if using an older phone or non-smartphone then you can try the program bitpim as it allows you to access files on such phones provided it covers your model number.
if using android when you plug in via usb you should be able to use your phone as a disk drive (might need to enable in settings) which would allow you to use it like a usb flash drive to edit files (just be careful what you delete)
cant speak for iphones or windows phones but it should also be fairly simple.