How To Download Images From Iphone To Mac

How Do You Transfer Photos from iPhone to Computer

Connect your iPhone to your MacBook Pro using a Lightning-to-USB cable. Unlock your phone and confirm it recognizes the Mac if prompted. The Photos app on your MacBook should open once the connection is made, open this app, if not, and select your iPhone from the window on the left. Connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac via a USB cable. Open the Photos app on your Mac. The Photos app should automatically be on the Import screen with all photos and videos on the connected device. If not, just click on the device name in the sidebar. Select the photos you want to import. When you need to upgrade iPhone from iOS 14 to iOS 15, swtich to the new iPhone 13, or free up more space on iPhone, you will want to transfer some photos from iPhone to MacBook Pro, iMac, MacBook Air, etc. Frankly, there are several solutions to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac and the majority of them claim to be easy to use for both newbie and expert.

When your iPhone storage gets full or you want to make a backup of your iPhone photos, you may need to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac.

But how can you import photos from iPhone to Mac?

Actually, there is more than one way for you to download pictures from iPhone to Mac. More specifically, you can either use a USB cable to get photos off iPhone onto Mac or upload photos from iPhone to Mac wirelessly via services like iCloud and AirDrop.

Keep reading and learn five common ways on how to import photos from iPhone to Mac.

Method 1. How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to Mac Wirelessly

The easiest way to download pictures from iPhone to Mac is to use AirDrop. Using AirDrop is quite convenient, especially when you don't have a USB cable available. To AirDrop photos from iPhone to Mac successfully, make sure your devices are within the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth range. Afterward, follow the steps below to send photos from iPhone to Mac via AirDrop.

Step 1. Turn on AirDrop on your iPhone and Mac.

Step 2. Open the Photos app on your iPhone and select the items you'd like to transfer to your computer.

Step 3. After the selection, tap the 'Share' button and choose 'AirDrop' > 'your Mac'.

Step 4. On your Mac, choose 'Accept' in the prompt to receive the photos from your iOS device.

Step 5. Wait for the transfer process to complete. Afterward, go to the 'Downloads' folder to check the pictures.

The time it will take to AirDrop photos from iPhone to Mac depends on the size of the files and your network speed. If you have a huge collection of photos to send, it may take a long time to finish the transfer process.

Method 2. How to Download Photos from iPhone to Mac Using iCloud

Another common way to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac wirelessly is using iCloud. iCloud is a cloud-based service for you to share files like photos, videos, and documents across your devices, including iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, and PC.

By turning on iCloud photos, you can upload photos from your iOS device to iCloud, and then iCloud will sync the photos to your other devices that use the same Apple ID as you use on your iPhone automatically and wirelessly. As long as you have enough iCloud storage and there is a network connection on your device, you can use iCloud to transfer iPhone photos to Mac.

Make sure you are using the same Apple ID on your Mac and iPhone and there is sufficient iCloud space to save the items you are going to share. Then follow the steps below to get photos from your iphone to Mac.

Step 1. On your iPhone, go to 'Settings' > [your name] > 'iCloud' > 'Photos' and turn on 'iCloud Photos'.

Step 2. On your Mac, click the Apple menu and choose 'System Preferences'.

Step 3. Choose 'iCloud' and sign in with the Apple ID on your iOS device.

Step 4. Click 'Options' next to the 'Photos' option and enable 'iCloud Photos'.

Step 5. Wait for the syncing process to finish. When it has done, go to the Photos app on your Mac to check the photos from your mobile device.

Some users prefer to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac wirelessly, while others may want to transfer pictures using a USB cable, especially when they need to move photos in bulk or there is no network connection available. If you are one of them, the three ways below are for you.

Method 3. How to Import Photos from iPhone to Mac Using iPhone Transfer Software

Whether you want to download photos from iPhone to Mac all at once or selectively, the iPhone transfer software - EaseUS MobiMover will get it done for you safely and quickly.

How To Download Images From Iphone To Imac

As an iOS content manager and a free video & audio downloader, EaseUS MobiMover will help you to:

Transfer data from one iPhone/iPad to another

Download online videos and audio files to Mac, PC, or iPhone/iPad using URL

Therefore, it will not only help you import photos from iPhone to Mac but also allow you to many other things, like sharing files between two iOS devices and downloading YouTube videos to Mac.

To transfer photos from iPhone to Mac:

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to Mac with a USB cable. Run EaseUS MobiMover, choose 'Phone to Mac' and click the 'Next' button to continue.

Step 2. Check the category/categories you want to copy from your iPhone to Mac. As you can see, you can copy other supported files together with photos from your iPhone to Mac all at once. After that, don't forget to customize the storage path for the exported photos unless you want to save them on your desktop.

Step 3. Now, click the 'Transfer' button to start transferring photos or other files from your iPhone to Mac without iTunes. Exporting files from iPhone to Mac with MobiMover is the right way for backup to avoid unexpected data loss.

Method 4. How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to Computer via the Photos App

Whether you are using a Mac or Windows PC, there is an app called Photos that allows you to import photos from iPhone to your computer. When you want to copy photos from iPhone to Mac, the Photos app is here to help, and all you need to prepare is a USB cable.

To transfer photos from iPhone to Mac using the Photos app:

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac.

Step 2. Unlock your iOS device and click 'Trust' to trust the computer.

Step 3. Launch the Photos app and select your iPhone in the window.

Step 4. Wait for Photos to load all the new photos and videos from your mobile device.

Step 5. Choose to import selected photos and videos or 'Import All New Photos (including your videos)'.

Afterward, you can check and manage the photos in the Photos app.

Method 5. How to Copy Photos from iPhone to Mac via Image Capture

In addition to the Photos app, Image Capture on Mac will also help to transfer the photos on your iPhone. Both programs work similarly when it comes to importing photos from iPhone to Mac. However, unlike the Photos app, Image Capture mainly enables users to upload pictures from digital cameras or a device that has a camera to the Mac computer.

Transfer Photos From Iphone To Macbook

Step 1. Connect your iOS device to Mac via a USB cable.

Step 2. Unlock your iPhone, trust the computer, and launch Image Capture from the launch pad.

Step 3. Wait for the program to load the new items on your iPhone.

Step 4. You can either select the videos you want to share and click 'Import' or click 'Import All' directly.

The Bottom Line

These are the common ways to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac. Of course, there are other ways to download pictures from iPhone to Mac, like using Dropbox, Google Photos, or other cloud-based services.

Carry out the way best suited to your needs to get your iPhone photos to Mac within minutes.

Your device memory space is meant to get exhausted, which is why there is a capacity to indicate the total amount of information that can be stored. An iPhone memory space gets filled up when the information stored on it exceeds its internal memory. Vital information such as photos, videos, audios, and many others is stored on a device for future purposes.

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This information can be stored externally on Google drive, iCloud, or hard drive. But in this article, I will be introducing you to how you can transfer just one of this information, your photos, from your iPhone to an external hard drive.

Part 1: Transfer Photos from iPhone to External Hard Drive on Mac

Take the following steps to transfer photos from your iPhone to an external hard drive on Mac;

Step 1: Connect your external hard drive to your Mac

Firstly, you need to connect the hard drive to your Mac and ensure it shows up in the finder’s sidebar.

To confirm that the hard drive is working, try to copy a file or anything from your Mac to it, and if does copies, then the hard drive is formatted to use with a Mac. If the hard drive doesn’t allow you to copy anything on it, you need to reformat it to FAT format.

Step 2: Connect your iOS Device to your Mac

Once your external storage is fit for the transfer, with the aid of a lightning cable, connect your iPhone to your Mac. Ensure this lightning cable is held firmly to both the Mac and iPhone, so there isn’t any error while transferring your photos.

Step 3: Launch Image Capture

When an iOS device is connected to a Mac, the image capture app launches itself automatically. However, if it doesn’t, you can do that manually by searching for it among the applications on your Mac using the Spotlight search (Cmd + Space shortcut) and launch.

After launching this application, you will find all the photos you shot on your iPhone right there. You can either select a few of the images you want to transfer or use the keyboard shortcut Cmd + A to select all the images.

Step 4: Choose a Destination and Import

How To Download Photos From Iphone To Mac Mini

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Selecting the destination where you want to import your images is very important. By default, images are imported to the Picture folder, but you can change this by selecting ‘others’ clicking the drop-down button and then selecting a folder using the external hard drive as a source.

Once you’ve selected a folder on the external hard drive, click ‘Import’ and wait till the transfer is completed. While the completion time varies, it depends on the number of photos you are transferring.

Part 2: Transfer Photos to External Hard Drive on Windows

One unique thing about our device rich world is the compatibility of an iOS device with a non iOS gadget. For this reason, you can transfer your photos to an external hard drive on windows without stress. To ensure your windows is compatible with your iOS device, you need to download and install iTunes on your PC.

Take the following steps to accomplish this task;

  1. Launch the Microsoft Store from your device Start menu.
  2. Search for iTunes.
  3. Click on ‘Get iTunes’ to download.
  4. Once you’ve downloaded iTunes on your windows, launch it and accept iTunes License Software License Agreement.

Now that you’ve successfully installed the iTunes application on your PC, the transfer of photos to an external hard drive can be done without hindrance. Listed below are the steps required to successfully transfer photos on using Windows;

  1. Connect your iPhone to your PC with the aid of a lightning cable
  2. Launch the Photo app from your PC Start menu
  3. At the top right corner of your Windows page, you will find the ‘Import’ button. Click on it
  4. Select the photos you will like to import, and click ‘Continue’.

The transfer process will commence immediately. Wait for some minutes for the process to come to completion. It’s very important for you to note that unplugging your device will terminate the transfer. Hence, it’s important for you to ensure everything is well fixed before you start the transfer.

Download Photos From Iphone To Windows 10

Part 3: How to Transfer Photos to External Hard Drive without a Computer

How To Download Images From Iphone To Mac

Transferring photos to an external hard drive without a computer’s aid can be accomplished by connecting your iPhone directly to a portable external hard drive like SanDisk. Though this process is compatible with devices with iOS 8 and later versions.

Take the following steps to connect your iPhone to a portable external hard drive;

Iphone

Step 1: With the aid of a lightning cable, connect your iPhone to an external hard drive. To confirm if your device is connected to the hard drive, click on ‘Files app’ button, then ‘Browse’.

Step 2: Locate and open the Photo app, then select the photos you want to transfer. Click the ‘Share’ button to transfer the photos to the Files app.

Step 3: On the Files app, choose the hard drive you want to save the iPhone photos

Conclusion

How To Download Pictures From Iphone To Mac Desktop

Now you know how to transfer your images from your iPhone to external hard drives with or without the aid of a PC/Mac. Apply the steps given to back up your images and free your device from hanging or booting slowly.

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