How to Transfer Files from PC to PC？

Recoverit Editorial Team

Oct 23, 2026 • Filed to: USB Recovery • Proven solutions

TL;DR:

Transferring files between computers requires specific hardware based on your system and data size: a USB Bridge Cable for standard Windows transfers, a Thunderbolt cable using Target Disk Mode for Macs, or an Ethernet crossover cable for terabyte-sized migrations.
    ● Direct Windows-to-Windows USB transfers cannot use a standard USB cord and explicitly require a software-controlled USB Bridge Cable paired with manufacturer drivers or Windows Easy Transfer.
    ● Migrating massive data volumes via an Ethernet crossover cable requires manually configuring network settings to assign sequential IP addresses (such as 192.168.1.1 and 192.168.1.2) and granting full control in advanced sharing permissions.
    ● Retrieving files from a crashed computer requires using data recovery software like Recoverit on a working machine to format a blank USB drive into bootable media, which is then launched via the broken PC's BIOS menu.

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Getting a brand new PC must be full of excitement and joyfulness. A powerful and advanced PC hosts better graphics, exciting features, astounding speed, great storage, and much more. Still and all, you might be panicking about file transfer USB requirements, dealing with old huge megabytes of data, and all that stuff regarding how to transfer files from PC to PC.

Here in the article, this tempered excitement cause with modern has been solved, and easy solutions like files transfer:

• Part 1 - Transfer Data from PC to PC Using USB Cables?
• Part 2 - Transfer Data Between Two PCs via Network Connection?
• Part 3 - How to Retrieve Files from Crashed PCs Using a USB Flash Drive?

How to Transfer Data from PC to PC Using USB Cables?

If you have huge data files ranging from Gigabytes of storage, and you are wondering how to transfer files from PC to PC, here are the best solution steps to deal with this intention. But before proceeding towards the actual solution, all you need is a USB data transfer cable named 'USB Bridge Cable' in electronics accessories. This is a special type of cable which gives you the fastest transfer rate between two systems, it can even be named as the best way to transfer files from pc to pc. Follow these simple steps to encounter file transfer:

• Bring your USB bridge cable out of the packet which should have USB connecter at both ends just like this.

• Plug one end of that cable with one PC and another end with another PC respectively.

• This unique cable has a specialty as of this bridge between both ends. This bridge you are looking at is not just a box but a circuit controlled by software.
• In the next step, you need to install the driver software that comes up with the cable box itself. (From the manufacturer).

After the successful installation of that specific driver toolkit. Click on the white rectangular box of your taskbar and type that driver-specific name.

Tip: If your manufacturer does not provide you any driver for that specific cable, try using Windows Easy Transfer which is a personalized file transfer software by Microsoft.

• Now you can browse your one PC files from the other connected PC with the help of that software toolkit.
  Tip: By using the software, one computer will be called ‘local’ through which you have opened the software. Another one is being called 'remote' from which files are being shared and visible from your first computer which makes up connection.
• Now finally to transfer the files from one PC to another, open the file folder which you need to transfer and copy them all.

• To start the transfer, open the other PC destination folder where you want to store those files and paste as:
  right-click > paste
  

Tip: You can also copy the files using Ctrl+C and paste them to the destination by pressing Ctrl+V from your keyboard.

The transfer may take up to a few minutes or maybe more depending upon the size of the files which are being transferred. Usually, this cable transfer is very fast depending upon the cable quality and computer speed. Hope this could solve your problem on how to transfer files from pc to pc windows 10, if it doesn't, continue reading, because we also listed other 2 solutions for you.

How to Transfer Data between Two Macs Using USB Cables?

If you are a MacBook user and planning to buy a new MacBook pro for your personal as well as business use. The new MacBook Pro has more than twice external ports (vary from model to model). These external ports are special kinds of ports which we call ‘Thunderbolt Ports’. It is perhaps the fastest way to transfer files from pc to pc.

Thunderbolt cable allows apple MacBook users to transfer data at a faster rate via USB port. However, there is no direct way to connect two MacBook’s via USB cable but still we can connect a Thunderbolt-equipped Mac with a USB portable MacBook. The following steps make it easier for you to transfer data between two Macs:

• Power up your both Macs and connect them with the appropriate cable available.
• Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C Cable: Plug both ends into USB-C port of your Macs respectively.
  
  
• Thunderbolt 2 Cable: Plug one end of this cable into thunderbolt 2 port of old MacBook and another end of this cable into the adaptor connected to Thunderbolt 3 port of your new MacBook.

• After the wired connection is done, go to the System Preferences on old MacBook and do the following:
  
  
• Click Startup Disk
  
  
• Press Target Disk Mode

• Click Restart
  
  
• While the older device is restarting, open Migration Assistant on the other MacBook and do the following:
• Select 'From a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk'.

• After the old MacBook turned on, now you should see the drive of that old MacBook as below.

• Click the Continue arrow below to proceed with that drive.
  
  
• Now you should see the files from your old MacBook select the ones you want to transfer and click Continue 

Now wait for the file transfer completion and after it is done, you should see the files on your new MacBook.

How to Transfer Data Between Two PCs via Network Connection?

The above methods are the best ways to deal with "how to transfer files from pc to pc" issue when you’ve not that large size of data to be retrieved from one PC to another. But when you got to deal with a very huge size data having several Terabytes of files, you may wonder: How to transfer large files from pc to pc? -- The best and fastest method is via network connection using ethernet cable.

To proceed with this easiest way, you just need

• An Ethernet Crossover Cable. 

The step by step procedure of data transfer via the network connection is explained below:

• Connect both of your PCs with the crossover Ethernet cable by plugging one end of the cable into the first PC ethernet port and another one with another PCs port respectively.

• After a successful physical connection, turn on first PC and open Network Settings as shown below:

• Now you need to assign a genuine IP address like anyone ranging from 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.9.

• Now come back to My PC and right-click on the Drive which you want to share and do the following: Properties > Sharing > Advanced Sharing > Check on option Share this Folder > Permissions > Choose Everyone > give full control. Click Apply and then OK.
  
• Now repeat the same procedure for another PC as going into Network Settings and Assign an IP address. This IP has to be the same as the first one except for the last digit.
  168.1.2 to 192.168.1.9
• Now you need to ping that other PC just to check if you can hear back a response. For that purpose:
• Open cmd of this PC
• Type ping 192.168.1.1 (that IP address which you have assigned to other PC)

• Press Enter to get a response from that PC.

• After ping able response from other PC.
• Go to My PC and at the top address bar. 
• Type IP address of other PC.

• Hit Enter.
• You will be asked to provide the username and password of that PC. Fill out both requirements.
• Go to the network folder to access the shared drive from other PC.

Above is exactly how to transfer large files from pc to pc using Ethernet cable.

Above are the best methods to transfer your files from one PC to another, the methods are both wired and wireless for both Windows and MacBook PCs. Depending upon the file size and speed factor, you just need to select the one which is more compatible with your PCs respectively.

More Related: Move Files from C Drive to D Drive in Windows

How to Retrieve Files from Broken PCs Using a USB Flash Drive?

If you want to upgrade your PC and retrieve data from the previous one which is by somehow, got crashed. You don’t need to worry about the data retrieval and transfer as this article brings you the easiest steps to recover your old data from the PC and transfer it to a new one by using a USB flash drive.

To proceed with this transfer process, you need the following:

• An empty USB flash drive
• Recoverit Data Recovery Software

If you have a USB flash drive, then luckily we brought you the steps to download and install Recoverit software using the buttons below:
For Windows PC, download it from here:

After you downloaded this software, let’s begin with the file transfer USB steps:

Step 1: Installing Recoverit

• With the opened window interface, click on the install button.
• The installation process shall begin as default.
• After the successful installation, you will be asked to Start Now. Just proceed by clicking this button

Step 2: Select Recover from Crash Computer’ on the homepage.

Step 3: Click the Start button below to proceed to the next step.

Step 4: Now you need to create your USB flash drive as bootable media. If your USB drive is already bootable you may skip the next step.

Step 5: Recoverit will automatically retrieve the USB drive information and after that, you need to select USB to be formatted and created into bootable.

Step 6: Confirm this step to make your USB drive a bootable media by clicking Format option as below.

Step 7: The drive format shall start now as follow.

Tip: If it doesn't start automatically you need to download the Firmware program which is a system program of storage devices required to run them as bootable media.

Step 8: After the bootable process finishes, just eject the USB drive and connect it to the other PC from which you want to transfer files.

Step 9: Start the PC and press the specific function key to enter into the BIOS of that PC. The function key is clearly viewed on the starting screen as the PC starts.

Step 10: From the BIOS options, boot your PC using the USB drive.

Step 11: Confirm the Setup Confirmation by clicking on Yes.

Step 12: Now your PC files are ready to copy after the Boot is finished. To copy the do the following steps:

• From the options available after booting your PC, Select the hard disk copy to choose the device where files will be copied.
• Select the USB drive and press the Copy button to start copying files.
• Tip: If the file size is huge, we recommend you to connect an external hard drive to your PC.
  
  

After the copy finishes, plug that drive to the other PC and paste the files to finish the transfer process.