How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to Mac

Do you want to quickly send a photo to your Mac, but are not sure how to? Thanks to the multitude of ways, like AirDrop, iCloud, and more, you can easily send many media files to your Mac instantly. You can simply choose the best method that’s convenient for you. 

So, let’s dive in to explore all the ways you can transfer photos from iPhone to Mac. 

How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to Mac?

Sending media to your Mac is very flexible. You can do it wirelessly, with a USB cable, or even when there’s no internet connection available. Let’s have a look at the easiest one first. 

Using AirDrop 

AirDrop is an Apple-exclusive file-sharing feature that’s similar to a network, like Bluetooth. All Apple products are seamlessly compatible with AirDrop. 

This is the fastest way to send files to Mac as you can even send photos or videos of large sizes in an instant in just a few steps. So, you can use it on your iPhone to transfer photos to your Mac wirelessly. Here’s how you can do it: 

1. Turn on both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on your iPhone as well as your Mac. 
2. Go to the Photos app on the iPhone. 
3. Select the photos of your choice and then select the Share option at the bottom of the screen. 
4. Tap on the AirDrop option from the Share menu. 
   
5. You’ll now see the name of your Mac appear on the screen. Select it to proceed. 
   
6. Once the process is complete, you’ll notice the Sent message on your phone. 
7. On your Mac, you’ll get an alert from AirDrop. 
   
8. Click on Accept to receive the files. 

Using iCloud Photos 

iCloud is Apple’s exclusive cloud-based storage space. If you have backed up your photos to iCloud Photos, you can easily find it on Mac and download the photos you want. If you haven’t already, you can enable syncing for iCloud Photos on your iPhone. Here’s how you can use it: 

1. Go to Settings > Photos. 
2. Now, slide the toggle for iCloud Photos to turn it on. 
   
3. On your Mac, open the Photos app. 
   
4. Click on Photos and then Preferences. 
5. Select the iCloud option. 
6. Tick the box for iCloud Photos to turn it on. 
   

You can now view and save photos all photos from iCloud Photos on your Mac. 

Import on Mac with a USB Cable  

Another way you can move photos from an iPhone to a Mac is by using a data cable. This is a good alternative if there’s no internet connection or you don’t want to sync your iCloud Photos. Here’s how you’ll need to do it: 

1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac using a USB cable. 
2. Launch the Photos app on your Mac. 
3. You’ll now see an Import screen on your Mac. You can view all your photos and videos available on the iPhone. If you can’t see the Import screen, click on your iPhone from the Devices section on the left sidebar. 
4. Your Mac may ask you to unlock your iPhone using a passcode. Additionally, it may ask you to Trust This Computer. Tap on Trust to proceed. 
   
5. Now, select the location to save your imported photos. 
6. Select all the photos and videos you want to import. 
7. Click on Import Selected or you can even click on Import All New Photos. 
   

After the process is complete, disconnect your iPhone from your Macbook. 

Using the Files app 

The Files app is a convenient way to manage all your files. You can directly connect iCloud Drive, Google, Drive, and such cloud-based services for easy file-sharing. Before you use Files to send photos to your Mac, make sure you’ve enabled your desired drive. Here’s how you can do it: 

1. Open the app and tap on the Browse tab. Then, tap on the three dots in the top-right corner and select Edit. 
   
2. Below the Locations section, select the drive you want to use to send files to Mac. Here, we’ve selected iCloud Drive. 
   
3. Then, tap on Done. 
4. Now, go to your Photo Library and select the photos you’d like to transfer to Mac. 
5. Select the Share option. Scroll down and tap on Save to Files. 
6. Select iCloud Drive or Google Drive based on what you prefer. Then, select Save. 
7. On your Mac, open iCloud or Google Drive to view all your photos. 

Using Finder

If your macOS is Catalina 10.15 or above, you can use the Finder app to easily sync your iPhone with your Mac. This way, you won’t have to manually move photos from time to time. Here’s how you can do it: 

1. Connect the iPhone to Mac using a USB cable. 
2. Open a new window on Finder on your Mac. 
3. On the sidebar, click on your iPhone from the Devices section. 
4. Then, click on Photos from the header menu. 
5. Tick the box that says Sync Photos to your device from. Select Photos or any other app with your desired photos. 
   
6. Then, tick the box for All Photos and albums on the Sync option. 
7. Click on Apply. 

Using the Image Capture app on Mac

Image Capture is one of the pre-installed apps on macOS that you can use to seamlessly import photos from your iPhone. Here’s how you can use it: 

1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac using a USB cable. 
2. Unlock your iPhone to access its content. 
3. Open the Image Capture app on your Mac and select your iPhone from Devices. 
4. Select all the desired images. 
5. Click on the Import To option at the bottom of the screen and select the location to save your photos.
6. Now, click on Other > Photos.   

How to transfer photos from iPhone to Windows?

Even on Windows, it’s equally easy to transfer photos from the iPhone. Here are some ways you can do just that: 

Using iCloud 

If you have the photos you want to transfer on iCloud, you can simply access iCloud on Windows using a web browser. Here’s how you can do it: 

1. Visit icloud.com and log in using your Apple ID credentials. 
2. Go to the Photos app. 
   
3. Select any photo you’d like to save to your computer. 
4. Click on the Download icon from the menu at the top. The option has a cloud icon with an arrow pointing downward. 
   

Using a USB cable 

Another simple method to import photos from iPhone to Windows is using a USB cable. Here are the steps that you’ll need to take: 

1. Connect your phone to your Windows PC with a cable. 
2. You can now view the Apple iPhone device on the sidebar of the File Explorer. 
   
3. To access all iPhone content, you’ll need permission from it. So, unlock the iPhone and tap on Trust from the pop-up alert. 
4. Go back to your PC and open your iPhone’s storage. Tap on the DCIM folder. 
5. Now, you can simply check all the photos and copy and paste them into your Windows PC. 

Related Questions

How to Recover Deleted Photos on iPhone?

If you want to recover permanently deleted photos on iPhones, one way to do it is by using iCloud. Please note that it only works if you had manually backed up your photos on iCloud when you still had the now-deleted photos. 

Using iCloud, you can restore your backup and gain access back to your deleted photos. But firstly, you’ll need to reset the iPhone. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Go to Settings > General. 
2. Select Transfer or Reset iPhone. 
3. Tap on the Erase All Content and Settings option. 
4. From the Erase This iPhone screen, tap on Continue. 
5. From the Apps & Data page, select Restore from iCloud Backup. 
6. Now, sign in to your iCloud. 
7. Select your desired backup by checking the date. 

Now, you can check your revived photos in your Photo Library. 

How to Turn on iCloud Photos on Apple TV?

If you have Apple TV 4K or Apple TV HD, you can follow these steps to turn on iCloud Photos. 

1. From the home screen, go to Settings. 
2. Select Users and Accounts. 
3. Press on the iCloud option. 
4. Enable iCloud Photos. 

How to turn off or delete iCloud backup on iPhone?

If you want to get rid of the iCloud backup on your iPhone, here’s how you can do it: 

1. Go to Settings and click on your Apple profile. 
2. Click on iCloud and select Manage Storage. 
3. Go to Backups and tap on your iPhone.
   
4. Then, select Delete Backup > Turn Off & Delete.