How to Save Files to a USB Drive

Locate the USB port on your computer. For laptops, the USB ports are typically located on the left or right side. Desktop users will usually find the USB ports at the back or front of the tower. For iMacs, the USB ports are located behind the screen.

Identify the type of USB port on your computer. Modern computers typically come with two main types of USB ports:

• USB 3.0 - A flat rectangular port, less than 2cm wide. You will notice a thin plastic piece at the top of this port. USB 3.0 ports are commonly found on most Windows computers and Mac computers manufactured before 2016.
• USB-C - A flat, oval-shaped port, about 1cm wide. These ports are usually found on MacBook and MacBook Pro computers, but some Windows laptops also feature USB-C ports.
• If your computer has both port types, you can use either port depending on the type of USB you are using.

Determine the type of USB you are using by examining the metal connector end of the USB:

• If the rectangular connector has a piece of plastic inside, you are using a USB 3.0.
• If the oval-shaped connector has no plastic inside, it is a USB-C.

Purchase and connect an adapter (if necessary). If the USB you want to use is a USB 3.0 version but your computer only has a USB-C port, you will need to buy a USB-C adapter and connect it to the USB-C port on your computer.

• This is the most common port on MacBook and MacBook Pro computers from 2016 onwards; however, some Windows computers have also switched to only featuring USB-C ports.

Connect the USB to your computer. If you are using a USB 3.0, make sure the plastic piece inside the connector is positioned beneath so it fits with the plastic piece at the top of the USB 3.0 port.

• The USB-C can be easily inserted into your computer.
• If using a USB-C adapter, you will plug the USB into the USB 3.9 port of the adapter.

Ensure the USB is properly connected to the computer. Make sure you have inserted the USB into the device before proceeding.

Copy the files. Open the folder containing the file you want to copy, then left-click on the file and press Ctrl+C.

• If you wish to copy multiple files, hold down the Ctrl key while clicking on each file you want to copy.

Click on the USB name on the left side of the File Explorer window. You may need to scroll down the left pane first.

• If you cannot see the USB name, click on This PC near the top of the left pane, then double-click the device name under "Devices and drives".

Paste the files. Click in an empty space within the USB window, then press Ctrl+V. You will see the copied files appear in the File Explorer window.

• If you want to paste the files into a specific folder on the USB, double-click the folder before performing the paste operation.

Eject the USB.

Once you have safely ejected the drive, you can pull the USB out from the computer.

Ensure the USB is properly connected to the computer. Make sure you have inserted the USB into the device before proceeding.

Copy the file. Navigate to the folder where you want to copy the file, then left-click on the file and press ⌘ Command+C.

• If you need to copy multiple files, hold down the ⌘ Command key while selecting each file you want to copy.

Open the flash drive. Click on the USB name at the bottom left corner of the Finder window, under the "Devices" heading.

Paste the copied files by pressing ⌘ Command+V. You will see the file appear in the Finder window.

• If you wish to paste the files into a folder on the USB, double-click the folder before pasting.

Remove the USB. After ejecting the drive, you can safely pull the USB out of the computer.

Ensure the USB is connected to the computer. Make sure to plug in the USB device before proceeding.

Create a file (if necessary). If you need to create a new file from a program to save onto the flash drive, make sure to create the file before proceeding.

• Skip this step if you only want to make a copy of an existing file on the flash drive.

Open the "Save As" window. If the document hasn’t been saved yet, press Ctrl+S (on Windows) or ⌘ Command+S (on Mac) to open this window. Alternatively, you can do the following:

• On Windows — Click File, then select Save As. If using Microsoft Office, double-click This PC after selecting Save As to open the File Explorer window.
• On Mac — Click File, then select Save As... from the dropdown menu.

Name the document (if necessary). If you want to add a different name for the file, type it in the "File name" field (on Windows) or the "Name" field (on Mac)

Select your USB drive. Click on the USB name at the lower-left corner of the window. You may need to scroll the slider down first.

• On Mac, click the Where field and select your USB name from the list or the left side of the Finder window.

Click the Save button at the lower-right corner of the window to save the file to the flash drive.

Remove the USB. After performing the eject action, you can pull the USB drive out of the computer safely.

Ensure the USB is connected to the computer. Make sure the USB is plugged into the device before proceeding.

Open your preferred browser. If you want to download a file from the Internet to the USB, open a browser (such as Chrome).

Ensure download confirmation is enabled. Most browsers automatically download files to the computer's "Downloads" folder, but you can set your browser to ask where you want to save a file by following these steps:

• On Chrome — Click the ⋮ icon at the top-right corner, select Settings, scroll down, and click Advanced, then scroll to the "Downloads" section and toggle the gray "Ask where to save each file before downloading" option.
• On Firefox — Click the ☰ icon at the top-right, click Options (or Preferences on Mac), scroll to the "Files and Applications" section, and check the box for "Always ask you where to save files".
• On Edge — Click the ⋯ icon at the top-right, select Settings, scroll down, click View advanced settings, and toggle the gray "Ask me what to do with each download" option to "On".
• On Safari — Click Safari at the top-left corner, select Preferences..., click the "File download location" field, and select Ask for each download from the options.

Locate the file you want to download. Use your web browser to visit the website or service where you wish to download the file.

Click the button or link Download (Download) based on the data you wish to retrieve. After clicking to download the file, a new window will appear on the screen.

Select your USB drive. When prompted to choose a save location, click on the USB name from the left menu and select Save. This action will download the file directly to your USB.

• On a Mac, click Choose instead of Save.
• If you want to store the file in a specific folder on your USB, double-click the folder before selecting Save.

Eject the USB. Once you've safely ejected the drive, you can simply pull the USB out of your computer.

Ensure the USB is not full. USB drives tend to fill up quickly, especially older ones with smaller storage. Try deleting files you no longer need if your USB is running out of space.

• You can easily delete data from your USB by dragging files into the Recycle Bin (on Windows) or Trash (on Mac).

Check the file size you want to store on the USB. Many USB drives can't store files larger than 4GB. If you need to save a larger file, you'll need to format the USB to a different file system. See the next step for more details.

Format the USB. Formatting allows you to change the file system of the USB, which is useful when you need to store files larger than 4GB or set up the USB for use on your computer. However, formatting will erase the data on the USB.

• If you want to store files larger than 4GB, choose exFAT (on Windows) or ExFAT (on Mac).
• A USB formatted specifically for Windows won't work on a Mac and vice versa. Formatting the USB to a compatible format will resolve this issue.

• You cannot recover data from the USB once it has been formatted.