How to connect two PC using USB cables?

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yodasan

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Aug 22, 2024
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How to connect two PC using USB cables?

I've been researching how to transfer files between PC's, it looks like the easiest would be to use a USB data transfer cable.

I found these instructions on-line:

Transfering Files Using a USB-to-USB Data Transfer Cable
1
Purchase a USB-to-USB data transfer cable. USB-to-USB data transfer cables have a USB-A connector on both ends. They allow you to transfer data between two computers. To do this, you will need special data transfer software. This may come with the USB-to-USB data transfer cable, or it can be purchased or downloaded online.
Check to make sure the software you are using to transfer files is compatible with your operating system. Especially if you are using a Mac computer or an older operating system.[4]
You will need to use the same data transfer software on both computers.
2
Install the data transfer software on both computers. If the data transfer cable you purchased came with a CD or DVD, you can use that to install the data transfer software on both computers. If it did not come with a CD or DVD, or your computer(s) don't have an optical disk drive, consult the user's manual that came with the data transfer cable for instructions on how to download the software online.
3
Connect the USB-to-USB data transfer cable to both computers. Plug one end of the USB cable to a free USB port on one computer. Then connect the other end of the USB cable to a free USB port on the second computer.
4
Start the data transfer software on both computers. Click the icon for your data transfer software on both computers to launch it. It may be on your desktop, Windows Start menu, or Applications folder on Mac.
5
Select the option to transfer files. Each file transfer program may be a little different. Some may have the option to sync all files between both computers so that both computers have the same files. There may also be an option to transfer everything from one computer to another. Select the option that allows you to choose which files you want to transfer. This may be a drag-and-drop option or an option to allows you to click the files you want to transfer in File Explorer or the Finder.
6
Select the files you want to transfer. Either navigate to and click the files you want to transfer to select them, or use the drag-and-drop interface to click and drag the files you want to transfer into the data transfer software.
7
Transfer the files you select. After selecting the files you want to transfer, click Ok, Send, Transfer or similar to send the files to the other computer.[5]

Would this work with my Win 10 and Win11 PC's? If so, which cable should I buy? I need at least a 12' cable to connect the two PC's. I've tried researching 'usb-a-to-usb-a data transfer cable' on both Wal-Mart(would prefer buying there as it would be delivered faster), and Amazon, but I can't tell which one to buy. I can't seem to find a 12' cable-could I connect two 6' cables together, if so, what kind of 'connector' do I need?

The how-to article(above) mentions USB-A....does it have to be 'A'? I'm seeing some 'C' cables...would they work?

Thanks!
 
Thanks, I'm aware of that method, but it seems complex to me, having to configure the network settings, other settings, and sharing, etc....I don't want to mess up what I have set up on my old PC.

​

 
To me, you would only need one of these:

Then one of these:

USB A or C doesn't matter except where you plug it in. For instance on PC a. If you have USB A slots then that cable would need to be USB A.

If PC b has USB C slots, then that end of the cable would need to be USB C.

Both examples I posted are USB 3.0 which gives you roughly 5 Gbit/s rates. However if any of the ports are USB 2.0 it will drop down to 2.0 rates/speed. The good thing is, they are all backwards compatible but you'll only transfer at the lowest rate of the port or cable.
 
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Will this be a one-off exercise, or something you'll need to do regularly?

If one-off, why not use a USB storage device, like a USB stick or external drive?
If regularly, why not utilise cloud storage, like Dropbox or OneDrive?
 
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