Transferring iPhone photos and videos to your Mac tin salve precious space on your mobile device. Plus, it's easier to edit and retouch when yous've got a larger screen with a higher resolution, not to mention that native Mac tools allow yous 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.

The all-time 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 piece of work wirelessly. These methods take proven the handiest in our experience:

  1. Sync photos to your Mac using Finder (macOS Catalina or later on)
  2. Move photos and other content with AnyTrans
  3. Import pictures to the Photos app
  4. Upload photos using ImageCapture
  5. AirDrop photos from iPhone to a Mac
  6. Transfer photos using iCloud

Let's talk near all these in more than item.


Before you transfer your iPhone pictures to the Mac

Although Macs take more than storage than iPhones, that storage is not infinite, and then you might want to avoid dumping thousands of unneeded pics onto your Mac. We're talking blurry political party selfies, multiple shots of the aforementioned sunset, taken but seconds autonomously, long-forgotten screenshots of long-forgotten conversations — those tin add upwardly to a few gigabytes.

So before you start the transfer, scan your iPhone pics with Gemini Photos: Gallery Cleaner. This app volition find all the clutter you've accumulated over the years, such as similar shots and blurry photos, and aid 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 to a Mac with a USB cablevision

The most common ways to transfer pictures from your iPhone to your Mac involve connecting your devices with a USB cable. Just even and then, yous have options depending on which application y'all want to utilise. Below yous'll read about 4 unlike apps that will aid yous sync your photos.

Move photos from iPhone to Mac using Finder

Starting with macOS Catalina (ten.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:

  1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac with a USB cablevision.
  2. On the Mac, open a new Finder window.
  3. In the sidebar, under your Devices, click on your iPhone.
  4. At the top of the window, click Photos.
  5. Check the "Sync Photos" box.
  6. Choose the app or folder that you want to sync from.
  7. Choose to sync all photos and albums or just selected albums.
  8. Click Use.

How to transfer photos from iPhone to computer with AnyTrans

iCloud and Photos are obvious choices for paradigm transferring, but they're non without flaws. If you want to transfer all content from your iPhone without having to await forever, and back it up at the aforementioned time, a 3rd-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:

  1. Launch AnyTrans and ensure both your devices are connected to the same network.
  2. Connect iPhone to your Mac's USB port.
  3. Allow AnyTrans access to your photo library.
  4. Go to Device Manager > Export iPhone content to computer.

Your content will travel instantly. What's more than, it will sync to iCloud — so there's no demand to worry your photos don't take a backup.


Import photos from an iPhone to a Mac using Photos

One of the quickest methods is to plug the Lightning-to-USB cable y'all use to accuse 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'south the import process, pace past step.

  1. Connect your iPhone to the Mac using a Lightning-to-USB cable
  2. If needed, unlock your iPhone and ostend information technology trusts the device
  3. The Photos app should load and evidence 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'due south Camera Roll.
  4. Click Import All New Items in the top correct-hand corner, or become through the photos, select the ones you want to import, and click Import Selected

Once the import is complete, you tin enquire Photos to automatically delete the pics on your iPhone, giving you space to showtime over again and take fifty-fifty more pictures.


Upload photos from iPhone to Mac using Image Capture

Another method for transferring your pictures from iPhone to Mac is with the Epitome Capture app, which comes past default with macOS. Follow these steps to import pics from your iPhone:

  1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac with a USB cable.
  2. On your Mac, open Prototype Capture.
  3. In the sidebar, select your iPhone under the Devices category.
  4. At the bottom of the window, click the Import To menu to choose where to save your pictures.
  5. Select the pictures you want to import and click the Import push or click Import All.

How to transfer photos from an iPhone to a Mac wirelessly

If you don't have a USB cable nearby, don't worry. Yous can withal ship pics from your phone wirelessly. And even if you take a cable close, yous might want to try one of these methods to save y'all the hassle of plugging your iPhone into your calculator.

Send photos from iPhone to Mac using AirDrop

If you need to move only a few of your images over to your Mac, the quickest way to do that is by using AirDrop.

Start by switching AirDrop on your iPhone.

  1. Get to Settings
  2. Tap General
  3. Scroll to AirDrop
  4. Set this to Everyone to send information via AirDrop to whatsoever device

Now switch it on on your Mac:

  1. Open Finder
  2. Click Go in the menu bar and select AirDrop
  3. A Finder window will open, with the AirDrop icon at the bottom. Information technology looks like an quondam-fashioned prepare of blue radio waves
  4. Below this icon is a dropdown. Click on it and select Everyone.

Give both devices a few moments to detect one another.

Now, hither's how yous transfer photos from your iPhone to your Mac with AirDrop:

  1. Open Photos on your iPhone
  2. Select the pics you desire to transfer
  3. Tap the sharing button in the lesser left-hand corner
  4. Wait till AirDrop finds your Mac and tap on it
  5. On your Mac you'll see a pop-upwardly window asking you lot to have the photos. Click Take.

Depending on your Mac's settings, you lot may be asked where you desire to salvage the photos. Once you're done transferring, y'all can switch off AirDrop on your Mac and iPhone.


Sync photos from an iPhone 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 exercise all the heavy lifting. Even so, if you've got over 5GB of photos and videos, you'll need to upgrade your storage plan, paying annihilation from $0.99 per month for 50GB to $ix.99 for 2TB of deject storage.

To ready iCloud Photo Library on your iPhone, follow these steps:

  1. Get to Settings
  2. Tap on your proper noun at the tiptop

  3. Become to iCloud
  4. Underneath the iCloud storage indicator, you'll run across a list of Apps Using iCloud
  5. Tap on Photos
  6. Switch on iCloud Photos

Now, to set information technology up on your Mac:

  1. Launch the Photos app
  2. Go to the Photos menu in the menu bar
  3. Click on Preferences
  4. Next, click on iCloud
  5. Bank 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.

Recollect: while you take iCloud Photo Library on, whatever changes you brand to photos on one device will automatically sync to the other. So if y'all 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 employ, Apple makes information technology easy to transfer photos and videos from an iPhone to a Mac. Simply make sure you motion the pics you really need, otherwise yous're just shuffling ataxia around.