How to get photos off camera cell phone

Most cell phones today have some sort form of a camera built-in that can capture still photos and even video in some cases. The cameras are generally easy to use and the pictures are instantly saved to the phone and can be sent via message to other phones or e-mail accounts. For many people that seems to be the only way to salvage photos from the phone and get them to a computer where they can save, edit, and print them. But that method can be costly as most cell phone plans charge for messaging and many e-mail accounts have file size limits.

But there are a few ways in which to get your photos from that great night you had from your small phone screen to computers, picture cds, even actual photo paper and it all starts with ways to transfer data from your cell phone to your computer.

As your reading these various options you'll need to check to see if your phone has the features needed to do any of the options; if you can't find it on or in your phone, the user manual usually gives you more information.

If your phone has Bluetooth capabilities, this means the phone can wirelessly send data to any other device that has Bluetooth. Ideally the other device should be your computer if it has Bluetooth which many newer models (esp. notebook computers) has built in. First you'll need to activate Bluetooth on each device. In the cell phone menu you should be able to locate a Bluetooth menu and through that you'll set your phone to 'discoverable mode' or 'Bluetooth on'. Next you'll do the same thing on your computer if it has Bluetooth, you can find this by looking in the top right of your Mac desktop for a small icon that looks a bit like a twisted antenna; for Windows users, a quick search of the control panel should reveal Bluetooth options.

Once both devices have their Bluetooth on, one or the other will 'find' the other device and ask if you'd like to connect. You'll want to connect and sometimes one device will give you a pass code to enter in the other device when prompted. Once the connection is established, browse your cell phone device through the Bluetooth menu on your computer screen; you'll find a folder labeled photos, media, or data most likely. You can then move files between the devices while the connection is enabled.

Another option for transferring photos from phone to other media devices is to see if your phone has a removable micro SD card. The phone manual will tell you this and also explain how to set your phone to store photos on the card. If the photos are on the card you can open the part of your phone where the card is stored (refer to manual), remove the card and place it in a SD card reader (many printers and computers have a port for this although you may need an adaptor to place the micro SD card into as many cell phone cards are smaller then standard cards. You can move files from the card to your computer after the computer recognizes the card. You can also bring the card to a retail pharmacy where photo kiosks are and transfer files directly to disk or photo paper.

A third option is the use of USB or Firewire connections, connecting your phone directly to your computer. Check the casing of your phone to see if there is a USB or Firewire port on the phone (many older phones have Firewire ports while newer ones tend to rely on Bluetooth) or refer to the phone manual. Once you've determined that both phone and computer have Firewire or USB connectivity you'll need the proper cable to connect them. Firewire and USB connections use different connectors on their cables. USB is also more common then Firewire. Simply connect the matching port on the phone to the one on the computer; your computer should find the device and you can search your phone memory to find your photo files and move them to the computer.

One of these options should work for you and help you get your trapped photos off your cell phone and onto better forms of media for photo viewing and editing. As cell phone camera technology continues to improve, the need for easier ways of moving photos to other locations and sharing them with others increases. Hopefully in time, cell phone pictures will be even easier to move and be of higher quality.