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How to transfer Photos from iPhone to Mac and PC computers

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transfer Photos from iPhone to Windows PC

If your phone is bulging due to all the photographs you have on it even with your cloud backup solution. You may be in learning how to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac or PC computers to help free up space. This quick guide will take you through the process and when it comes to transferring photos from an iPhone to a Mac or a PC, there are several methods available to users.

The process differs slightly depending on whether you’re transferring to a Mac or a PC, and whether you’re using a USB cable or leveraging Apple’s iCloud service but we will take you through plenty of options going into more detail on a few to help you get started.

Using a USB Cable

Transferring to a Mac

To transfer photos from your iPhone to a Mac using a USB cable, follow these steps:

  1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac using a USB cable.
  2. Open the Photos app on your Mac.
  3. An import screen should appear within the Photos app displaying all the photos and videos on your connected iPhone. If it doesn’t, click on your device’s name in the Photos app sidebar.
  4. If prompted, unlock your iPhone using your passcode. If your iPhone asks you to ‘Trust This Computer’, tap ‘Trust’.
  5. Decide where you’d like to import your photos to. You can choose an existing album or create a new one.
  6. Select the photos you wish to import and click ‘Import Selected’, or click ‘Import All New Photos’.
  7. Wait for the import process to complete before disconnecting your device from your Mac.

Transferring to a Windows PC

For transferring photos from your iPhone to a Windows PC, you’ll need iTunes version 12.5.1 or later installed on your PC. Follow these steps:

  1. Update iTunes on your PC to the latest version.
  2. Connect your iPhone to your PC with a USB cable.
  3. Unlock your iPhone using your passcode if prompted.
  4. Tap ‘Trust’ or ‘Allow’ on your iPhone if it asks you to ‘Trust This Computer‘.
  5. You will then need to import your photos to the Windows Photos app. Note that if you have iCloud Photos turned on, you’ll need to download the original, full-resolution versions of your photos to your iPhone before you import to your PC.

Using iCloud

iCloud Photos is another method to transfer photos across your devices. It keeps your photos and videos safe and available automatically on all of your Apple devices, iCloud.com, and even your PC. Before turning on iCloud Photos, ensure that you have sufficient iCloud storage space for your entire collection.

With iCloud Photos turned on, there’s no need to import photos from one device to another as it automatically uploads and stores your original, full-resolution photos. You can choose to keep these originals on all your devices or save space with device-optimized versions. You can download your originals anytime you need them. Any changes you make, such as edits or organization, are kept up to date across all your Apple devices.

Other methods of transferring Photos

Aside from using a USB cable or iCloud, there are other ways to transfer photos from your iPhone to your computer:

  1. AirDrop: This method is specific to Apple devices. With AirDrop, you can wirelessly send documents, photos, videos, and more to a nearby Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. To use AirDrop, open the file you want to send, then click the Share button in the app window or control-click the file and choose Share from the shortcut menu. Choose AirDrop from the sharing options listed, then choose a recipient from the AirDrop sheet. Alternatively, you can select AirDrop in the sidebar of a Finder window and drag the files to the recipient shown in the window. Please note that both devices need to be within 30 feet (9 meters) of each other and have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on. If you set your device to receive from Contacts Only, both devices must be signed in to iCloud, and the email address or phone number associated with the sender’s Apple ID must be in the Contacts app of the receiving device​.
  2. Import from storage media: If you have photos or videos stored on external media like a hard disk or SD card, you can import them directly into the Photos app on macOS. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find specific instructions on this method during this search.
  3. Image Capture: This macOS utility can import your images directly to a folder on your Mac. However, I ran out of time before I could find detailed instructions on this method.
  4. Sync: Syncing with your computer through iTunes or Finder can transfer your photos and other media from your iPhone to your Mac or PC. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find detailed instructions on this method during this search.
  5. Time Machine: This is a backup solution for Mac that can back up all of your files, including photos and videos, to an external hard drive. It’s not a direct method of transferring specific photos but more of a way to ensure all your data is backed up. I wasn’t able to find specific instructions on using Time Machine for this purpose during this search.

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