How do I browse files on an Xperia device?

IMPORTANT: This article applies only to specific products and/or operating systems. Check the Applicable Products and Categories section of this article before starting these steps.

Solution

You can browse your files in the following 2 ways :

• Directly on the device
• By connecting the device via a USB cable to a computer

Note: For Xperia 1 IV, Xperia 10 IV, Xperia 5 IV, Xperia 1 V, Xperia 10 V, Xperia 5 V, Xperia 1 VI and Xperia 10 VI: Please set the USB connection mode to file transfer with the instruction after connecting your Xperia to the computer.

Setting the USB connection mode to file transfer

To set the USB connection mode to file transfer

1. Make sure that your device is connected to a computer via a USB cable.
2. From your Home screen, drag the status bar downwards. 
3. Find and tap Charging this device via USB, then select File Transfer under USB Preferences, find and tap File Transfer.

Browsing files directly on your Android device

You can browse photos, videos, or audio tracks on your device using pre-installed applications such as the Album, Music, and Video applications.

Alternatively, you can use a file manager application for viewing, searching, renaming, and organising your files and folders. File manager applications are available for download from Google Play Store.
There is also a pre-installed file manager.

To browse files using the built-in file manager

1. Find and tap the Files app . It's sometimes placed in the Other folder on the Applications screen.
2. Tap ”Internal storage" to browse the internal storage, "SD Card" (if available) to browse an external memory card.

Tips: Touch and hold a file to highlight it. You can then share  the file, or tap  and then move or copy the file to another location.

Browsing files using a computer

Connecting via USB

You can use a USB cable to connect your device to a computer to transfer and manage files and folders. Once the two devices are connected, you can use your computer's file explorer to drag and drop content between your computer and device, or between your device's internal storage and memory card.

To connect an Xperia device to a Windows computer

1. Connect your Xperia device to a Windows computer using a USB cable.
2. Xperia device: If prompted, in the Allow access? dialog, tap ALLOW.
3. Computer: Open Microsoft Windows Explorer. Your Xperia device appears under Computer.