Transferring iPhone photos and videos to your Mac can save precious space on your mobile device. Plus, it’s easier to edit and retouch when you’ve got a larger screen with a higher resolution, not to mention that native Mac tools allow you to convert, resize, and organize your images in no time. In this article, we’ll cover the four quickest ways to transfer your images over.
Once the download is complete, make sure that Photos are indeed available on the Desktop of your Mac. Note: Backup of your iPhone Photos will be available in a Folder having the same Name as your iPhone. Delete Photos From iPhone. Once Photos have been downloaded to your Mac, you can either Bulk Delete all the Photos from your iPhone or go. Download Pictures from iPhone to Mac Computer Photos. The Photos app or iPhoto on older Macs (before Yosemite 10.10. 3), will display all the photos that are stored on your iPhone's camera roll, and here is how to download the pictures from iPhone camera roll to computer with Photos. Connect your iPhone to Mac. Photos is set to open. How to Copy Photos from iPhone to Mac Step 1. Connect your device to the software. At beginning, install and run the free iPhone photo to Mac transfer tool to your Mac, run it. In the home menu, click Backup Option, then you will come to the backup panel.
The best ways to transfer photos from an iPhone to a Mac
Because iPhone and Mac are parts of the Apple ecosystem, there are multiple ways to connect them and move content around. Some involve using a USB cable, others work wirelessly. These methods have proven the handiest in our experience:
- Sync photos to your Mac using Finder (macOS Catalina or later)
- Move photos and other content with AnyTrans
- Import pictures to the Photos app
- Upload photos using ImageCapture
- AirDrop photos from iPhone to a Mac
- Transfer photos using iCloud
Let's talk about all these in more detail.
Before you transfer your iPhone pictures to the Mac
Although Macs have more storage than iPhones, that storage is not infinite, so you might want to avoid dumping thousands of unneeded pics onto your Mac. We’re talking blurry party selfies, multiple shots of the same sunset, taken just seconds apart, long-forgotten screenshots of long-forgotten conversations — those can add up to a few gigabytes.
So before you start the transfer, scan your iPhone pics with Gemini Photos: Gallery Cleaner. This app will find all the clutter you’ve accumulated over the years, such as similar shots and blurry photos, and help you delete them in no time.
Now that you’ve done that, here are our top ways to transfer photos and videos.
How to import photos from an iPhone or iPad to a Mac with a USB cable
The most common ways to transfer pictures from your iPhone to your Mac involve connecting your devices with a USB cable. But even then, you have options depending on which application you want to use. Below you’ll read about four different apps that will help you sync your photos.
Move photos from iPhone to Mac using Finder
Starting with macOS Catalina (10.15) or later, you can sync your iPhone with a Mac using Finder. Follow these steps to sync photos from your iPhone to your Mac:
- Connect your iPhone to your Mac with a USB cable.
- On the Mac, open a new Finder window.
- In the sidebar, under your Devices, click on your iPhone.
- At the top of the window, click Photos.
- Check the “Sync Photos” box.
- Choose the app or folder that you want to sync from.
- Choose to sync all photos and albums or just selected albums.
- Click Apply.
Copy photos from iPhone to Mac with AnyTrans
iCloud and Photos are obvious choices for image transferring, but they're not without flaws. If you want to transfer all content from your iPhone without having to wait forever, and back it up at the same time, a third-party utility like AnyTrans for iOS makes much more sense.
A combination of a backup tool and media downloader, AnyTrans helps you migrate content. Here’s how you use it to move photos and everything else from your iPhone:
- Launch AnyTrans and ensure both your devices are connected to the same network.
- Connect iPhone to your Mac’s USB port.
- Allow AnyTrans access to your photo library.
- Go to Device Manager > Export iPhone content to computer.
Your content will travel instantly. What’s more, it will sync to iCloud — so there’s no need to worry your photos don’t have a backup.
Import photos from an iPhone or iPad to a Mac using Photos
One of the quickest methods is to plug the Lightning-to-USB cable you use to charge the iPhone into one of your Mac’s USB ports. When an iPhone is connected, the macOS Photos app automatically opens and suggests importing your photos. Here’s the import process, step by step.
- Connect your iPhone to the Mac using a Lightning-to-USB cable
- If needed, unlock your iPhone and confirm it trusts the device
- The Photos app should load and show you the images from your iPhone in the main window. If that doesn't happen, select your iPhone from the left-hand menu in the Photos app. Now you’ll see all of the images and videos stored in your iPhone’s Camera Roll.
- Click Import All New Items in the top right-hand corner, or go through the photos, select the ones you want to import, and click Import Selected
Once the import is complete, you can ask Photos to automatically delete the pics on your iPhone, giving you space to start again and take even more pictures.
Upload photos from iPhone to Mac using Image Capture
Another method for transferring your pictures from iPhone to Mac is with the Image Capture app, which comes by default with macOS. Follow these steps to import pics from your iPhone:
- Connect your iPhone to your Mac with a USB cable.
- On your Mac, open Image Capture.
- In the sidebar, select your iPhone under the Devices category.
- At the bottom of the window, click the Import To menu to choose where to save your pictures.
- Select the pictures you want to import and click the Import button or click Import All.
How to transfer photos from an iPhone or iPad to a Mac wirelessly
If you don’t have a USB cable nearby, don’t worry. You can still send pics from your phone wirelessly. And even if you have a cable close, you might want to try one of these methods to save you the hassle of plugging your iPhone into your computer.
Send photos from iPhone to Mac using AirDrop
If you need to move just a few of your images over to your Mac, the quickest way to do that is by using AirDrop.
How To Download Pictures From Iphone To Mac Computer
Start by switching AirDrop on your iPhone.
- Go to Settings
- Tap General
- Scroll to AirDrop
- Set this to Everyone to send data via AirDrop to any device
Now switch it on on your Mac:
- Open Finder
- Click Go in the menu bar and select AirDrop
- A Finder window will open, with the AirDrop icon at the bottom. It looks like an old-fashioned set of blue radio waves
- Below this icon is a dropdown. Click on it and select Everyone.
Give both devices a few moments to find one another.
Now, here’s how you transfer photos from your iPhone to your Mac with AirDrop:
- Open Photos on your iPhone
- Select the pics you want to transfer
- Tap the sharing button in the bottom left-hand corner
- Wait till AirDrop finds your Mac and tap on it
- On your Mac you’ll see a pop-up window asking you to accept the photos. Click Accept.
Depending on your Mac’s settings, you may be asked where you want to save the photos. Once you’re done transferring, you can switch off AirDrop on your Mac and iPhone.
Sync photos from an iPhone or iPad to a Mac using iCloud
Another way to move photos from an iPhone to a Mac is with iCloud. iCloud Photo Library, a.k.a. iCloud Photos, can do all the heavy lifting. However, if you’ve got over 5GB of photos and videos, you’ll need to upgrade your storage plan, paying anything from $0.99 per month for 50GB to $9.99 for 2TB of cloud storage.
To set up iCloud Photo Library on your iPhone, follow these steps:
How To Download Picture From Your Iphone
- Go to Settings
Tap on your name at the top
- Go to iCloud
- Underneath the iCloud storage indicator, you’ll see a list of Apps Using iCloud
- Tap on Photos
- Switch on iCloud Photos
Now, to set it up on your Mac:
- Launch the Photos app
- Go to the Photos menu in the menu bar
- Click on Preferences
- Next, click on iCloud
- Check the box next to iCloud Photo Library (iCloud Photos in macOS Mojave)
Provided you’ve followed both series of steps and both your devices are using the same Apple ID, your photos and videos will automatically sync between iPhone and Mac.
Remember: while you have iCloud Photo Library on, any changes you make to photos on one device will automatically sync to the other. So if you want to delete them on your iPhone and keep them on your Mac, switch off the sync after you’ve transferred everything.
Whichever method you use, Apple makes it easy to transfer photos and videos from an iPhone to a Mac. Just make sure you move the pics you really need, otherwise you’re just shuffling clutter around.
Applies To: iPhone XS/XS Max/XR, iPhone X, iPhone 8/8 Plus, iPhone 7/7 Plus, iPhone 6/6s, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, MacBook Mini
How to transfer photos from iPhone to MacBook Air? Well, generally speaking, you can import photos from iPhone to Mac either with the built-in App or feature on the devices or with the help of some third-party tool. For example, built-in Apps like iPhoto, Photos, Image Capture on Mac enables you to import photos from iPhone to MacBook Air. However, the photos you can transfer with these Apps are limited to photos in Camera Roll. Thus, if you want to copy all photos in Camera Roll, Photo Stream and Photo Library from iPhone to Mac, you will need EaseUS MobiMover, the reliable tool for iOS data transfer, to get things done. In addition to using MobiMover, this article also provides other 2 methods of transferring photos from iPhone to MacBook Air wirelessly, either with iCloud or AirDrop. Read on to get the details.
How to transfer photos from iPhone to MacBook Air
Part 1: How to transfer photos from iPhone to MacBook Air without iTunes using MobiMover
As an iOS data transfer tool that is compatible with Mac and PC, MobiMover helps to transfer files between iOS device (iPhone/iPad) and Mac/PC or between iOS devices. With MobiMover installed on your computer, you can transfer the following files to or out of your iPhone.
Photos: Camera Roll, Photo Library, Photo Stream, Photo Videos
Videos: Movies, TV shows, Music Videos
Audios: Music, Ringtones, Voice Memos, Audiobooks, Playlists
Others: Contacts, Notes, Messages, Voice Mails, Books, and Safari Bookmarks
As you can see, transferring photos from iPhone to MacBook Air is just one of the many things MobiMover can do for you. Things like transferring contacts from iPhone to iPhone, backing up iPhone text messages to computer and putting music to iPhone from computer can all be easily done via MobiMover. What's more, compared to iCloud, MobiMover enables you to import photos from iPhone to MacBook Air even without a network connection and you don't need to worry about whether there is enough space to store the photos. While compared to using AirDrop, MobiMover is more convenient when it comes to transferring multiple items. You can enjoy much more conveniences if you use EaseUS MobiMover. Now, follow the steps below to have a try.
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.
An iOS data transfer tool is not the only role MobiMover can play. With the file management features equipped, MobiMover can also serve as an iPhone content manager that you can use to delete/edit the existing files on your iPhone or add new items to your device from computer. In a word, MobiMover is an unmissable tool for you iPhone users. Don't hesitate to try MobiMover and make it your good helper.
Part 2: How to import photos from iPhone to MacBook Air wirelessly with iCloud
Using iCloud is a good choice for you if you want to transfer photos from iPhone to MacBook Air wirelessly. Make sure you have connected your iPhone to a stable and reliable Wi-Fi network and then go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos to turn on iCloud Photo Library. After that, follow the steps below to import photos from iPhone to MacBook Air using iCloud.
Step 1. Go to visit iCloud.com from your MacBook Air.
Step 2. Login into iCloud with your Apple ID and password which you use to sign into iCloud on your iPhone.
Step 3. Choose Photos among the options and then you will see the photos on your iPhone.
Step 4: Select the photos you'd like to import from iPhone to your Mac and then click the Download Selected items icon at the top right corner of your screen. By doing so, you can transfer photos from iPhone to MacBook Air wirelessly.
You can use the similar way to download iCloud photos to PC if you need.
Part 3: How to import photos from iPhone to MacBook Air wirelessly with AirDrop
How To Download Pictures From Iphone To Mac With Correct Exif
Another way to copy photos from iPhone to MacBook Air is using AirDrop, the built-in feature on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch for data sharing between two AirDrop-supported devices. What you need to pay attention to here is that MobiMover need WLAN and Bluetooth to work, thus make sure there is nothing wrong with these two features on your devices. Then, follow the steps below to transfer photos from iPhone to MacBook Air wirelessly using AirDrop.
Download Images From Iphone To My Mac
Step 1: Turn on AirDrop on your iPhone.
How To Download Pictures From Iphone To Mac Using Itunes
- On iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus or earlier: Swipe up from the bottom of your iPhone screen to open Control Center. On iPhone X, swipe down from the top right corner of the screen to open Control Center.
- If your iPhone is running in iOS 11, press deeply on the module where Airplane Mode locates in, click AirDrop to turn it on and set your iPhone to be discovered by Contacts Only or Everyone. While if you are using iOS 10 or earlier, click AirDrop directly to switch it on after opening Control Center. (Don't forget to turn on WLAN and Bluetooth at the same time.)
Step 2: Turn on AirDrop on your MacBook Air.
- On your MacBook Air, go to Finder > Go > AirDrop and turn on Bluetooth and WiFi to enable AirDrop on your Mac.
- Set your Mac to be discovered by Contacts Only or Everyone.
Step 3: After turning on AirDrop on both of your devices, you can begin to transfer photos from iPhone to MacBook Air as you like.
- Go to the Photos App on your iPhone.
- Select the photos you'd like to import from iPhone to your Mac.
- Tap on the Share button and choose your Mac from the AirDrop section.