From iPhone to Mac: Quick and Easy Ways to Transfer Your Photos

Media files, such as photos and videos, are one of the most space-consuming items on your iPhone. With time, these files accumulate and fill the iPhone’s memory, resulting in stopping apps from functioning properly. Also, if your iPhone’s storage has run out, the overall phone’s performance might be affected, and you won’t be able to download new apps, click new pictures, or even upgrade to the latest iOS version. Alternatively, you may simply want to transfer photos to another device. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to transfer photos from an iPhone. 

Those who have upgraded their iPhone can transfer photos from iPhone to another iPhone using the AnyTrans app or via iCloud. But if you want to transfer photos from your iPhone to a Mac, here are the steps. 

• AirDrop 

Do you want to transfer a few photos from your iPhone to a Mac? If both devices are nearby and connected to the same Wi-Fi network, you can transfer pictures via AirDrop. This is a quick and simple transfer method. 

Ensure Bluetooth is enabled on both devices so they can quickly pair and start the process. 

To start transferring files using AirDrop, turn on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for iPhone and Mac > open the Photos application > select the pictures you wish to send > click the Share button > choose AirDrop from the drop-down menu > choose the profile picture of the Mac you wish to transfer the photos to. 

Keep both devices close to each other to avoid any interruptions in the transfer process. 

• Via Photos 

One of the quickest and simplest methods is to plug the Lightning-to-USB cable to charge your iPhone into your Mac’s USB ports. When your phone is connected, the Photos app on the Mac will automatically open, suggesting importing your picture. 

Connect your phone to your Mac via a Lightning-to-USB cable > unlock the phone and confirm it trusts the device > the Photos application will load and show the images from your phone in the main window. If this does not happen, choose your iPhone from the left-hand menu in the Photos application, and you will see all the media files stored in your iPhone’s Camera Roll. 

Then, click Import All New Items or browse through the photos and manually choose the ones you want to import. Finally, click Import Selected. Once the import process is complete, you can ask Photos to automatically remove the pictures on your phone. Then, you will have space to start clicking more pictures on your phone. 

• Via Finder 

If you are running macOS Catalina or later, Finder can be used to sync your phone with your Mac. To start syncing, connect your iPhone to your Mac via a USB cable. Click on your iPhone under your Devices in the sidebar and then click Photos. Tick the Sync Photos box and select the folder or application you want to sync from. You can choose to sync all photos and albums or select the ones you want. Finally, click Apply and wait for the changes to take place. 

• Via iCloud 

You can move pictures from your iPhone to your Mac with iCloud. This is another quick and efficient way of transferring photos and videos. iCloud Photos is an application capable of doing all the heavy lifting. But if you are still holding onto the 5GB of free storage space, you may need to upgrade the storage plan. 

You can set up iCloud Photos on your phone by going to the Settings app > tapping your name at the top > going to iCloud > tapping on Photos > switching on iCloud Photos. Next, you have to set it up on your Mac. 

Launch the Photos app on your Mac > navigate to the Photos menu > click on Preferences > iCloud > tick the box next to iCloud Photos. 

If you have followed both steps and used the same Apple ID on both your devices, the photos and videos on your phone will automatically sync with your Mac. In fact, it will sync across all your Apple devices using the same Apple ID. 

Please note that when you have turned on iCloud Photos, any modifications made to photos on one device will automatically reflect on the other. Hence, if you delete a photo on your iPhone but want it on your Mac, you need to switch off the sync function after the transfer process is complete. The changes will apply to your Apple devices if you keep the sync function on. 

The Bottom Line 

You can implement any transfer methods mentioned above to quickly move photos, videos, and other media files from your iPhone to your Mac. These methods come in handy in transferring all kinds of files between your Apple devices. 

Remember to select and move photos carefully, or you will simply transfer pictures you don’t need and fill up your Mac’s storage space.