Alex Ruben
How To Connect a SanDisk USB Flash Drive to iPhone and Transfer Data
In today’s digital world, moving files around between your iPhone and a USB drive natively isn’t super straightforward, but it’s doable with the right setup. If you’ve got a SanDisk USB flash drive and an iPhone 15 or 16 — or even just iOS 18 on an older device — this process should help you transfer images, docs, whatever, without much fuss. Still, some quirks make it kind of annoying, so here’s the step-by-step that actually worked after a bunch of trial and error.
Step 1: Gather Your Equipment
Before messing around, make sure you’ve got all the essentials. You’ll need:
- A SanDisk USB flash drive (obvious, right?)
- A USB-C to USB-A or USB-C to whatever your drive needs — like, if your iPhone’s port is USB-C, but your drive is just regular USB, grab one of those adapters. You can find these cheap on Amazon or Apple’s site.)
- Your iPhone running iOS 18 (or newer, depending on what’s out), definitely on iOS 18 if you want everything smooth.
Step 2: Connect the USB Flash Drive to Your iPhone
This part’s kinda hit or miss. Here’s what to do:
- Plug the SanDisk drive into your USB-C adapter. Because of course, Windows has to make this harder than it needs to be.
- Then, connect that adapter into your iPhone’s charging port.
- Now, you *should* hear a sound—some chime indicating the drive was recognized. If not, try unplugging and reconnecting, or even a reboot sometimes helps.
Pro tip — if it doesn’t pop right up in Files, don’t panic. On some setups, it takes a second to appear or needs a force restart of the Files app.
Step 3: Access Your USB Drive via Files App
Open Files. Tap on Browse at the bottom, then look for something like External Drive or the name of your SanDisk device in the list of locations. If it doesn’t show up immediately, try disconnecting and reconnecting, or going to Settings > General > Files & Folders > External Storage and making sure it’s enabled. Likely, it’s just a matter of patience or a quick replug.
Step 4: Moving Photos from iPhone to USB
This is where it gets a little fiddly. To move photos:
- Open the Photos app.
- Select the images you want (tap Select at top right, then tap each photo).
- Tap the Share icon (square with an upward arrow).
- Choose Copy Photo. Not sure why this step is necessary, but it’s what worked for me.
- Go back to Files, then your drive — tap into it.
- Long press in the folder or tap the ellipsis… then Paste. Sometimes it takes a couple of seconds to transfer, but if you have a lot, it’s worth waiting. And yes, on one setup it worked perfectly, on another… not so much. Magic of Apple.
Method 2: Transfer Multiple Photos in One Shot
If you’ve got a batch, it’s basically the same idea, just faster:
- In Photos, tap Select, highlight multiple images.
- Share, then Copy Photos.
- Switch to Files and open the drive folder.
- Press and hold, then Paste. Expect it to pop in after a bit, especially with larger batches or slower drives.
Step 5: Get Files Back onto Your iPhone
Need to bring files from the drive back onto your device? Easy:
- Open Files and find your SanDisk drive.
- Long press the file you want, tap Copy.
- Navigate to your desired storage location and long press again, then Paste. Usually works well, but sometimes formats or file types cause hiccups here. Expect some to transfer just fine, others might need converting or app-specific handling.
Extra Tips & Common Troubles
Here’s the scoop on issues:
- Make sure your SanDisk drive is compatible. Some low-quality or older drives won’t show up at all. Check on the box or manufacturer’s site.
- Update your iPhone regularly; occasionally compatibility gets fixed in iOS patches.
- If your drive isn’t recognized or doesn’t pop up, unplug it, switch adapters, or restart your iPhone. The number of times a reboot fixes sneaky recognition issues is kinda ridiculous.
- Some drives need power supplied via the port—so if it’s not working, maybe try an external powered hub or a different adapter.
Summary
- Gather the right adapters and drives.
- Connect, then wait for recognition.
- Use Files to transfer files to and from the drive.
- Patience might be needed, especially with larger batches or quirky drives.
Hopefully this shaves off a few hours for someone. Good luck with that multi-device juggling — it’s kinda weird, but totally doable.