How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to Laptop, by Kevin Stratvert on YouTube. 2 min 3 s.
- Video length
- 2 min 3 s
- Time to do it
- 10 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Your iPhone and connect it to the laptop with its USB cable. Use the cable that came with the phone, since some charge-only cables cannot pass files across.
Tap Trust on the prompt that appears on the iPhone and enter your passcode. If no prompt shows up, unplug the cable and plug it back in.
Open the Photos app on Windows from the Start menu. It comes preinstalled, so you do not need to download anything.
Click Import in the top right corner, then pick your iPhone from the list of connected devices.
Wait while the app scans the phone. Tick the photos and videos you want, or use Select all, then click Import.
Choose the folder where the copies should land, such as Pictures, and confirm. The app tells you how many items were imported when it finishes.
To skip the cable, open the iCloud photos area of the Photos app, sign in with your Apple ID and approve the two-factor code, then select the photos you want and download them.
Check the Pictures folder in File Explorer to confirm the files are there, then unplug the iPhone.
Tips and common mistakes
Turn on iCloud Photos on the iPhone first, or the iCloud section of the Photos app will look empty.
Import everything once, then delete the copies on the phone afterwards to free up storage.
Some iPhone photos are HEIC files; if they will not open, install the free HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store.
Copy the files before editing or deleting anything on the phone, so you always keep an original.
Questions
Do I need iTunes to move photos from an iPhone to a laptop?
No. The Windows Photos app handles the import on its own. iTunes is only needed for other kinds of syncing.
Where do the imported photos end up?
They go into the folder you choose during the import, usually Pictures on your user account, sorted into dated subfolders.
Can I transfer photos without a cable?
Yes, if iCloud Photos is switched on. Sign in to iCloud inside the Photos app and download the pictures over Wi-Fi instead.
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.
