Either google has become entirely useless or this is not possible.
Is it possible to select a folder in the google android files app and copy it to another location, such as an external usb drive?
I've tried the samsung smart switch app, to but it will only give me the option to transfer by wifi or cable.
Or is there a backup unitliy that still works with USB drives rather than the cloud?
If you are able to enable developer mode and usb debugging, there probably exists the bu backup tool that gives you a lot of control on what to backup and where/how.
You run it via adb, something like this for a full backup:adb shell bu backup -apk -obb -shared -all -system -keyvalue > phone-backup-full.adb
Help via:adb shell bu help
If you just want to copy individual files, you can do that using the adb pull command.
Thanks, but I teach elderly people to use smartphones.
This student has more experience with tech than most, but not that much epreience.
Oh, I assumed this was for you and went way overly complex. I have a real answer to your actual question.
The tool I've used for copying/pasting to/from a usb drive from/to the phone is called Solid Explorer
If you plug in a compliant OTG usb-c drive or drive with a working adapter, you can long press on a folder, select copy, then switch from "Internal Storage" to "USB Device" and click on the paste button.
Zivan - Childless Cat Guy
Gentle Golem