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 y'all to catechumen, resize, and organize your images in no time. In this article, nosotros'll comprehend 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 tree ecosystem, there are multiple ways to connect them and movement content around. Some involve using a USB cable, others work wirelessly. These methods accept proven the handiest in our experience:

  1. Sync photos to your Mac using Finder (macOS Catalina or afterward)
  2. Motility 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 about all these in more particular.


Before you transfer your iPhone pictures to the Mac

Although Macs have more storage than iPhones, that storage is not space, and then you might desire to avoid dumping thousands of unneeded pics onto your Mac. Nosotros'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 together upward to a few gigabytes.

So before you outset 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 help you delete them in no fourth dimension.

At present that you've done that, here are our top means to transfer photos and videos.


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

The well-nigh common ways to transfer pictures from your iPhone to your Mac involve connecting your devices with a USB cable. But even and then, you lot have options depending on which awarding yous want to apply. Below you'll read about four dissimilar apps that will assistance you sync your photos.

Motion photos from iPhone to Mac using Finder

Starting with macOS Catalina (10.15) or later, y'all 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 cable.
  2. On the Mac, open up 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 Employ.

How to transfer photos from iPhone to estimator with AnyTrans

iCloud and Photos are obvious choices for prototype transferring, but they're non without flaws. If you want to transfer all content from your iPhone without having to wait forever, and back information technology up at the same time, a third-party utility like AnyTrans for iOS makes much more than sense.

A combination of a backup tool and media downloader, AnyTrans helps yous migrate content. Hither'due south how you lot use it to motion photos and everything else from your iPhone:

  1. Launch AnyTrans and ensure both your devices are continued to the same network.
  2. Connect iPhone to your Mac'due south USB port.
  3. Permit AnyTrans admission to your photo library.
  4. Go to Device Manager > Export iPhone content to computer.

Your content will travel instantly. What'due south more than, it will sync to iCloud — so there'south no need 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 y'all use to accuse the iPhone into 1 of your Mac's USB ports. When an iPhone is continued, the macOS Photos app automatically opens and suggests importing your photos. Here's the import process, footstep by step.

  1. Connect your iPhone to the Mac using a Lightning-to-USB cable
  2. If needed, unlock your iPhone and confirm it trusts the device
  3. 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 bill of fare in the Photos app. Now you'll meet all of the images and videos stored in your iPhone'due south Photographic camera Roll.
  4. Click Import All New Items in the top right-hand corner, or go through the photos, select the ones yous want to import, and click Import Selected

In one case the import is complete, yous can ask Photos to automatically delete the pics on your iPhone, giving you space to kickoff again and take even more than pictures.


Upload photos from iPhone to Mac using Prototype Capture

Another method for transferring your pictures from iPhone to Mac is with the Paradigm 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 cablevision.
  2. On your Mac, open Image Capture.
  3. In the sidebar, select your iPhone nether the Devices category.
  4. At the lesser of the window, click the Import To card to cull where to save your pictures.
  5. Select the pictures you desire to import and click the Import 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. You can withal send pics from your phone wirelessly. And even if you have a cablevision shut, you might want to try one of these methods to salve you the hassle of plugging your iPhone into your computer.

Send photos from iPhone to Mac using AirDrop

If y'all demand to move but a few of your images over to your Mac, the quickest way to do that is by using AirDrop.

Outset by switching AirDrop on your iPhone.

  1. Become to Settings
  2. Tap General
  3. Scroll to AirDrop
  4. Prepare this to Anybody to send data via AirDrop to any device

Now switch it on on your Mac:

  1. Open Finder
  2. Click Become in the carte du jour bar and select AirDrop
  3. A Finder window will open, with the AirDrop icon at the bottom. It looks like an one-time-fashioned set of bluish radio waves
  4. Below this icon is a dropdown. Click on it and select Everyone.

Requite both devices a few moments to find one some other.

Now, here'due south how you transfer photos from your iPhone to your Mac with AirDrop:

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

Depending on your Mac's settings, yous may be asked where you want to save the photos. In one case you're done transferring, you tin 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.k.a. iCloud Photos, can do all the heavy lifting. However, if y'all've got over 5GB of photos and videos, you'll need to upgrade your storage programme, paying anything from $0.99 per month for 50GB to $nine.99 for 2TB of cloud storage.

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

  1. Become to Settings
  2. Tap on your name at the height

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

Now, to set up 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. Adjacent, 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 aforementioned Apple ID, your photos and videos will automatically sync between iPhone and Mac.

Remember: while you lot have iCloud Photo Library on, whatever changes you make to photos on one device will automatically sync to the other. So if yous want to delete them on your iPhone and keep them on your Mac, switch off the sync later you've transferred everything.


Whichever method y'all use, Apple makes it easy to transfer photos and videos from an iPhone to a Mac. But make certain y'all movement the pics you really need, otherwise y'all're just shuffling clutter around.