Summary
In accordance with an ancient proverb, the camera that you carry about with you at all times is the best camera. If you are like the majority of people who use an iPhone, then it is quite probable that you have accumulated a big collection of photographs on your smartphone. Nevertheless, despite the fact that the Photos app from Apple is an excellent method for managing and viewing your picture collection, it is never a good idea to put all of your eggs in one basket. When everything is said and done, the experience of having your iPhone stolen or shattered is excruciating enough without having to also endure the loss of all of your priceless digital memories.
How to copy photos from iPhone
Even if you are backing up your iPhone to iCloud or your computer, it is still a good idea to have your images backed up in a different location. It is, after all, far simpler to access your photographs by opening a folder or a picture management application as opposed to attempting to retrieve them from an iCloud or iTunes/Finder backup, which necessitates either restoring them to a different iPhone or depending on specialized software tools.
In a fortunate turn of events, Apple makes it simple to transfer images from your iPhone to your computer and provides a number of different opportunities to do so. Apple’s iCloud Photos will keep your library in sync between your iPhone and your Mac or PC in a smooth manner. Additionally, Apple allows third-party cloud applications like as Dropbox to access your library, allowing you to sync your library via other cloud services instead. However, those who would rather avoid the cloud for whatever reason can also go the traditional route and simply plug their iPhone into their Mac or PC. They can even take advantage of iPhone apps that will automatically upload your photos to a network attached storage (NAS) device in your home or office over your private Wi-Fi network. This is an alternative to the cloud.
How to transfer your photos to a Mac using a USB cable
The USB connector is still the most straightforward and speedy method for transferring images from your iPhone to your computer, despite the fact that it may seem to be a lack of technological sophistication in the modern wireless world. Regardless of whether you are using a USB-C to USB-C connection with the most recent iPhone 15 models or an older USB-to-Lightning connection, the process and the principle are the same. Your iPhone will appear to your Mac as a conventional digital camera, allowing you to download photos from it by utilizing the built-in photo import tools in macOS or virtually any third-party photo transfer utility or photo management app of your choosing.
Due to the fact that you are working with a wired connection, it is normally speedier than any of the procedures that use wireless connections. The majority of iPhone models are capable of transferring images at rates of about 480 Mbps when using USB 2.0. However, the new iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max support USB 3.2 speeds of up to 10 Gigabits per second, which enables you to unload even the most extensive photo collections in a matter of minutes.
In the first step, you will need to unlock your iPhone and then connect it to your Mac by means of a suitable USB connection.
The second step is that if this is the first time you have linked your iPhone to this computer, you will be required to trust the connection on both ends of the connection itself. You will need to confirm the connection by selecting the Trust option when it appears on both your iPhone and your Mac, and then entering your passcode when required to do so later.
To go to the third step, launch either Photos or Image Capture on your Mac.
Photos, which is the equivalent of the Photos app on your iPhone, will enable you to see and manage your photographs in a manner that is similar to that of the Photos app. It is important to keep in mind that, despite the similarities, this is a one-way transfer when working over a USB cable. You can organize your photos into albums on your Mac, but these albums will be managed independently from any albums you create on your iPhone, unless you are using iCloud Photos to sync the two images through the cloud.
You have the ability to download your photographs into a folder using Image Capture. If the majority of your interest is in simply maintaining an additional backup or archive of your photographs, rather than viewing or managing them on your Mac, this is the option that is most suitable for you.
In the fourth step, choose your iPhone from the sidebar on the left side of the Photos or Image Capture settings.
In the fifth step, if you are using Image Capture, pick a destination folder for your images by clicking the drop-down menu that is located next to the Import To option.
You have the choice of creating a new album or selecting an existing one to arrange your imported photographs if you are using photographs. You can do this by clicking the drop-down menu that is located next to what is called Album.
The sixth step is to choose either Download All (Image Capture) or Import All (Photos) in order to transfer all of the photographs that are stored on your iPhone to your Mac.
Alternately, you may pick one or more individual photographs by clicking on them, and then you can use the Download or Import options to transfer just the photographs that you have chosen.
It is important to keep in mind that if you choose to Import All New Photos under Photos, any photos that have previously been imported to your library will be forgotten about. If, on the other hand, you choose to import specific photographs, then those images will be imported even if they are already present in your collection, which will result in duplicates.
How to transfer your photos to a Windows PC using a USB cable
Because Microsoft also has built-in picture import tools that are intended to work with digital cameras and cellphones, it is almost as simple to move your photographs to a Windows computer using a USB connection as it is to upload them to a Mac.
The only additional need is that, depending on the version of Windows you are running, you may be required to have either iTunes 12.5.1 or later or the new Apple Devices software installed on your personal computer in order for Windows to detect your iPhone. This is the only additional requirement. On the other hand, it makes no difference whether this is downloaded straight from Apple’s website or installed via the Microsoft Store. The only thing you need to worry about is whether or not iTunes or Apple Devices is installed and whether or not it is up to current. From that point forward, everything takes place inside the applications that Microsoft includes as a component of Windows.
Your first step is to unlock your iPhone and then connect it to your personal computer by means of a suitable USB cord.
The second step is to enable your personal computer to view the images and videos stored on your iPhone by selecting the enable option from the dialog box that appears on your iPhone. After that, you will be prompted to enter your password to confirm the action.
Launch the Photos application on your own computer.
Step 4: Select Import from the menu that appears in the upper-right corner of the screen.
In the fifth step, choose your iPhone from the list of linked devices that displays, and then wait for the content to load from your smartphone.
To import one or more photos or videos, go to Step 6 and choose them.
Step 7: Choose the Add (#) items option.
In the eighth step, pick the folder in which you would want to store your photographs, and then click the Import button.
How to transfer your photos wirelessly to a Mac
Apple provides a number of fast and simple methods that do not need the use of a USB connection in order to transfer images from your iPhone to your Mac. These methods are useful if you just need to upload a few photos at a time.
If you have a direct Wi-Fi connection, you may use AirDrop to send one or more images to any Mac that is in close proximity to you.
As an alternative, if you are using iCloud Drive, you may save images to any iCloud folder by utilizing the Files app on your iPhone. These photos will then appear in the relevant folder on your Mac or even your Windows PC (assuming that you have iCloud for Windows installed).
You can also utilize Apple’s Handoff function to copy photographs to the clipboard of your iPhone and then paste them right into Finder or any other Mac application where a photo can ordinarily be put. This is a pretty interesting technique that you can employ.
In the first step, launch the Photos app on your iPhone.
The second step is to pick the photographs you want to transfer to your Mac or PC by clicking the pick button located in the upper-right corner of the screenshot.
Third, choose the Share button located in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
Choose the technique that best suits your needs from the Share Sheet that displays in the fourth step:
If you want to transmit the photographs you’ve chosen using AirDrop:
Click the button labeled “AirDrop.”
You may choose your Mac by going to “My Devices.” You may also email images to the Mac, iPhone, or iPad of another person by selecting their name from the submenu labeled “People.”
After being asked, you should accept the transfer on your Mac.
To move the chosen photographs to iCloud Drive, follow these steps:
Select the Save to Files option after scrolling down.
You may choose iCloud Drive from the “Locations” menu.
The photographs should be saved in a folder that you choose.
Save may be found in the upper-right hand corner.
You may find the folder that corresponds to it in Mac Finder or Windows File Explorer by choosing iCloud from the left sidebar and then navigating from there. It is important to keep in mind that the presence of the photographs may take up to a minute or two, depending on the speed of your internet connection.
In order to transfer the photographs that you have picked using your clipboard:
To copy photos, scroll down and choose the option.
Launch the Finder application on your Mac, and search for a folder in which you would want to store the photographs.
To paste them into the current folder, either choose Edit > Paste from the menu or hit the Command + V key combination. You also have the option of pasting the photographs straight into any other application that is capable of handling photos, such as Photoshop or a document created in Microsoft Word.
How to sync your photos to your Mac or PC using iCloud
By syncing your images with iCloud images, you will be able to upload them to your Mac or PC if you have sufficient storage space in iCloud.
The unfortunate reality is that this is an all-or-nothing proposition; it is intended to maintain the sync of your complete picture collection across all of your devices, including your iPhone, your PC, and additional devices like an iPad or an Apple TV. If, on the other hand, you want to use Apple’s Photos app to manage your collection and you are prepared to pay for iCloud storage, then this is by far the best and easiest option to have all of your photographs accessible on your computer practically as soon as you take them. This is how you should put it up:
First, make sure that your iPhone is set up to sync with iCloud Photos.
- Launch the app of the Settings.
- Take a look at the top of the screen and choose your name.
- Make use of iCloud.
- Choose the Photos option.
Activate the Sync feature on this iPhone. You will see that your iPhone has started uploading all of the photographs and videos that are stored in the photographs app to iCloud. In the event that your iCloud account does not have sufficient capacity to retain all of them, you will be alerted and given the choice to either deactivate sync or buy more storage for a monthly price.
In addition, if you wish to free up some space on your iPhone, you have the option to choose Optimize iPhone Storage from this menu. Once your original, high-quality photographs have been securely saved in iCloud, this option enables you to replace them on your iPhone with copies that have a lesser resolution and are acceptable for viewing on your device. When the original is required for editing or sharing, it will be re-downloaded on demand whenever it does become necessary.
Proceed to the second step to activate iCloud Photos on your Mac:
- Get the Photos app started.
- To access the iCloud tab, either click Photos > Settings from the menu or hit the CMD+, (CMD+comma) combination button.
- Activate the iCloud Photos service.
- By selecting Download Originals to this Mac, you can be certain that the copies with the highest possible quality are always transmitted to your computer. You also have the option to choose Optimize Mac Storage if you are OK with the idea of storing your photographs in iCloud and just downloading the originals when they are required.
3. To activate iCloud Photos on your Windows computer, follow these steps:
Get iCloud for Windows from the Microsoft Store and install it immediately.
Launch iCloud for Windows or Mac.
Confirm that you wish to sync iCloud Photos to Microsoft Photos by choosing the Sync Photos option when you are in the process of setting up the software.
The process of setting up iCloud for Windows may be completed by continuing through the remaining stages.
When you have finished installing and configuring iCloud for Windows, you will be able to view the photographs and videos that are synchronized from your iPhone using iCloud. To accomplish this, open either File Explorer or photographs and choose iCloud Photos from the navigation bar.
In the fourth step, you may also utilize iCloud Photos only as a way of file transmission without having to pay for iCloud. If you simply want to retain your most current images on your iPhone and archive the rest to your Mac or PC, then you should be good with the 5GB of free storage space that Apple gives. Although this limit is not sufficient to hold the majority of photo libraries, it should be plenty for your needs. You may export them to a folder and then delete them from the iCloud Photos folder on your Windows computer or the Mac Photos software on your Mac. This will also remove them from your iPhone, leaving just the duplicate that was exported on your computer.
Using a Mac, this is how to do this: To begin, open the Mac Photos program and choose the photographs that you want to export. 2. To save the original picture, choose File > Export > Export Unmodified Original(s) for (#) picture(s) from the menu bar. Additionally, if you want to retain any adjustments that you have done in the Photos app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you may utilize the regular Export (#) Photo(s) option here. 3. Once you have exported the photographs, you can delete them from the photographs app on your Mac and iPhone by selecting them and selecting Image > Delete (#) Photo(s). This will erase the photos from both apps.
Your iCloud Photos will appear as a folder inside File Explorer on Windows, making this process a little bit simpler. It is possible to copy or transfer images out of this folder in the same manner that you would move photos out of any other folder. If you move photos out of this folder, they will be deleted from iCloud images as well as the Photos app on your devices.
How to transfer your photos using other cloud services
If you currently have a subscription to another cloud storage service, you do not necessarily need to pay for storage on iCloud. A great number of providers provide iPhone applications that are capable of automatically uploading your photographs to cloud storage and allowing them to be synchronized back to your computer via the use of their Mac or PC sync tools. The manner in which you do this task differs significantly depending on the application that you are using; nonetheless, in every instance, the photographs will be stored as files in your cloud storage and mirrored down to your own computer in some fashion.
In their own iPhone applications, Dropbox, OneDrive, and Sync all provide users with cameras that can be uploaded in a basic manner. The majority of the time, you will be requested to turn these on when you initially install the app and sign in. However, if you do not get this prompt, you can simply locate the switch in the settings menu. You will have the choice to upload either all of your images or just the photos that you take after turning it on. You will need to install the proper desktop client in order to automatically pull them down from the cloud services; however, OneDrive is a particularly wonderful alternative for Windows users since, similar to iCloud, it is accessible as part of Windows right out of the box.
As long as you are using the Google Drive app on your Mac or PC, you will be able to manually upload photographs to your camera roll on Google Drive. These photos will then be synchronized to your device. I am sorry to say that it does not provide an automated camera upload capability anymore since that functionality has been transferred to the Google Photos app. Making use of Google Photos will allow you to keep your photographs on the cloud; nevertheless, you will be required to physically download them to your computer by means of your web browser. It is possible to sync your images to Google Drive using third-party applications; however, these applications often come with additional costs, and you will need to be okay with the idea of granting them access to your Google Drive. Because you are using a work or school account, it is also possible that they may be banned.
The fact that Prime customers get unlimited free storage for images and 5GB of storage for films makes Amazon images a potentially alluring choice for those who subscribe to the Prime service. On the other hand, comparable to Google Photos, your photographs will not be downloaded to your computer automatically. However, Amazon has a desktop Windows application that may assist you in manually bringing them down to the desired level.
Last but not least, while it is not technically a cloud service, Synology Photos is deserving of a distinguished mention in this context for those who own a Synology network attached storage (NAS) device. It has a camera upload capability that is comparable to that of Dropbox and OneDrive; however, rather than saving your photographs in the cloud, it transfers them straight to your network attached storage (NAS).
As is the case with iCloud, you can use the majority of these cloud services without having to pay for a subscription by utilizing the free storage space that they provide as a means of transferring your photographs. All you need to do is move them from the folder that is synchronized on your Mac or PC to the location where you would like to keep them permanently, and the space that was previously occupied will be made available for the subsequent transfer.
