Transfer photos and videos from your iPhone or iPad to your Mac or PC

With the Photos app and a USB cable, you can transfer photos and videos to your computer. You can also make your photos available on all of your devices with iCloud Photos.


Use iCloud Photos

iCloud Photos keeps your photos and videos safe, up to date and available automatically on all of your Apple devices, on iCloud.com and even on your PC. When you use iCloud Photos, you don't need to import photos from one iCloud device to another. iCloud Photos always uploads and stores your original, full-resolution photos. You can keep full-resolution originals on each of your devices, or save space with device-optimised versions instead. Either way, you can download your originals whenever you need them. Any organisational changes or edits you make will always be kept up to date across all of your Apple devices. Find out how to set up and use iCloud Photos.

The photos and videos that you keep in iCloud Photos use your iCloud storage. Before turning on iCloud Photos, make sure you have enough space in iCloud to store your entire collection. You can see how much space you need and then upgrade your storage plan if necessary.


Import to your Mac

You can import photos and videos to your Mac by connecting your device to your Mac. However, if you use iCloud Photos, you don’t need to import. 

To import to your Mac: 

  1. Connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac with a USB cable.
  2. Open the Photos app on your computer.
  3. The Photos app shows an Import screen with all of the photos and videos that are on your connected device. If the Import screen doesn't appear automatically, click the device's name in the Photos sidebar.
  4. If asked, unlock your iOS or iPadOS device using your passcode. If you see a prompt on your iOS or iPadOS device asking you to Trust This Computer, tap Trust to continue.
  5. Choose where you want to import your photos to. Next to "Import to", you can choose an existing album or create a new one.
  6. Select the photos you want to import and click Import Selected, or click Import All New Photos.
    Mac screen showing the photos available for import
  7. Wait until the process has finished, then disconnect your device from your Mac.


Import to your Windows PC

You can import photos to your PC by connecting your device to your computer and using the Windows Photos app:

  1. Update to the latest version of iTunes on your PC. Importing photos to your PC requires iTunes 12.5.1 or later.
  2. Connect your iPhone or iPad to your PC with a USB cable.
  3. If asked, unlock your iOS or iPadOS device using your passcode.
  4. If you see a prompt on your iOS or iPadOS device asking you to Trust This Computer, tap Trust or Allow to continue.

Then visit Microsoft’s website to find out how to import photos to the Windows Photos app in Windows 10 or Windows 11.

If you have turned on iCloud Photos, you’ll need to download the original, full-resolution versions of your photos to your iPhone or iPad before importing them to your PC.

When you import videos from your iOS or iPadOS device to your PC, some of them may appear the wrong way up in the Windows Photos app. You can add these videos to iTunes to play them in the correct orientation.

If you want to ensure photos from your iOS or iPadOS device have the best compatibility with Windows 10 or Windows 11, try following these steps:

  1. On your iOS or iPadOS device, open the Settings app.
  2. Tap Camera, then tap Formats.
  3. Tap Most Compatible. From now on, your camera will create photos and videos in JPEG and H.264 formats.


More ways to transfer photos and videos to your computer

Information about products not manufactured by Apple, or independent websites not controlled or tested by Apple, is provided without recommendation or endorsement. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the selection, performance or use of third-party websites or products. Apple makes no representations regarding third-party website accuracy or reliability. Contact the vendor for additional information.

Published Date: