How to Connect an iPhone to a Computer and Transfer Photos

To transfer photos or videos from your iPhone to a computer, connect the iPhone with a USB cable, unlock it, and tap Trust when asked. On a Mac, the Photos app opens an import screen. On a Windows PC, install Apple’s Apple Devices app first, then import with the Windows Photos app. To skip the cable, turn on iCloud Photos and your pictures sync to your computer on their own.

This guide covers importing with a cable on a Mac and a Windows PC, copying files with File Explorer, syncing wirelessly with iCloud Photos, AirDrop, the HEIC format, and what to do when the import doesn’t work. The methods come from Apple’s Transfer photos and videos from your iPhone or iPad to your Mac or PC and Microsoft’s Import photos and videos from phone to PC.

Connect an iPhone for Device Management or Syncing

Connect the unlocked iPhone with a data-capable USB cable suitable for both ports; iPhone 15 and later use USB-C. Accept Trust This Computer only on your trusted machine and enter the device passcode if requested. On macOS Catalina or later, open Finder and select the iPhone in its sidebar. On current Windows, use Apple Devices; older supported setups use iTunes. Apple documents recognizing a connected device. Charging does not prove the cable carries data. If the phone is absent, try another suitable cable or port and check current software.

For computer-to-phone syncing, select the intended content category, enable its Sync checkbox, choose items deliberately and select Apply; Finder can also need Sync afterward. Follow Apple’s Finder instructions or Apple Devices instructions, then verify content on the phone. Windows music/video syncing can need Apple Music/TV; iCloud-managed categories use separate settings. Review Erase and Sync warnings: replacing another library can remove that category’s device content. Importing photos to the computer uses the procedures below. Backup, software update and Restore are separate actions; connecting does not require syncing every category or restoring the phone.

Transfer Videos From iPhone to a Computer

The cable methods below also import videos from your iPhone’s Photos library. Choose video thumbnails on the import screen instead of selecting only pictures. Keep the cable connected until the transfer finishes.

1. Mac: connect and unlock the iPhone, allow the accessory and trust the computer if prompted, then open Photos and select the iPhone in its sidebar. Select the videos and click Import Selected.
2. Windows: install Apple Devices, connect with a data-capable USB cable, unlock and trust the PC, then open Photos and choose Import > your iPhone. Select the videos, choose the destination, and complete the import.

If a video exists only in iCloud, use icloud.com/photos or iCloud for Windows. On iCloud.com, select the video and use Download; More Download Options offers Unmodified Originals or Most Compatible. Open the saved video to confirm playback before deleting anything. Deletions in an iCloud Photos library propagate to other synced devices, so keep an independent copy.

On a Mac

1. Connect the iPhone to the Mac with a USB cable. If the Mac asks to allow the accessory to connect, click Allow.
2. Open the Photos app on the Mac. If the import screen doesn’t appear, select the iPhone in the Photos sidebar.
3. If asked, unlock the iPhone and tap Trust This Computer, then enter your passcode.
4. Next to Album, choose an existing album or create a new one.
5. Select the photos you want and click Import Selected, or click Import All New Items.

Result: the photos appear in your Mac’s Photos library. Wait for the import to finish before you unplug the iPhone.

Prefer a plain folder instead of the Photos library? Apple also suggests Image Capture, which imports pictures straight to a folder you choose. For an external destination, see how to transfer iPhone photos to an external hard drive.

Bulk-Delete iPhone Photos After Checking Your Backup

Save an independent copy of the pictures you want before deleting from the phone. Import using the Mac steps above, wait for completion and open representative photos and videos in the saved destination. A second view of the same iCloud Photos library is not an independent backup: deletions can synchronize. For the historical iPhone 7 Plus with iOS 10.2 and macOS Sierra, connect its Lightning-to-USB cable, unlock the phone and tap Trust. In Finder, open Applications > Image Capture, select the iPhone, and use Edit > Select All only if every listed item should be removed. Check the selection, click Delete and review the confirmation before accepting. Recheck the phone and the retained copies.

That older Image Capture deletion control was unavailable with iCloud Photo Library enabled; do not disable syncing or delete the Mac’s synced library just to make it appear. Current Image Capture imports to a chosen folder and can offer Keep originals or Delete after import depending on the device. Retain originals for the first import so you can verify the saved copies before any separate deletion. Hidden or cloud-only items can be absent from an import list, so do not assume Select All represents every photo on the phone.

For a current on-device selection, open Photos > Select, tap or slide across the intended pictures, inspect the selection, then tap the trash control and confirm deletion. Apple’s photo-deletion guide explains that iCloud Photos deletion affects other synced devices and that ordinary deleted items remain recoverable in Recently Deleted for 30 days. Do not empty that collection while checking the result; recovery can differ when storage limits or shared-album rules apply. Computer-synced pictures may need their sync source changed instead of a Photos trash button. The old My Photo Stream follow-up is obsolete and is not a current deletion method.

On a Windows PC

1. Install the Apple Devices app from the Microsoft Store.
2. Connect the iPhone with a USB cable that can transfer data, unlock it, and tap Trust or Allow. Microsoft notes the PC can’t find the iPhone while it’s locked.
3. Open the Windows Photos app, select Import, then select your iPhone.
4. Pick the photos and choose where to save them, then start the import.

Result: the photos copy to the folder you chose. If you use iCloud Photos, Apple says you must download the full-resolution originals to the iPhone first, or use iCloud for Windows instead.

For the full Windows walkthrough with every button, see how to transfer iPhone photos to a PC.

Copy files with File Explorer instead

With the iPhone connected, unlocked and trusted, open File Explorer, select the iPhone under This PC, and open Internal Storage › DCIM. Photos are in numbered folders that you can copy and paste like any other files. It’s quick for a handful of pictures, but the Photos app is easier for large libraries.

Wirelessly with iCloud Photos

1. On the iPhone, go to Settings › [your name] › iCloud › Photos and turn on syncing.
2. On a Mac, open Photos › Settings › iCloud and turn on iCloud Photos. On a PC, install iCloud for Windows and turn on Photos.
3. Or open icloud.com/photos in any browser and download what you need.

Result: new photos appear on your computer automatically. Apple says iCloud Photos stores your original, full-resolution photos, and that the library uses your iCloud storage, so check you have enough space first. For the iPhone setup and upload-status check, see how to turn on iCloud Photos on iPhone.

AirDrop to a Mac

For a few photos, select them in the iPhone’s Photos app, tap the Share button, tap AirDrop and choose your Mac. They land in the Mac’s Downloads folder. AirDrop doesn’t work with Windows PCs; see can you AirDrop to Windows 11? for the alternatives.

If photos open as HEIC files

iPhones save photos as HEIC by default, which some Windows apps can’t open. To capture JPEG files from now on, Apple says to go to Settings › Camera › Formats and choose Most Compatible. After importing on Windows, see how to find all photos on your computer if you can’t find them.

If the import doesn’t work

• Unlock the iPhone and keep it unlocked during the import; tap Trust again if prompted.
• Try another cable or port. Microsoft notes that not every USB cable can transfer files.
• Photos missing from the import list? They may be stored only in iCloud. Download the originals to the iPhone, or use iCloud for Windows or icloud.com.
• On Windows, reinstall or update the Apple Devices app, then reconnect.

Frequently asked questions

Does importing delete photos from my iPhone?

No. Importing copies them. On a Mac, the Photos app can offer to delete items after import, so leave that unchecked if you want to keep them on the iPhone.

Do I need iTunes on Windows?

No. Apple’s current instructions use the Apple Devices app from the Microsoft Store.

Can I transfer photos without a cable?

Yes, with iCloud Photos, icloud.com, or AirDrop to a Mac.

Why do some videos not play on my PC?

They may be in HEVC format. Choosing Most Compatible in Camera Formats records future videos in H.264, which Apple says works better with Windows.

Open several saved pictures and a saved video on the destination before considering deletion. With iCloud Photos, deleting a picture from one device also removes it from iCloud and other synced devices. Keep an independent copy; Apple explains this in its iCloud download guidance.