{"title":"How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to Computer","canonicalUrl":"https://www.showmestepbystep.com/tech/how-to-transfer-photos-from-iphone-to-computer","category":{"slug":"tech","name":"Tech"},"creator":{"name":"Kevin Stratvert","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfJT_eYDTmDE-ovKaxVE1ig","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrBKH55YqLE"},"tldr":"Move iPhone photos to a Windows PC using the Photos app, File Explorer, or Google Photos cloud. Step-by-step screenshots for each method. Pick what fits.","totalDurationSeconds":362,"difficulty":"easy","tools":[],"materials":[],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Step 1: Plug your iPhone into the computer","text":"Connect your iPhone to a USB port on the computer with a Lightning cable.Unlock the phone. If it's the first time connecting to this computer, you'll see a prompt asking to 'Trust this computer' - tap Trust. On Windows, you'll see a notification in the bottom-right corner saying 'Apple iPhone - Select to choose what happens with this device.'"},{"number":2,"title":"Step 2: Choose 'Import photos and videos' via Photos app","text":"Click the 'Apple iPhone' notification on your Windows desktop. A dialog appears with several options.Click 'Import photos and videos - Photos' to use the built-in Windows 10/11 Photos app. The app launches and starts scanning your phone for photos and videos."},{"number":3,"title":"Step 3: Select which photos to import","text":"The Photos app shows a grid of every photo and video on the phone, with all of them checked by default.Click 'Unselect all' in the top-right of the dialog, then check just the photos you want. Group by date if you only want a recent batch - 'September 2019' or 'Yesterday' headers let you select a whole day at once."},{"number":4,"title":"Step 4: Click Import selected and wait","text":"Click the blue 'Import selected' button at the bottom of the dialog. The app copies each photo to your Pictures library on the PC.When it's done you'll see an 'All done! Photos has finished importing X photos' notification. Open any photo to view it - you can crop, add filters, share, or print right from the Photos app."},{"number":5,"title":"Step 5: Alternative - use File Explorer for older Windows","text":"If you don't have the Photos app or you want to choose exactly where photos go, unplug and replug the phone, but this time choose 'Open device to view files' from the dialog.File Explorer opens with your iPhone shown in the sidebar. Click Internal Storage, then DCIM, then the only folder inside (usually called 100APPLE or similar). Select the photos you want, right-click Copy, and right-click Paste into any folder on your PC."},{"number":6,"title":"Step 6: Cloud option - Google Photos works on any computer","text":"If you don't want to deal with cables, install the Google Photos app from the App Store on your iPhone. Sign in and let it back up your photos to your Google account in the background.Once it's done syncing, open photos.google.com on any computer (Windows, Mac, Chromebook). All your photos are there. Select the ones you want and click the download icon to save them locally."}],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-05-20T17:27:13.021Z","published":"2026-04-28T15:34:10.257Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}