How to Copy Files From an SD Card to a PC

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Copying files from an SD media card to your PC is essential to back up your digital photographs or work with your pictures on your PC. After you have copied the files from your SD card to your PC, you can burn them to a CD to be archived or work with them from your computer directly.

Step 1

Turn on your PC computer. Allow your computer to boot up and show the desktop screen. Double-click the "My Computer" icon. This will open a separate box showing the contents of your computer. One of the drives listed will correspond to your SD media card drive.

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Step 2

Remove your SD media card from your camera and insert it into your PC's SD card slot or card reader. Look at the list of drives on your computer and take note of which drive is for your SD card. After you insert your card, the drive name will usually change to reflect the brand of card you are using or the type of device (SD).

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Step 3

Double-click on the SD card drive. This will open a new window, showing the folders on your SD card. Double-click on one of the folders to view additional folders or the photos inside.

Step 4

Locate the "view" icon on the top part of the screen to change your view to "thumbnails" so you can see small images of your photos on the screen. Click the first photo you'd like to copy from your SD card to your PC. Hold down the Shift key while you click on the last photo you'd like to transfer to your PC. All photos that are highlighted are selected to be copied.

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Step 5

Keep pressing down the Shift key and right-click. Select "Copy" from the menu that pops up.

Step 6

Locate where you want to save your files. You can place them in a folder you have created for photo storage or on your desktop. Open that destination and right-click in that folder or on your desktop.

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Step 7

Click on "Paste" in the menu that pops up, and your files will be copied from your SD media card to your chosen location on your PC. You may now work with your photos directly on your computer. The original files are also still saved on your SD card. You simply made a copy of the files to work with on your computer.

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