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How to Get Android Files to Show up In the Chrome OS File Manager
Cameron Summerson
Editor in Chief/Review Geek
Cameron Summerson is ex-Editor-in-Chief of Review Geek and served as an Editorial Advisor for How-To Geek and LifeSavvy. He covered technology for a decade and wrote over 4,000 articles and hundreds of product reviews in that time. He's been published in print magazines and quoted as a smartphone expert in the New York Times. Read more...
@Summerson
Jun 6, 2018, 9:00 am EST | 1 min read
Access to Android apps is one of the best things to happen to Chrome OS, but finding files stored by Android can be a huge pain. They don't show up in the Chrome OS file manager by default, but a new flag changes that.
Currently, you can see certain files stored by Android in the Chrome OS file manager—like images, for example. But these still show up separately from other images, and it honestly just feel like a mess of files scattered all around. Not only that, but if you want to access other files available to Android, like anything stored within its file structure, you need a second file manager—one specifically for Android.
Note: This is currently only available on the Chrome OS Developer Channel (Chrome 68 at the time of writing), but should make its way to the other channels soon.
Google realizes what a mess this is, so a new Chrome flag introduces access to all Android files within the stock Chrome OS file manager. This puts everything front and center, making it super easy to manage both your Chrome and Android files in a single place. Here's how to enable the flag and what to expect when you do.
To access this feature, type (or copy and paste) this address into Chrome's omnibox, and then hit Enter:
chrome://flags/#show-android-files-in-files-app
Change the dropdown to the "Enabled" option.
You'll need to restart in order to activate the feature—tap the button at the bottom to make that happen.
From that point forward, you'll be able to access all your Android files from one location within the stock file manager.
No need for a separate Android app just to handle your Android files!
Cameron Summerson is ex-Editor-in-Chief of Review Geek and served as an Editorial Advisor for How-To Geek and LifeSavvy. He covered technology for a decade and wrote over 4,000 articles and hundreds of product reviews in that time. He's been published in print magazines and quoted as a smartphone expert in the New York Times.