Connecting Phone as USB, Not as a Device

[onthehunt]

When I connect my phone to the computer via the USB cable, it shows as a device on the computer, not as a USB drive, and the phone pictures show as an icon only on the computer. How can I connect the phone as USB so that I can actually see pics on the computer from my phone?

 

[brentj]

While your phone is connected, swipe down to open the notifications and you should see one that says, "Connected as a [media device][camera]. Touch for other USB options." If you touch that, it gives you the option to check a box for either media device or camera. However, no matter which option I use, the files show up in Windows Explorer as icons, not as thumbnails of the photos. So I don't think there is a setting on the phone that will accomplish what you want.

If you right click on one of the .jpeg icons in Windows Explorer and select "Preview," it will open that image in Windows Photo Viewer and then you can move forward or backward through the photos. I couldn't find a way to view all of them at once as thumbnails in Windows Explorer. Perhaps if you set your camera to store photos in a removable micro SD card, you could remove the card and connect it to the computer with an adapter, and that might accomplish what you want, though it would be a bit of a hassle.