To move photos from your iPhone to a Windows PC, you have several effective methods:
Using USB Cable and Windows Photos App
- Connect your iPhone to your PC with a USB cable.
- Unlock your iPhone and tap "Allow" to trust the computer.
- On your PC, open the Photos app (pre-installed on Windows).
- Click Import in the top right corner and select your iPhone as the source.
- Choose the photos you want to transfer and select the destination folder on your PC.
- Click Import to copy the photos to your computer
Using Windows Explorer (File Explorer)
- Connect your iPhone to the PC via USB.
- Open File Explorer and find your iPhone listed under "Portable Devices."
- Open the DCIM folder where your photos are stored.
- Copy and paste or drag-and-drop photos from the iPhone folders to your PC.
Note: This method does not preserve album structure or photo orientation, and some formats like HEIC may not be supported by Windows directly
Using Third-Party Software (e.g., CopyTrans Photo)
- Download and install CopyTrans Photo on your PC.
- Connect your iPhone via USB and launch the program.
- Your iPhone photos will load on the left pane; your PC folders appear on the right.
- Select photos or albums to transfer using drag-and-drop.
- Click Apply to start the transfer.
- This method preserves album structure, supports HEIC and ProRAW formats, and avoids duplicates
Using iCloud Photos (Wireless)
- Enable iCloud Photos on your iPhone (Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Photos).
- On your PC, download and install iCloud for Windows or access iCloud.com.
- Download photos from iCloud to your PC without connecting your iPhone physically.
- This method requires an internet connection and sufficient iCloud storage
Summary
Method| Requires USB?| Preserves Albums| Supports HEIC| Ease of Use| Notes
---|---|---|---|---|---
Windows Photos App| Yes| No| Limited| Easy| Built-in, straightforward
Windows Explorer| Yes| No| Limited| Easy| Simple file copy, no structure
CopyTrans Photo| Yes| Yes| Yes| Very Easy| Best for organized transfer
iCloud Photos| No (wireless)| Yes| Yes| Moderate| Requires internet and
storage
Choose the method that best fits your needs for convenience, photo quality, and organization
