How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to Computer (PC and Mac)

Scenario

Why transfer photos from iPhone to computer?

We take photos every day because of the amazing shooting technology. And many users want to know how to transfer photos from iPhone to computer. Here are 3 main reasons for this idea.

• Backup iPhone photos: These photos are your precious memories and you cannot afford this loss.  You will want to transfer pictures from iPhone to computer as a backup.
• Solve the issue of insufficient storage space: Now iPhone can take high-quality photos and videos, which will run out storage soon. So You will want to transfer photos from your iPhone to Windows PC or Mac. And delete them from your iPhone to free up storage space.
• View and edit photos on a larger screen: You've been taking some beautiful photos with your iPhone. But the small screen of iPhone is not suitable for editing and viewing. You can download iPhone photos to computer for better editing and viewing.

No matter what purpose, if you want to import your pictures from your iPhone to your computer, keep on reading, we will walk you through how to easily perform that easily.

How to transfer photos from iPhone to computer (PC and Mac)

In the following, I’ll show you some commonly used ways to import photos from iPhone to a Windows PC or Mac computer. You can choose one according to your needs.

• Method 1. The quickest and best way to transfer photos from iPhone to computer

• Method 2.Transfer Photos from iPhone to PC via AutoPlay

• Method 3. Transfer Photos from iPhone to PC with Windows File Explorer

• Method 4. Transfer Photos from iPhone to PC with Windows Photos

• Method 5. Transfer Photos from iPhone to PC and Mac with iCloud

• Method 6. Airdrop photos from iPhone to Macbook

Method 1. The best and quickest way to transfer photos from iPhone to Windows PC

If you are using a Windows computer, FoneTool can be the best tool for transfer photos. It is a professional and easy-to-use software making it easy to transfer images from iPhone to computer without losing quality. 

And here are some advantages for it and you can see if it satisfies your needs.

● Selectively or completely transfer photos. You can transfer all your iPhone photos to a computer or choose specific items to transfer.
● Fast Transfer Speed. Transferring 200+ images can be completed in about 4 seconds. It can greatly save you time. 
● Specify Backup location: You can copy your iPhone pictures to any location on your PC. And you can backup your iPhone to an external hard drive, like a NAS drive, external flash drive, HDD/SSD.
● Great compatibility: Fully supports all the iOS systems, compatible with the newest iOS 16.

Now you  can hit the download button to install this tool. And connect your iPhone with your PC. Then we will guide you on how to transfer photos from iPhone to computer with USB step by step.

Step 1. Launch FoneTool > Click the Phone Transfer option on the left pane. Move the cursor to iPhone to PC. Click Get Started button.

Step 2. Click "+" icon to select the photos you want to transfer.

Step 3. Select the pictures and click OK to continue.

Step 4. You can choose a location to save the selected images on Transfer Settings. Then click Start Transfer to transfer photos.

→ Note: FoneTool can also help you add pictures to iPhone. You can choose PC to iPhone to transfer photos from computer to iPhone.

Method 2. Transfer Photos from iPhone to PC via AutoPlay

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to computer via USB cable, then click Trust and type the password if you are asked.

Step 2. Then, the AutoPlay dialog box will pop up and click Import pictures and videos using Windows.

Step 3. Click the Import Settings link, select the folder in Camera Roll’s photos by clicking Browse and click OK to exit.

Step 4. Set up settings for Cameras and Portable Devices in the following. You can choose to add a description for your pictures or not.

Step 5. Type description in the Tag these pictures (optional) box and click Import. After that, just wait for the final result.

Method 3. Transfer Photos from iPhone to PC with File Explorer or Windows Explorer

Windows Explorer or File Explorer is a Windows app to access and mange files. When you connect your iPhone to Windows, you can also view your iPhone photos with this tool, then copy your photos to your PC local storage. 

Step 1. Connect your iPhone and unlock it. Then, click Trust to allow your computer to access your photos.

Step 2. Go to Computer or This PC, and you see a new device named xxx iPhone.

Step 3. Then, double-click the iPhone and open Internal Storage> DCIM folder, then preview your photos here and transfer specific photos from iPhone to computer via Copy and Paste.

Notes:✎...

DCIM folder is the Camera Roll folder and it’s the only thing you can see in Windows 7/8/10. And there are some folders named as 100APPLE or 100Cloud, which are used to store your photos or videos. If you have many photos, you can additional folder like 101APPLE, 102APPLE, 101Cloud, etc.

 If you don't find your photos in the DCIM folder, you can refer to this post to find a solution: 7 Fixes to iPhone DCIM Folder Missing Photos on Windows 11/10.

Method 4. Transfer Photos from iPhone to PC with Windows Photos

Windows Photos is a built-in tool in Windows 10, which allows you to import photos from iPhone 7/8/s/xs/xr/11 to PC via a folder or USB device. Just see below and learn the detailed steps.

1. Connect your phone and unlock it. Then click Trust and type the password if you are asked to Trust this computer.

2. Click Import and select From A USB device. After that, it will automatically detect your photos on the iPhone, you just need to wait for a few minutes.

→ Note: If the Windows Photos does not pop up automatically, you can click Start and select it from the Start menu.

3. Select the photos you don’t want to import because all the new photos will be checked by default. Then, click Import Selected. After the operation is 100% completed, you can see it in your Pictures folder.

Method 5. Transfer Photos from iPhone to PC or Mac with iCloud

If your iCloud storage is enough, follow the steps, you will know how to transfer photos from iPhone to computer with iCloud.

For Windows:

Step 1. Open your iPhone and go to Settings > iCloud's profile> iCloud, then turn on the iCloud Photos or iCloud Photo Library. It depends on the device you are using.

Step 2. Download the iCloud for Windows app and install it on your computer. Then sign in iCloud with the same Apple ID on your iPhone. Type verification code if you are asked.

Step 3. Tick the checkbox before Photos and select Options at its right side.

Step 4. Then select Download new photos and videos to my PC and click Apply and Done.

To view the photos downloaded from iCloud, you can go to This PC or Computer, double-click the iCloud photos and Downloads at the right side.

For Mac

Step 1. Go to Settings > iCloud's profile> iCloud to enable your iCloud Photos.

Step 2. Wait for your photos to sync to your iCloud storage. Then open photos app on your Mac. Make sure you have a Wi-Fi or internet connection. After a while, your photos will be added to your Mac.

Method 6. Airdrop photos from iPhone to Mac

Airdrop can work on transferring several files and pictures between Apple devices. It is another way to transfer photos from iPhone Mac computer without USB cable. But you should know that it isn't applicable for copying a large number of items to computer.

Step 1. Make sure your Wi-Fi and BlueTooth are enabled on your both iPhone and Computer. 

Step 2. Go to your photos app. Choose the photos you want to transfer. Tap the Share icon.

Step 3. Choose the Airdrop and choose your Macbook. Then the selected will be sent to your Macbook.

Final Words

How to transfer photos from iPhone to computer is not a problem anymore. Here are 6 common used methods prepared for you. This method can be applied to iPhone 5 to iPhone 14.

By contrast, the first one is the fastest and can help you transfer photos from iPhone to computer without losing quality. It is a reliable and powerful transfer tool. If you find some duplicate photos on computer after transferring. FoneTool also helps you to delete duplicate photos on computer and iPhone easily.