android file transfer not working on Ventura

Unless you are actively debugging, you are going to want to flip 'USB Debugging' off (you can leave Developer Options on, just toggle the debugging setting.) while you are using Android File Transfer. I had a similar issue with my Nokia XR20 and Ventura and that seemed to fix it.

I got Android File Transfer to work on a Mac in Ventura by going into System Preferences, then removing several startup applications: Google Drive and Preview. It was that easy. Restart your computer.

Actually you have to more than quit Google Drive and Preview. You need to go into System Preferences, Startup items. Remove them from the Startup Items. Restart your computer. Android File Transfer finally worked after months of frustration and partial solutions.

I can say pretty definitely now it is a problem with the Ventura OS. I have 4 apple computers to check this on. It worked fine on both Mac Book Pros. An old one running an old OS and another running Monterey. It did not work on either my iMac or my Mac Mini M1 both running Ventura. I upgraded my newer Mac Book to Ventura 13.4 and Android File Transfer no longer works. And yes I have trouble shot everything. It obviously is NOT the phone since it works on one computer and did work on a second one before the upgrade. Preview is NOT open and the USB setting is for file transfer. This is a problem of compatibility with Ventura.

I have never had Preview on my startup list. But thanks, it was Dropbox that caused the problem. Anything that may try to access a USB device should be quit. I just made sure I quit all applications and also signed out of Google Drive. It worked!

Better solution is to switch to OpenMTP. Android File Transfer is bulky and outdated. OpenMTP has better interface, larger file transfer, and has a few instructions in the beginning to make sure you quit the correct interfering programs. Worked first time beautifully!

After a lot of searching and frustration, this did the trick for me! Android File Transfer doesn't work with Google Drive running.

Just wanted to add that it only worked after restarting my Mac, which required temporarily removing Google Drive from login items within the Mac's system settings.

As kmsharif mentioned, some people talked about the Preview app.

As soon as I closed Preview, the Android file transfer app worked again.

I opened up Preview after connecting my Samsung and it disconnected me.

Quite an odd bug indeed.

I've been having the exact same issue trying to connect my Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra to my Macbook Pro 13" M1 for many years. So frustrating!! It connected intermittently, usually after a lot of random phone and laptop restarts, but I never knew exactly why it worked.

Now I think I finally found the issue. It seems like (in my case) that Google Drive is interfering with Android File Transfer from connecting. In other people's cases it also seems that Dropbox is also interfering.

To fix the issue, quit Google Drive and Dropbox, and then in Activity Monitor, quit "Android File Transfer" and then start it again, and it should work.

@kmsharif, you're a lifesaver. Thank you for saving hours of troubleshooting....I closed this **** Preview and was able to get Android File Transfer working.....Can't believe Apple is creating cross-wires like these.

the Preview App will prevent the connection to Android File Transfer. Make sure Preview is fully shut down, then connect the cable and your phone will connect without issue. i dont know why Preview messes up the connection, but for the past few itterations of MacOS, i have had to use FORCE CLOSE APP to make sure that preview is closed if i wanted to connect an android to transfer files.

Very annoying i know, and Apple should address it, unless they are purposly making it annoying to connect an android phone...

Absolutely none of these solutions worked for me.

M1 Max running Sonoma and Android File Transfer if it starts inevitably crashes before I can do anything or it just stops working and I have to force quit.

This behaviour is insane given USB is a STANDARD and quite frankly the only reason it doesn't work on Macs is the same reason Macs don't proper mount Android phones as storage devices... because Apple doesn't want them too and just ignores the standards.

I've been an Apple user for over a decade and own four macs, two iPads and a Studio Display but I don't want to have to but a $2,400 iPhone to be able to manage files on my mobile device.

This problem has a simple fix and I'm sure Apple could implement in a few key strokes but it's more important to maintain the garden walls than to maintain standards.

Pretty sure this post will be taken down and I'll be admonished for speaking ill of the Apple overlaords but that is the simple truth. Good luck!

THIS WAS THE PROBLEM! Dropbox interferes with the ports that Android File Transfer uses.

I also sounds like other programs like Google Drive on Mac interfere with AFT program - just quit them and retry.

I have solved all Android data transfering problems with "FV File Explorer" app on Android, where I simply run HTTP server. Just need to connect to the same network, run any browser on your Mac and it works quite fast compare to Android File Transfer and more convenient.

Perhaps the app needs to be updated for the new OS. Contact the makers if it.

Big Thanks 👍🏻, I turned off the Google Drive app, the problem was solved