Transferring iPhone photos and videos to your Mac can salvage precious space on your mobile device. Plus, it's easier to edit and retouch when you've got a larger screen with a college resolution, not to mention that native Mac tools allow you lot to catechumen, resize, and organize your images in no time. In this article, we'll encompass the four quickest ways to transfer your images over.

The best means to transfer photos from an iPhone to a Mac

Because iPhone and Mac are parts of the Apple ecosystem, there are multiple means to connect them and motility content around. Some involve using a USB cable, others work wirelessly. These methods have proven the handiest in our experience:

  1. Sync photos to your Mac using Finder (macOS Catalina or afterwards)
  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

Allow's talk well-nigh all these in more detail.


Before you lot transfer your iPhone pictures to the Mac

Although Macs take more storage than iPhones, that storage is not infinite, and so 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 just seconds apart, long-forgotten screenshots of long-forgotten conversations — those can add together upward to a few gigabytes.

Then before yous start the transfer, scan your iPhone pics with Gemini Photos: Gallery Cleaner. This app will observe 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 y'all've done that, here are our elevation 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 fifty-fifty then, you have options depending on which application you want to use. Beneath you lot'll read about 4 dissimilar apps that will assistance you lot sync your photos.

Move photos from iPhone to Mac using Finder

Starting with macOS Catalina (10.15) or later, you tin 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 cable.
  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 lot want to sync from.
  7. Choose to sync all photos and albums or just selected albums.
  8. Click Employ.

How to transfer photos from iPhone to computer with AnyTrans

iCloud and Photos are obvious choices for image transferring, just they're not without flaws. If you desire to transfer all content from your iPhone without having to wait forever, and back information technology up at the aforementioned fourth dimension, a tertiary-party utility like AnyTrans for iOS makes much more sense.

A combination of a backup tool and media downloader, AnyTrans helps yous drift content. Here's how y'all 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'southward USB port.
  3. Allow AnyTrans admission to your photo library.
  4. Become to Device Manager > Export iPhone content to computer.

Your content will travel instantly. What's more, information technology volition sync to iCloud — so there's no demand to worry your photos don't accept 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 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'due south the import process, step 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 testify 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 y'all'll run into all of the images and videos stored in your iPhone's Camera Roll.
  4. Click Import All New Items in the superlative right-mitt corner, or go through the photos, select the ones you want to import, and click Import Selected

Once the import is complete, you lot tin can ask Photos to automatically delete the pics on your iPhone, giving y'all 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 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 cablevision.
  2. On your Mac, open Image 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 cull where to salve your pictures.
  5. Select the pictures you want to import and click the Import push button 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 tin all the same transport pics from your phone wirelessly. And even if you lot have a cable shut, you lot might desire to attempt 1 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 simply a few of your images over to your Mac, the quickest style to do that is by using AirDrop.

Kickoff past switching AirDrop on your iPhone.

  1. Become to Settings
  2. Tap General
  3. Scroll to AirDrop
  4. Ready this to Everyone to send data via AirDrop to whatsoever device

Now switch information technology on on your Mac:

  1. Open up Finder
  2. Click Go in the carte du jour bar and select AirDrop
  3. A Finder window will open, with the AirDrop icon at the bottom. Information technology looks like an erstwhile-fashioned set 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 ane another.

Now, here's how y'all transfer photos from your iPhone to your Mac with AirDrop:

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

Depending on your Mac's settings, you may be asked where yous want to save the photos. One time you lot're done transferring, you tin can switch off AirDrop on your Mac and iPhone.


Sync photos from an iPhone to a Mac using iCloud

Some other way to move photos from an iPhone to a Mac is with iCloud. iCloud Photo Library, a.g.a. iCloud Photos, can do all the heavy lifting. All the same, if you've got over 5GB of photos and videos, you lot'll need to upgrade your storage plan, paying annihilation from $0.99 per month for 50GB to $ix.99 for 2TB of cloud storage.

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

  1. Go to Settings
  2. Tap on your name at the acme

  3. Get to iCloud
  4. Underneath the iCloud storage indicator, you lot'll see a listing of Apps Using iCloud
  5. Tap on Photos
  6. Switch on iCloud Photos

Now, to set it up on your Mac:

  1. Launch the Photos app
  2. Go to the Photos carte du jour in the menu bar
  3. Click on Preferences
  4. Next, click on iCloud
  5. Check the box next to iCloud Photograph Library (iCloud Photos in macOS Mojave)

Provided yous've followed both series of steps and both your devices are using the aforementioned Apple ID, your photos and videos will automatically sync between iPhone and Mac.

Remember: while you lot have iCloud Photo Library on, any changes you make to photos on i device volition automatically sync to the other. And then if y'all desire to delete them on your iPhone and continue them on your Mac, switch off the sync afterward you've transferred everything.


Whichever method you utilise, Apple makes information technology piece of cake to transfer photos and videos from an iPhone to a Mac. Only brand sure you movement the pics y'all really need, otherwise you're just shuffling ataxia around.