One of the biggest reasons for not switching smartphones (or operating systems) is a fear that we would be abandoning our carefully accumulated photos and videos. Yes, we know it’s possible to transfer them wirelessly via Dropbox or Google Drive but that’s often more of a hassle than we have time for.

A simpler way is to transfer the files onto your computer and then drag and drop them – or at least the ones you want – onto your new device. This means you can transfer photos and videos from an iPhone to an Android phone or an Android phone to a Windows phone with the minimum of fuss and without worrying whether you need to be connected to Wi-Fi or any other network.

Here’s how to do it using a Windows computer:

Plug your old phone into your computer or laptop using your USB charging cable. As your computer recognizes the phone, you will get a pop-up window giving you all kinds of import and transfer options. Ignore them all. Instead, go to Computer (Devices in Windows 8) and double click on the phone icon to see the stored files.

If you have plugged in a Windows phone, then your photos and videos will be conveniently stored under folders labeled Pictures and Videos. If you have plugged in an iPhone or Android phone, then look for a folder labeled DCIM (Digital Camera Images).

If you want to save and transfer all your photos and videos, then simply drag this folder (or folders) to the desktop or another area of your laptop. Alternatively, you can open up the folder and only save the photos or albums you want to keep.

Once the photos are safely saved, you can unplug the old phone and plug in the new phone. Once you locate this device through Computer or Devices, you can simply drag and drop the saved files to save them onto the new device.

Note that there is no need to set up a folder or drill down into the new device to get the photos in the right place. Your new phone will automatically recognize the file formats and organize them appropriately.

And that’s all there is to it. No matter how many photos and videos you have taken over the years, they will all be neatly transferred to your new device, with no need to worry about data charges or cloud storage costs.