How To Move Photos From iPhone To USB Flash Drive (No Computer), by Trevor Nace on YouTube. 4 min 48 s.
- Video length
- 4 min 48 s
- Time to do it
- 5 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 6
What you need
Steps
Open Settings, tap General, then About, and read the model name. iPhone 15 and later use a USB-C port, while iPhone 14 and earlier use Lightning.
Match the drive to your port. A plain USB-A flash drive needs a USB-C to USB-A adapter on newer phones, or a Lightning to USB-A adapter on older ones.
Plug the adapter into the iPhone, then plug the flash drive into the adapter. Open the Files app and tap Browse to confirm the drive appears under Locations.
Open the Photos app and tap Select. Tap each picture you want, or drag two fingers down the grid to grab a long run of photos in one go.
Tap the Share button, choose Save to Files, then pick your USB drive as the destination folder and tap Save.
Open Files, go to your drive, and check the photos are there. The drive never needs ejecting, so just unplug it when the copy finishes.
Tips and common mistakes
Copy two or three test photos first to confirm the drive works before moving a whole library.
Long 4K videos take much longer to write than stills, so keep the phone still and the drive plugged in until the copy finishes.
Copying does not remove anything from your iPhone, so delete the originals in Photos afterwards if you want the storage back.
If the drive does not show in Files, reformat it as exFAT on a computer and try again.
Questions
Can I move photos to a USB drive without a computer?
Yes. iPhones with a USB-C or Lightning port can write files to a flash drive through the Files app, using the right adapter.
Does this delete the photos from my iPhone?
No. Copying leaves the originals in the Photos app. Delete them yourself once you have checked the copies on the drive.
Why does my flash drive not appear in the Files app?
The drive may be formatted in a way iOS cannot write to, or the adapter may not be fully seated. Try reseating it, then reformat the drive as exFAT on a computer.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
