Tip of the Week: Use Windows Media Player to Sync Your PC’s Files to Android

So you’ve got yourself a new Android device and you want to transfer all of your favorite media from your PC onto the device. How do you go about doing this? While there all several different ways you can transfer your files, one of the easiest ways is to take advantage of a program that’s already installed on your PC: Windows Media Player.

Why WMP is the Practical Choice
It may be that you’ve not before considered WMP as an option to transfer your files onto your Android device. This is because Google, the makers of Android, would prefer oh so much that you use Google Play in conjunction with Google Drive, their cloud storage solution. While you can take the all-Google route to transfer and manage your media, and to be fair, a lot of users do, it might not be the best choice for everyone.

In particular, users that have a vast library of media to transfer and manage may frown on the monthly fees associated with Google Drive. Granted, Google’s rates are extremely reasonable and Drive storage is even free up to 15GB, but $1.99 per month for 100GB and $9.99 for 1TB can add up.

Another disadvantage about using the cloud for your mobile device’s media is that you will be dependant upon an Internet connection to access it. This isn’t an attractive option for people in areas with spotty coverage and users with a limited data plan that will quickly be consumed by accessing large files.

You’ve Got Some Free Options
Without having to download any new software, you’ve already got some free options on your PC that will transfer your files from your PC to your Android device. First off, you can simply connect the Android device to your PC via USB or wireless connection and then drag and drop a file from one device to the other. This is an easy way to transfer a file. You can even select all of your files and transfer them with one big drag and drop. However, users that have a constantly-changing media library will quickly become annoyed at having to go through this process every time they add a new file.

How to Sync Your Media Using Windows Media Player
If you have an ever-changing media library, you’re going to want to take advantage of an application that has a syncing feature, like Windows Media Player. To sync your Android device using WMP, open WMP and connect your device to the PC. If this is the first time connecting the device, then you may have to download and install a driver for it, which Windows will walk you through once a connection is detected.

With your device and PC successfully connected to each other and driver installed, go to the sync tab on the right side of the screen where you should see a graphic representing your device.

Underneath the Sync tab is a box icon with a green checkmark. Click on it for a drop down menu to appear. From here, select Set up sync...

Now you will want to go to the Device Setup menu. The default setting will allow the device and WMP to sync automatically, meaning that any change to either library will instantly be reflected in the corresponding library every time a connection is made. To activate this automatic sync feature, along with any other adjustments you wish to make, select the Finish button in the Device Setup menu.

Upon selecting the Finish button, your computer will jump into action and begin syncing your files. Once the sync is finished, you can disconnect your device and take all of your favorite media with you wherever you go. To access the media on your mobile device, you can use the standard media player on your device, or a host of other third party media players available on the App store.

The media player that someone uses to manage and play their digital content can vary greatly depending on the needs and preferences of the user. You might be more of an iTunes kind of person, or perhaps you’re happy with Google’s offerings. When selecting a media player, don’t forget about your faithful friend Windows Media Player. You may find yourself surprised that it can do exactly what you need it to.