"This folder is empty" shown when trying to read SD card on laptop computer

[fairghum]

I would like to access what's on my SD card from my laptop in order to delete old photos,etc. Plugging the phone into the laptop's USB port and opening the This PC\SAMSUNG-SM-G900V folder shows "this folder is empty" when I know it's not. Suggestions?

Thank you.

 

[smvim]

Assuming you're using a Windows PC, yes? Sounds like just a typical FAT file system issue. The default file system for a microSD card is Microsoft's FAT (File Allocation Table), or more likely a FAT-variant like FAT32 or exFAT. FAT unfortunately is out-dated, proprietary, and Microsoft no longer even actively supports it. A long-standing problem with FAT it cannot support things like file permissions or metadata the same way as ext4 (with ext4 being the default file system for our Android devices). So a file manager on Windows (Window Explorer) will see your card as typical FAT-based media, which has a file structure different than what your phone uses to interact with this non-native file format card. As Windows doesn't include ext4 support out of the box you can try installing a utility that does and see if that helps:
https://www.howtogeek.com/112888/3-ways-to-access-your-linux-partitions-from-windows/
Or you can use Samsung's default 'My Files' file manager app that's already on your S6 (should be in your Apps menu) to just delete those files all within your phone without removing the card. If My Files is too limited for you, there are some really good third-party file manager apps in the Play Store. (If you're rooted I really like Root Explorer but there plenty of other ones. 'Solid Explorer' has a lot of devoted followers, 'File-Expert' is a very good option too.)

 

[can3gxw]

Install either Kies or Smart Switch. These will install the proper Samsung drivers and should allow you to access your phone through your Windows Explorer.

Samsung Kies, Free Download Kies 3, Latest PC Suite, Mobile Software, Window 7 PC