How to Transfer Photos From iPhone to Computer

To transfer photos from an iPhone to a computer, connect the phone with a USB cable, tap Trust on the iPhone, and import from the Photos app on a Mac or with the Apple Devices app on a Windows PC. If you would rather not use a cable, sign in at iCloud.com/photos, select up to 1,000 items and download them. The same steps answer “how to export photos from iPhone” and “how to transfer photos from iPhone to PC”.

Below are the exact steps for Mac, Windows and iCloud.com, how to choose between the original and the most compatible file format, and what to do with photos that live in a vault app. Each iOS detail links to the Apple Support page it comes from.

Transfer photos from iPhone to a Mac

You have two built-in options on a Mac. The Photos app is the usual one. Image Capture is simpler if you just want files in a folder.

With the Photos app

These are the steps from Apple’s guide to transferring photos to a Mac or PC.

1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac with a USB cable. If a prompt about the accessory appears, click Allow.
2. Open Photos. An Import screen shows the photos and videos on your iPhone. If it does not appear, click the iPhone’s name in the Photos sidebar.
3. Unlock the iPhone with your passcode if asked, then tap Trust when it asks about the computer.
4. Choose an existing album or create a new one to import into.
5. Select the photos you want and click Import Selected, or click Import All New Items.
6. Wait for the import to finish, then disconnect.

If you use iCloud Photos, Apple says your photos sync to your Mac automatically, so you may not need to import at all.

With Image Capture

Image Capture saves photos straight into a folder you pick, without adding them to your Photos library.

1. Open Image Capture and connect your iPhone with a cable. Unlock it and tap Trust if asked.
2. Select your iPhone in the sidebar under Devices.
3. Select the photos you want, or skip this step to take everything.
4. Click the Import To pop-up menu at the bottom of the window and choose a folder. Choose Other to pick your own.
5. Click Download for the selected photos, or Download All.

Apple notes that a Live Photo downloads as two files, a still image and a video.

Transfer photos from iPhone to a Windows PC

For a PC, Apple’s instructions start with the Apple Devices app.

1. Install the Apple Devices app from the Microsoft Store.
2. Connect your iPhone to the PC with a USB cable. Unlock the iPhone if asked.
3. Tap Trust or Allow on the iPhone when it prompts you.
4. Import the photos. For this step Apple points to Microsoft’s instructions for importing photos into the Microsoft Photos app.

One catch applies if iCloud Photos is on. Apple says you must download the original, full-resolution versions of your photos to the iPhone before you import them to a PC. If you are short on space on the phone, free up storage on your iPhone first, since the originals have to fit there.

Download photos from iCloud.com

If iCloud Photos is on, you can skip the cable and use any browser. Apple’s instructions for a Mac or PC:

1. Go to iCloud.com/photos and sign in with your Apple Account.
2. Select one or more items. To select several, hold Command on a Mac or Control on a PC while you click.
3. Click the Download button in the upper-right corner, or click More and choose More Download Options.
4. Click Download.

You can select up to 1,000 items at a time, so a large library needs several rounds. On an iPhone or iPad the route is Select, pick items, the More button, then Download.

Original or most compatible file format

New iPhones usually save photos as HEIC, a format that some older software cannot open. Apple’s iCloud.com page gives you three download choices, and they map onto the same decision.

Option	What you get
Unmodified Originals	The format as captured or imported
Highest Resolution	The best quality for your device, typically HEIC or H.265
Most Compatible	JPEG for photos, MP4/H.264 for videos

Pick Unmodified Originals if you want the files exactly as the iPhone stored them. Pick Most Compatible if the photos are headed to software that does not read HEIC.

For future photos, you can change what the camera records. Apple says to open Settings, tap Camera, tap Formats, then tap Most Compatible. From then on the camera captures photos and videos in JPEG and H.264. The setting applies to photos you take from then on.

What if the photos will not show up

Most failed transfers come down to a few causes.

• No Trust prompt. Unplug the cable, unlock the iPhone, and plug it in again, then tap Trust or Allow when it asks.
• Empty import screen. On a Mac, click the iPhone’s name in the Photos sidebar. On a PC, check that the Apple Devices app sees the phone.
• Photos missing from a PC import. If iCloud Photos is on, download the originals to the iPhone first, as described above.
• Not enough room on the computer. Check free space before you import a whole library.

Moving photos you keep in a vault app

Photos kept in a vault app are not in your Photos library, so the usual import will not find them. They have to be exported first. In Forevault you can export to Photos or Files at any time, and export is free. Export to Files, then move the files to your computer from there, or export to Photos and use any method above. How to move a photo vault to a new iPhone covers the phone-to-phone case, and how to transfer data from iPhone to iPhone covers everything else.

Back up before you delete anything

Copying photos to a computer is not the same as having a backup. Before you delete anything from the iPhone, open a few of the imported files on the computer and check that they play or display. Then check that the computer itself is backed up. If you delete something by mistake, recovering deleted photos on iPhone explains how long it stays recoverable.

Keeping private photos private

If some photos should stay off a shared computer, keep them in a vault and do not export them there. Is the iPhone Hidden album private? explains what it does and does not protect.

Forevault is our app for this. It encrypts files on the device with AES-256-GCM and opens with a pattern on a 5×5 grid or a passcode or password, with Face ID as an option. You can keep separate vaults for different patterns, and the lock screen does not list them. You get a 12-word recovery phrase, an encrypted backup to your own iCloud with a “Test a restore” check, and free export to Photos or Files at any time. There is no account and no data collected. The free tier holds 100 photos, 10 videos and 3 vaults. It protects against someone holding your phone, not forensic analysis. There is no calculator disguise. Download Forevault on the App Store.

Frequently asked questions

How do I transfer photos from my iPhone to my computer without iCloud?

Use a USB cable. On a Mac, import with the Photos app or Image Capture. On a Windows PC, install the Apple Devices app, connect the phone, tap Trust, and import with the Microsoft Photos app. Neither route needs iCloud, though with iCloud Photos on you must download the originals to the iPhone before a PC import.

How do I export photos from my iPhone?

Exporting means getting files off the phone. The options are a cable import or a download from iCloud.com/photos. Apple’s iCloud.com page lets you pick Unmodified Originals or Most Compatible when you download.

How do I transfer photos from iPhone to PC without losing quality?

Choose Unmodified Originals when you download from iCloud.com, and make sure the originals are on the iPhone before a cable import. If your PC cannot open HEIC photos, a Most Compatible download gives you JPEG instead, which Apple lists as a different format from the original.

Why won’t my iPhone photos import to my PC?

Check that the iPhone is unlocked and that you tapped Trust or Allow. Then confirm the Apple Devices app is installed. If iCloud Photos is on, Apple says you must download the full-resolution originals to the iPhone before importing.

How many photos can I download from iCloud.com at once?

Up to 1,000 items at a time, according to Apple. For a larger library, download in batches or use a cable import.

Can I transfer photos from my iPhone to a computer wirelessly?

Yes, through iCloud. Turn on iCloud Photos on the iPhone, and your photos sync to a Mac automatically. On any computer you can sign in at iCloud.com/photos and download them.