The fastest way: Use the Photos app on Windows

Connect your iPhone to your PC with a USB cable, unlock your iPhone, and tap Trust when prompted. Open the Photos app on your PC (search for "Photos" in the Windows search bar). The app will detect your iPhone automatically and show an import window with all your photos and videos.

Click Import in the top right corner, then choose Select items to import if you want to pick specific photos instead of importing everything. By default, Photos imports to your Pictures folder and deletes the originals from your iPhone once the transfer completes. If you want to keep them on your phone, uncheck the box that says "Delete items after importing" before you start.

The import usually takes a few minutes depending on how many photos you have. You'll see a progress bar at the bottom of the window. Once it finishes, your photos appear in the Photos app organized by date.

Key Takeaways

  • Connect your iPhone with a USB cable, tap Trust on the phone, and the Photos app on Windows will detect it automatically.
  • Use the Photos app's import window to select all photos at once or pick individual ones before transferring.
  • By default, imported photos delete from your iPhone after transfer—uncheck this option if you want to keep them on your phone.
  • If the Photos app doesn't open automatically, search for "Photos" in Windows and open it manually, then look for the import notification.
  • File Explorer also works as an alternative: your iPhone appears as a device, and you can drag photos directly to a folder on your PC.

Using File Explorer if Photos app doesn't work

If the Photos app doesn't detect your iPhone or you prefer a different method, open File Explorer on your PC. Your iPhone appears in the left sidebar under "This PC" with its name (for example, "iPhone 14"). Click on it to open the phone's storage.

Navigate to Internal Storage > DCIM > 100APPLE (or a similar numbered folder). This folder holds all your photos. Select the photos you want by clicking the first one, holding Shift, and clicking the last one to select a range. You can also hold Ctrl and click individual photos to pick specific ones.

Right-click your selection and choose Copy. Navigate to the folder on your PC where you want to save them (your Pictures folder is a common choice), right-click, and select Paste. The transfer starts when ready. This method leaves the originals on your iPhone, so you have a copy on both devices.

Troubleshooting when your iPhone doesn't appear

If your iPhone doesn't show up in File Explorer or the Photos app, first check that the USB cable is plugged firmly into both the iPhone and the PC. Try a different USB port on your PC—some ports work better than others. Disconnect and reconnect the cable after waiting 10 seconds.

On your iPhone, make sure you tapped Trust when the trust prompt appeared. If you dismissed it, disconnect the cable, reconnect it, and tap Trust again. If no prompt appears, go to Settings > General > Reset and tap Reset Location & Privacy, then reconnect and tap Trust.

On your PC, open Device Manager (search for "Device Manager" in Windows) and look for your iPhone under "Portable Devices." If it shows an error symbol, right-click it and select Update driver. Windows will search for the latest driver automatically. Restart your PC after the update completes and try connecting again.

Using iCloud as an alternative for wireless transfer

If you prefer not to use a cable, iCloud lets you access your photos on your PC without plugging in. On your iPhone, go to Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud and turn on Photos. Make sure iCloud Photos is enabled (not "iCloud Photo Library" alone—you need the full feature).

On your PC, visit iCloud.com in a web browser and sign in with the same Apple ID. Click Photos and you'll see all your iPhone photos. Select the ones you want, click the read arrow, and they save to your Downloads folder. This method is slower than a cable for large batches, but it works from anywhere without physical connection.

Keep in mind that iCloud Photos syncs continuously, so new photos on your iPhone appear on iCloud.com within a few minutes. If you want to read everything at once, select all photos by clicking the checkbox at the top, then read. For hundreds of photos, this can take several minutes.

Organizing imported photos in Windows

Once your photos are on your PC, the Photos app organizes them automatically by date. You can also create folders to organize them by event, person, or project. Open File Explorer, navigate to your Pictures folder, right-click in an empty space, and select New > Folder. Name the folder (for example, "Vacation 2024") and drag your photos into it.

If you imported photos using File Explorer instead of the Photos app, they won't automatically appear in the Photos app. To add them, open the Photos app, click the three dots in the top right, select Settings, scroll to Sources, and click Add a folder. Choose the folder where you saved your photos, and they'll appear in the Photos app from then on.

What to do with photos after import

After you've imported your photos to your PC, you can delete them from your iPhone to free up storage space. Open the Photos app on your iPhone, select the photos you want to remove, tap Delete, and confirm. Deleted photos go to the Recently Deleted album for 30 days before they're permanently removed, so you have time to recover them if you change your mind.

If you used the Photos app on your PC to import and left the "Delete items after importing" option checked, your iPhone photos already deleted automatically. Check your iPhone's Recently Deleted album to confirm they're gone, then empty that album if you're sure you don't need them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my iPhone ask me to trust this computer?

The trust prompt is a security feature. Your iPhone is asking permission to let your PC access its files. Tap Trust to allow the connection. If you tap Don't Trust, your PC can charge the phone but can't see any photos or files. You can change this later in iPhone Settings under Privacy if you need to revoke access.

Can I import videos from my iPhone the same way as photos?

Yes. Both the Photos app and File Explorer import videos along with photos. Videos take longer to transfer because they're larger files. A one-minute video can be 100 MB or more, so importing a lot of videos may take several minutes. Make sure your PC has enough free storage space before you start.

What if I only want to import photos from the last week?

In the Photos app, click Select items to import before importing. The app shows your photos organized by date, so you can uncheck older photos and import only recent ones. In File Explorer, you can manually select individual photos by holding Ctrl and clicking each one you want.

Will importing photos delete them from my iPhone?

It depends on which method you use. The Photos app deletes them by default, but you can uncheck the deletion option before importing. File Explorer doesn't delete them—it just copies them. If you want to keep photos on both your iPhone and PC, use File Explorer or uncheck the deletion box in Photos.

Can I import photos wirelessly without iCloud?

Not directly from the Photos app or File Explorer. Those methods require a USB cable. iCloud is the main wireless option, though it's slower. Some third-party apps like OneDrive or Google Photos can also sync photos wirelessly if you set them up on your iPhone, but they require an account and internet connection.