Transferring iPhone photos and videos to your Mac can save precious space on your mobile device. Plus, information technology'southward easier to edit and retouch when you lot've got a larger screen with a higher resolution, non to mention that native Mac tools permit you lot to convert, resize, and organize your images in no fourth dimension. In this article, we'll cover the four quickest ways to transfer your images over.

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 means to connect them and move content around. Some involve using a USB cablevision, 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

Permit'due south talk well-nigh all these in more detail.


Earlier y'all transfer your iPhone pictures to the Mac

Although Macs accept more storage than iPhones, that storage is not infinite, then you might want to avert dumping thousands of unneeded pics onto your Mac. We're talking blurry party selfies, multiple shots of the same dusk, taken simply seconds apart, long-forgotten screenshots of long-forgotten conversations — those can add up to a few gigabytes.

So before y'all start the transfer, scan your iPhone pics with Gemini Photos: Gallery Cleaner. This app volition find all the ataxia you've accumulated over the years, such as similar shots and blurry photos, and help you delete them in no fourth dimension.

Now that y'all've done that, here are our height ways to transfer photos and videos.


How to import photos from an iPhone to a Mac with a USB cable

The nearly common ways to transfer pictures from your iPhone to your Mac involve connecting your devices with a USB cable. Just even so, you have options depending on which application you want to use. Beneath yous'll read about four dissimilar apps that volition help you sync your photos.

Move photos from iPhone to Mac using Finder

Starting with macOS Catalina (x.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 up a new Finder window.
  3. In the sidebar, under your Devices, click on your iPhone.
  4. At the elevation of the window, click Photos.
  5. Check the "Sync Photos" box.
  6. Choose the app or binder that you want to sync from.
  7. Choose to sync all photos and albums or just selected albums.
  8. Click Apply.

How to transfer photos from iPhone to figurer with AnyTrans

iCloud and Photos are obvious choices for paradigm transferring, merely they're non without flaws. If y'all want to transfer all content from your iPhone without having to expect forever, and back information technology 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 drift content. Hither'south how yous apply it to move photos and everything else from your iPhone:

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

Your content volition travel instantly. What's more, it will sync to iCloud — and then there'south no demand to worry your photos don't have 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 procedure, step past step.

  1. Connect your iPhone to the Mac using a Lightning-to-USB cable
  2. If needed, unlock your iPhone and confirm information technology trusts the device
  3. The Photos app should load and show you lot the images from your iPhone in the main window. If that doesn't happen, select your iPhone from the left-mitt carte in the Photos app. At present yous'll run into all of the images and videos stored in your iPhone's Camera Roll.
  4. Click Import All New Items in the top right-hand corner, or get through the photos, select the ones you desire to import, and click Import Selected

One time the import is consummate, you tin enquire Photos to automatically delete the pics on your iPhone, giving you infinite to start once more 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 Prototype Capture app, which comes by 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 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 choose where to salvage your pictures.
  5. Select the pictures y'all desire 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 cablevision nearby, don't worry. Y'all tin can still ship pics from your phone wirelessly. And fifty-fifty if you have a cable close, you lot might want to endeavour 1 of these methods to save y'all the hassle of plugging your iPhone into your computer.

Send photos from iPhone to Mac using AirDrop

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

Showtime past switching AirDrop on your iPhone.

  1. Go to Settings
  2. Tap General
  3. Whorl to AirDrop
  4. Set this to Everyone to transport data via AirDrop to any device

Now switch it on on your Mac:

  1. Open Finder
  2. Click Go in the bill of fare bar and select AirDrop
  3. A Finder window volition open up, with the AirDrop icon at the lesser. It looks similar an quondam-fashioned ready of bluish radio waves
  4. Below this icon is a dropdown. Click on it and select Everyone.

Give both devices a few moments to find ane some other.

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 push button in the bottom left-hand corner
  4. Await till AirDrop finds your Mac and tap on it
  5. On your Mac yous'll encounter a pop-up window asking you to have the photos. Click Accept.

Depending on your Mac's settings, you may be asked where you lot want to save the photos. In one case you're washed transferring, y'all can switch off AirDrop on your Mac and iPhone.


Sync photos from an iPhone to a Mac using iCloud

Some other style to movement photos from an iPhone to a Mac is with iCloud. iCloud Photograph Library, a.g.a. iCloud Photos, can do all the heavy lifting. However, if y'all've got over 5GB of photos and videos, you'll demand to upgrade your storage plan, paying annihilation from $0.99 per month for 50GB to $9.99 for 2TB of deject storage.

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

  1. Get to Settings
  2. Tap on your name at the top

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

Now, to set it upwards on your Mac:

  1. Launch the Photos app
  2. Go to the Photos bill of fare in the menu bar
  3. Click on Preferences
  4. Next, click on iCloud
  5. Check the box next to iCloud Photo Library (iCloud Photos in macOS Mojave)

Provided you lot've followed both series of steps and both your devices are using the same Apple ID, your photos and videos volition automatically sync between iPhone and Mac.

Retrieve: while y'all take iCloud Photograph Library on, any changes yous make to photos on one device will automatically sync to the other. So if you desire to delete them on your iPhone and keep them on your Mac, switch off the sync after you've transferred everything.


Whichever method yous employ, Apple makes it easy to transfer photos and videos from an iPhone to a Mac. Just make certain y'all motility the pics you really need, otherwise you're but shuffling clutter around.