Transferring iPhone photos and videos to your Mac can relieve precious space on your mobile device. Plus, information technology's easier to edit and retouch when you've got a larger screen with a higher resolution, non to mention that native Mac tools permit you to catechumen, resize, and organize your images in no time. In this commodity, nosotros'll cover the iv quickest means to transfer your images over.

The all-time ways to transfer photos from an iPhone to a Mac

Considering iPhone and Mac are parts of the Apple ecosystem, in that location are multiple ways to connect them and move content effectually. 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 afterward)
  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 virtually all these in more detail.


Before y'all transfer your iPhone pictures to the Mac

Although Macs have 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 sunset, taken only seconds apart, long-forgotten screenshots of long-forgotten conversations — those can add up to a few gigabytes.

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

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 cable

The most common ways to transfer pictures from your iPhone to your Mac involve connecting your devices with a USB cablevision. Only even then, y'all accept options depending on which application you want to use. Beneath you'll read about four unlike apps that will help yous sync your photos.

Movement photos from iPhone to Mac using Finder

Starting with macOS Catalina (10.xv) or afterward, 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, nether your Devices, click on your iPhone.
  4. At the elevation of the window, click Photos.
  5. Check the "Sync Photos" box.
  6. Cull the app or folder that you want to sync from.
  7. Choose to sync all photos and albums or simply selected albums.
  8. Click Apply.

How to transfer photos from iPhone to figurer with AnyTrans

iCloud and Photos are obvious choices for image transferring, but they're not without flaws. If you want to transfer all content from your iPhone without having to wait forever, and back it up at the same time, a third-political party utility like AnyTrans for iOS makes much more than sense.

A combination of a backup tool and media downloader, AnyTrans helps you drift content. Hither's how you utilize it to motion 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'due south USB port.
  3. Allow AnyTrans access to your photo library.
  4. Get to Device Manager > Export iPhone content to estimator.

Your content will travel instantly. What's more than, it volition sync to iCloud — so there's 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 yous 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's the import process, step by pace.

  1. Connect your iPhone to the Mac using a Lightning-to-USB cable
  2. If needed, unlock your iPhone and ostend it trusts the device
  3. The Photos app should load and show y'all the images from your iPhone in the primary window. If that doesn't happen, select your iPhone from the left-hand menu in the Photos app. Now you'll encounter all of the images and videos stored in your iPhone's Photographic camera Roll.
  4. Click Import All New Items in the meridian correct-hand corner, or get through the photos, select the ones y'all want to import, and click Import Selected

Once the import is complete, you can ask Photos to automatically delete the pics on your iPhone, giving yous space to showtime again and accept 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 Image 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 you want to import and click the Import button or click Import All.

How to transfer photos from an iPhone to a Mac wirelessly

If y'all don't have a USB cablevision nearby, don't worry. You can still send pics from your phone wirelessly. And even if yous have a cablevision close, you lot might want to try one 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 motion only a few of your images over to your Mac, the quickest way to do that is by using AirDrop.

Kickoff by switching AirDrop on your iPhone.

  1. Go to Settings
  2. Tap Full general
  3. Scroll to AirDrop
  4. Set this to Everyone to send 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 will open, with the AirDrop icon at the bottom. It looks like an former-fashioned ready of bluish radio waves
  4. Beneath this icon is a dropdown. Click on information technology and select Everyone.

Requite both devices a few moments to discover one another.

Now, here'southward how you 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-mitt corner
  4. Wait till AirDrop finds your Mac and tap on it
  5. On your Mac y'all'll see a pop-up window asking you to accept the photos. Click Accept.

Depending on your Mac's settings, you may be asked where you desire to save the photos. One time yous're done transferring, yous 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.k.a. iCloud Photos, can practise all the heavy lifting. Nevertheless, if you've got over 5GB of photos and videos, yous'll need to upgrade your storage plan, paying annihilation from $0.99 per month for 50GB to $9.99 for 2TB of deject storage.

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

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

  3. Become to iCloud
  4. Underneath the iCloud storage indicator, you lot'll come across a list 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 menu in the card bar
  3. Click on Preferences
  4. Side by side, click on iCloud
  5. Check the box next to iCloud Photo Library (iCloud Photos in macOS Mojave)

Provided you've followed both serial of steps and both your devices are using the same Apple ID, your photos and videos will automatically sync betwixt iPhone and Mac.

Remember: while you lot have iCloud Photograph Library on, whatsoever changes yous make to photos on one device will automatically sync to the other. Then if you desire to delete them on your iPhone and keep them on your Mac, switch off the sync subsequently you've transferred everything.


Whichever method you use, Apple tree makes it easy to transfer photos and videos from an iPhone to a Mac. Simply make sure you move the pics y'all really need, otherwise you lot're just shuffling clutter effectually.