

    Method 2
    With this method, when I connect the cord it just says Connect USB cable to use mass storage.

    What can I do? Please help! I am so tempted to return this and just get an iPhone. I like this phone, but if I can’t sync my pics, music and videos, what’s the point of a smartphone?
    Thanks in advance for any help!

    • Joanna

      Gah! The AT&T store screwed up! They took my defective charger and wire and gave me a charging only wire. It’s written super tiny on the tag attached to the wire. If you’re having the same problem as me look into this. I tried the cable that came with my blackberry for work and it is like magic after a super frustrating hour or so.

    • will

      Reboot the phone.

      I called customer service and I was told to reboot.
      I took the battery off and waited for a few seconds and voila it worked.

      • Jay

        Thank you so much!! Kies would have taken such a long time to transfer files. I used Method #2 to connect to my Samsung Galaxy S2 and it worked perfectly!

    • ken

      I think this might solve your case

      when u connect the phone via usb, theres going to be removable disk (which is your phone) and your sd card disk (mine says disk G) appear in my computer. Now if you want transfer files to your sd card, ignore the removable disk and go in to the sd card disk to transfer the files. Hope this helps

    • Richard Kan

      Hi, you need to pull down the menu from the top of the phone. Go to Application, Settings, Wireless & Network, Usb utilities, then tap the button to connect to mass storage. You should see a green Android robot in the middle of the screen.

      Tap connect usb storage again. Android ropbot turns orangey. This means you are already connected and can open & view/transfer files to/from your pc.

      However, sometimes after disconnecting from pc, you need to reboot your phone. Android devices are sometimes crappy, they’re not as stable as iphone or ipad – but then again, you get to extend your memory via micro sdcard. So all in all, it’s a give-and-take situation.

      Hope this helps. Merry Xmas!
      - Richard Kan

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  • Jim Flemyng

    No joy here either. Windows 7 64 bit system too, and seeing a pattern here. Has anyone checked to see if their PC can actually read the card in a reader? Mine doesn’t seem to want to do that at all. Something to do with these new standard of cards and Windows perhaps?

  • http://www.rid1.co.za rid1

    i think best solution would be for everyone to first restart their pc once and their phone twice and properly (not by taking battery out or some other forceful method) …i say restart the phone because it may be stuck in the MTP mode…two restarts will give you a clean restart and then it should work once it starts working.

    • will

      It wasn’t working on my 32 bit xp and 64 bit vista machine.
      I used method two and rebooted the phone.

      Simply contact customer service
      they will make you go through the same steps anyways.

  • aaa

    2nd method doesn’t work to me
    it said that the driver missing or something

  • Obinho

    What a legend! Both methods work great for me. I use Media Monkey/Real Player or WMP to transfer media files instead of Kies. Kies is sooooo rubbish, such a let down for such a great phone. Don’t need the contact updater/backup if you save contacts to google or have lookout. Calender do that via google. All Kies has is the updates and I know you can do that through your phone. But thanks so much for sorting this out, I was tearing my hair out. Just one thing I use method 1, are there any pitfalls in using usb debugging?

  • Raajkumarr Raghul

    both methods didnt work for me!!! :( .. As soon i connect my sII to pc, my phone starts charging, but its not getting detected in my pc!!! please help me in fixing this problem.. thnks :)

    • LOWERCASES

       I had this problem too. I tried a USB port that I hadn’t previously connected to and it finally worked using the USB debug turned on. When I used a USB port that I used before, it just went straight to charging.

  • http://www.facebook.com/best1syn2oil Mark Hansen

    The drive letters show up either way, but cannot be accessed.  Windows says to insert a drive.  Windows refuses to use the Samsung USB drivers, preferring to use a generic driver.  I cannot force an install as it tells me the inf files contain no information about my device.

  • Amtsomo

    Many thanks for your tips. I managed to transfer my music first time around using the second method. Very easy. I run a Mac OSX 10.7.2.

    Cheers

  • Mendoza Rob

    Phone: T-Mobile T989 Samsung Galaxy S2 (Rooted)

    After countless hours researching the net for an answer, I grew tired and frustrated of such a simple task. Why wont my PC recognize my phone. It has in the past with no issues whatsoever. I searched high and low only to return to the same answer:

    “Re-install the drivers” “Reboot your machine” “Re-install Kies” and my favorite “Turn USB debugging off”

    Blah, blah, blah…the same result…..no USB option in my drop-down menu when I connect to my PC via USB. The charging feature worked just fine, but that darn option wont pop up.

    Well, after an hour with T-Mobile, they finally gave me the number to Samsung’s upper level tech support. Gave them a call and bless this sweet lady’s heart name Grace. Within 20 minutes, voila….USB working perfectly. Here is how my smile turned upside down.

    1. Settings –> Wireless and network –> USB utilities

    2. Click on “Connect storage to PC”

    3. Wait 3 seconds and then connect your phone via USB cable (VITAL POINT)

    I was hopeless until the call to Grace with Samsung. Hope this saves hours of frustration on everyone’s part. Let me know if this works for you. I really hope I’m not the only one.

    • Nick S Nguyen

      Hey Rob, 
      Any other suggestions? I’ve tried what you did , and everything else. No luck. Im on the S 2 on Tmobile as well (not rooted). It’s so funny because it worked flawlessly since I got it 3 months ago. Then one day, nothing! I’ve tried the stock usb cable, generic usb cables, both Mac’s and PC’s, and I even factory reseted my phone.  Nothing… ;(

  • Paulius

    mendoza rob’s worked for me!

  • http://twitter.com/lister1379 Lister Villarroel

     Hi, thanks but I’ve tried that and still dosen’t work, my phone is conected to the pc but I can’t use it like a usb port or even use the kies is just connected I can’t work with it.

  • diddy47

    hello…was wondering if you have a similar solution for the galaxy s3…am seriously considering returning it based on this alone….msc is essential for me…what is all this mmp ptp rubbish

  • Pawan

    Very nice, thanks buddy

  • http://www.facebook.com/sean.clancy.3950 Sean Clancy

    After pulling out my hair for two hours I tried a different USB cable, as someone had mentioned. Problem solved. User error, nothing wrong with phone or computer, which is a MBP running M. Lion. Kies worked very well to upgrade SGS2 to Android 4.1

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