How to transfer photos from your phone to a computer

Copying your photos to a computer gives you a second copy and frees space on the phone. Do it with a USB cable on Windows and Mac, for both Android phones and iPhones.

Before you start

• Use a USB cable that can carry data, and unlock the phone. The computer cannot see a locked phone.
• Check there is enough free space on the computer for the photos and videos. The phone's Storage screen shows how much they use.
• Decide where the copies will go, for example a folder named Phone photos inside Pictures.
• If your phone already saves photos to Google Photos, OneDrive or iCloud, some of them may be online already. You can often download these from a web browser on the computer. Online copies are still worth copying, in case an account is ever locked.

Windows 11 or Windows 10, any phone

The Photos app can pick up pictures from a connected phone. Microsoft's own steps are these.

1. Connect the phone to the PC with the USB cable.
2. Unlock the phone. On an Android phone, pull down the notification Charging this device via USB and choose File Transfer. On an iPhone, tap Trust or Allow if asked.
3. Select Start, then open Photos.
4. Select Import, choose your connected phone, and follow the on-screen instructions.
5. Pick the photos and videos you want and choose where to save them. Detection and copying can take a few moments, longer with many videos.

On an iPhone you also need the Apple Devices app from the Microsoft Store installed first, as Apple advises.

Or copy by hand from File Explorer (Android)

1. After choosing File Transfer on the phone, open File Explorer on the PC.
2. Under This PC, open your phone, then its internal storage.
3. Open the DCIM folder. Camera photos are usually in a folder named Camera inside it. Screenshots are often in a Pictures folder. Names vary by phone.
4. Select the photos, then copy them with Ctrl + C, and paste into your folder with Ctrl + V.

Mac with an iPhone

1. Connect the iPhone to the Mac with a USB cable. If the Mac asks, click Allow.
2. Open Photos. The Import screen should appear. If not, click the iPhone's name in the sidebar.
3. If asked, unlock the iPhone with its passcode, then tap Trust on the iPhone.
4. Choose an existing album or create a new one.
5. Select the items you want and click Import Selected, or click Import All New Items.
6. Wait until the import finishes before you unplug the cable.

Apple also lists the Image Capture app on the Mac, which saves pictures straight into a folder you choose.

Mac with an Android phone

Install Google's Android File Transfer app, open it, then unlock the phone, plug it in, and choose File Transfer in the phone's USB notification. The phone's folders open in the app. Open DCIM, then drag the photos to a folder on the Mac.

iPhone: iCloud Photos and file formats

To download the originals, open the iPhone's Photos settings and choose the option to keep originals on the device. The wording varies by iOS version, so look for a setting that mentions downloading and keeping originals. Make sure there is enough space on the phone first.

If photos will not open on the computer

Newer iPhones can save pictures and videos in formats that older Windows programs do not open. To save in the most widely compatible formats from now on, open Settings then Camera then Formats on the iPhone and tap Most Compatible. Apple says this saves JPEG photos and H.264 videos. It does not change pictures you already took.

Check the copies, then free up space

1. Open the folder on the computer and open a few photos and play a short video.
2. Compare the number of items, if you can. Large videos are the ones that most often fail to copy.
3. Copy the folder to a second place, such as an external drive. See how to back up files.
4. Only then, if the phone is full, delete photos from the phone. See phone storage full: how to free up space.

If the phone does not show up

• Try a different cable. Microsoft and Google both say that some USB cables only charge and cannot move files.
• Unlock the phone and look for the USB message on its screen.
• Try another USB port, and restart both devices.
• On Windows, see USB device not recognized. For the full connection steps, see how to connect a phone to a computer with USB.
• If you only want recent pictures and have no cable, see how to link your phone to a Windows PC. Microsoft says Phone Link on Android covers camera and screenshot folders but not videos.

Frequently asked questions