The fastest way: Use the Photos app or File Explorer

Plug your iPhone into your PC with a USB cable. Windows will recognize it as a device. Open File Explorer, find your iPhone in the left sidebar under "This PC", and navigate to Internal Storage > DCIM > 100APPLE. Every photo and video on your phone lives in that folder. Select the ones you want, copy them, and paste them into a folder on your PC — usually your Pictures folder or Desktop.

Alternatively, open the Photos app (built into Windows 10 and 11). It will detect your iPhone automatically. Click the Import button in the top right, select the photos you want to move, choose where to save them, and click Import. The Photos app is simpler if you want to import everything at once, but File Explorer gives you more control over which files go where.

Both methods work the same way: your phone appears as a removable drive, and you move files like you would from a USB stick. No software to install, no account to create.

Key Takeaways

  • File Explorer and the Photos app are the two built-in Windows tools that work with iPhones; both require only a USB cable and no additional software.
  • Your iPhone photos are stored in the DCIM folder, which you can access directly through File Explorer to copy individual files or entire batches.
  • The Photos app is faster for importing everything at once, while File Explorer is better if you want to pick and choose which photos to move.
  • You may need to unlock your iPhone and tap "Trust" when you first plug it in; Windows will not see your photos until you do.

What to do if your iPhone does not appear in File Explorer

If you plug in your iPhone and it does not show up in File Explorer, the most common reason is that you have not trusted the connection on your phone. Unlock your iPhone, look for a dialog that says "Trust This Computer?", and tap Trust. Without that step, Windows cannot access your files.

If you see the dialog and already tapped Trust, try unplugging the cable and plugging it back in. If File Explorer still does not show your iPhone, restart both your phone and your PC. Use a different USB cable if you have one — some cables are charge-only and do not transfer data.

On your PC, open Device Manager (right-click the Start button and select Device Manager). Look for your iPhone under Portable Devices. If you see a yellow warning triangle next to it, right-click it and select Update Driver. Windows will search for the latest driver and install it automatically.

Using OneDrive or iCloud to move photos wirelessly

If you do not want to plug in a cable, you can move photos through the cloud. On your iPhone, open Settings, tap your name at the top, select iCloud, and turn on Photos. Your photos will sync to iCloud.com. On your PC, go to iCloud.com in a web browser, sign in with your Apple ID, click Photos, select the images you want, and read them to your PC.

OneDrive works similarly if you use a Microsoft account. On your iPhone, install the OneDrive app from the App Store, sign in, and turn on Camera Upload in the app settings. Your photos will upload automatically whenever you are on Wi-Fi. On your PC, open OneDrive, find your photos, and read them.

Both methods are slower than a cable but work from anywhere. iCloud gives you 5 GB free; OneDrive gives you 5 GB free as well. If you have more photos than that, you will need to pay for extra storage or delete older uploads.

Moving videos along with photos

Videos are stored in the same DCIM folder as photos, so they move the same way. When you use File Explorer, videos appear alongside photos. When you use the Photos app, it imports videos automatically if you select them.

Videos take up much more space than photos — a one-minute video can be 100 MB or more. If you are moving a lot of videos, make sure your PC has enough free space. Check by right-clicking your C: drive in File Explorer, selecting Properties, and looking at the Free Space number. Videos also take longer to copy; a large video file may take several minutes over USB.

Organizing photos after you move them

Once your photos are on your PC, you can organize them however you want. Create folders by date, by event, or by person. Right-click in your Pictures folder, select New > Folder, and name it. Then drag your photos into the folders you created.

Windows also has a built-in Photos app that can organize your library automatically. Open the Photos app, go to Settings, and turn on "Show folders". Your photos will be grouped by the folder they are in. You can also use the search function to find photos by date or by the month they were taken.

Backing up your iPhone photos to avoid losing them

Moving photos to your PC is a form of backup, but it is not automatic. If you want your photos to back up without thinking about it, turn on iCloud Photos on your iPhone (Settings > Your Name > iCloud > Photos > iCloud Photos). This keeps a copy on Apple's servers and on your PC if you also turn on iCloud sync on your computer.

Another option is to set up automatic OneDrive backup. Install OneDrive on your PC, sign in, and turn on Camera Upload in the OneDrive app on your iPhone. Every photo you take will upload to OneDrive automatically when you are on Wi-Fi, and you can read them to your PC whenever you want.

The simplest backup is still the cable method: plug in your iPhone once a month and copy new photos to a folder on your PC. It takes five minutes and costs nothing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need iTunes or any special software to move photos from my iPhone to my PC?

No. File Explorer and the Photos app are built into Windows and work with iPhones without any additional software. iTunes is not needed for photo transfer.

Will moving photos delete them from my iPhone?

No. Copying photos to your PC leaves the originals on your iPhone. If you want to delete them from your phone after moving them, you have to do that manually in the Photos app on your iPhone.

Can I move photos from my iPhone to a PC that is not connected to the internet?

Yes, if you use the USB cable method. File Explorer works offline. Cloud methods like iCloud and OneDrive require an internet connection on both devices.

What if I have thousands of photos and the transfer is very slow?

USB 2.0 cables are slower than USB 3.0. If you have a newer iPhone and PC, try a USB 3.0 cable — it transfers data about ten times faster. Also, close other programs on your PC while the transfer is happening to free up system resources.

Can I move photos from my iPhone to an external hard drive instead of my PC?

Yes. Plug your iPhone into your PC, open File Explorer, copy the photos from your iPhone's DCIM folder, then paste them into a folder on your external drive. The external drive must be formatted so your PC can read it.