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How to transfer photos or files from your iPhone to a Mac or PC

  • You can transfer photos from your iPhone to a computer with a USB cord, iCloud, or AirDrop.
  • When you transfer photos from iPhone to computer, it can help clear storage and protect your data.
  • If you're using a USB cable to import photos, the process is slightly different on Mac and PC.
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If you have an iPhone, you also have a professional-quality camera that can capture great pictures wherever you are. But storage for photos is limited on any device, so you may need to offload those pictures from time to time.

You can transfer photos from your iPhone to your computer using a USB cable. You can also sync iCloud with your iPhone and computer to automatically transfer photos in real-time. 

Here's how to transfer photos from your iPhone to a PC or Mac computer. 

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How to transfer files or photos from iPhone to PC

There are multiple ways that you can transfer files or photos from an iPhone to a PC, these include using Google Drive, emailing the pictures, using Microsoft OneDrive, or a USB cable.

To transfer photos using OneDrive:

1. Open the OneDrive app and tap the blue plus icon.

Screenshot of the OneDrive app with the blue plus icon highlighted.
Tap the blue plus icon. Kyle Wilson/Insider

2. Tap Upload and then Photos and Videos. If it asks for permissions to access more photos, grant them.

Screenshot of the permissions popup that may appear.
If the permissions popup appears, grant them. Kyle Wilson/Insider

3. Tap the photo(s) that you wish to upload and select Done in the top right. Your photo(s) will now upload.

Screenshot of the photo selection screen with the Done button highlighted.
Select the photos and then press Done. Kyle Wilson/Insider
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To transfer photos using a USB cable:

1. Connect your iPhone to your PC with a USB cable. You may be prompted to unlock it with its passcode (your iPhone won't accept Face or Touch ID for this). If a pop-up appears asking if you "trust" the computer, choose Trust and, if asked, enter your device's passcode.

Screenshot of the trust prompt that may appear when connecting your iPhone to a computer.
Click Trust if asked. Kyle Wilson/Insider

2. On your PC running Windows 10, click the Start button. Choose Photos from the menu that pops up.

3. In Photos, click Import and select "From a connected device" in the top-right corner.

Screenshot of the Windows Photos app with the Import and From a connected device options highlighted.
Click on From a connected device to search for photos on your iPhone. Kyle Wilson/Insider

4. The computer will begin scanning your iPhone for photos and videos. If you have multiple photo-storing devices connected, you'll be able to pick which one you want.

Screenshot of the import window while it is scanning the iPhone.
Wait for your computer to scan your iPhone for media. Kyle Wilson/Insider

5. You'll have the option to choose where you want to put your imported photos and to select which ones you want to transfer. Once you have made your selection, click Import.

Screenshot of selection screen with the import button highlighted.
Select the photos you want to import and press Import. Kyle Wilson/Insider

Alternatively, you can also go into File Explorer and click on iPhone under the This PC menu. From there, click on Internal Storage and DCIM; your photos and videos are in here, categorized by year and month. You can then copy and paste them to somewhere on your computer.

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How to transfer files or photos from iPhone to Mac 

Transferring files or photos from an iPhone to a Mac shares many similarities with the process of transferring them to a PC, but with some key differences. Please see our guide for 5 ways to easily transfer files between an iPhone and Mac.

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