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How to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac

There are four built-in ways, and each one fits a different job. Here is how each works, how to get JPG instead of HEIC, and where your photos end up.

Updated · 4 min read

Short answer

Turn on iCloud Photos on both devices and new photos appear on your Mac by themselves. For a few photos, use AirDrop. For a big batch without iCloud, connect a cable and use Import in the Photos app, or Image Capture if you want plain files in a folder.

Which method should you use?

MethodBest forWhere photos end up
iCloud PhotosKeeping everything in sync, all the timePhotos app library
AirDropA few photos, right nowDownloads, or Photos if you choose
Photos app + cableLarge imports without iCloudPhotos app library
Image Capture + cablePlain files in a folder you pickAny folder

Method 1: iCloud Photos

iCloud Photos keeps the same library on all your Apple devices, so there is nothing to import. Check you have enough iCloud storage for your whole library first.

On iPhone

  1. Open Settings and tap your name.
  2. Tap iCloud, then Photos.
  3. Turn on Sync this device.

On Mac

  1. Choose Apple menu ▸ System Settings.
  2. Click your name, then iCloud.
  3. Under Saved to iCloud, click Photos.
  4. Turn on Sync this Mac.

Want full-size files on the Mac too? In the Photos app, open Photos ▸ Settings, click iCloud, and select Download Originals to this Mac. Optimize Storage keeps smaller versions on the device and the originals in iCloud.

Method 2: AirDrop

  1. Open Photos on your iPhone and tap Select.
  2. Pick the photos and videos.
  3. Tap the Share button, then AirDrop.
  4. Tap your Mac in the list.

If both devices use the same Apple Account, the Mac accepts the files without asking. Most land in Downloads. For photos, macOS may also offer to open them in Photos. More detail in where AirDrop files go on Mac.

Method 3: The Photos app with a cable

  1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac with a USB cable. If the Mac asks to allow the accessory, click Allow.
  2. Open the Photos app. The Import screen appears, or click your iPhone's name in the Photos sidebar.
  3. Unlock your iPhone. If it asks whether to Trust This Computer, tap Trust.
  4. Next to Album, choose an existing album or make a new one, if you like.
  5. Select the items you want and click Import Selected, or click Import All New Items.
  6. Wait for the import to finish, then disconnect your iPhone.

Method 4: Image Capture

Image Capture comes with every Mac. It copies photos as normal files into any folder, without adding them to a Photos library.

  1. Open Image Capture (in Applications).
  2. Connect your iPhone with a cable. Unlock it and tap Trust if asked.
  3. Select your iPhone under Devices in the sidebar.
  4. Select the photos you want, or skip this to take them all.
  5. Use the Import To menu at the bottom to choose a folder.
  6. Click Download, or Download All.

To clear space on the phone after copying, the Action button in the toolbar has a Delete after import option. Only use it once you have a backup.

HEIC or JPG: pick the format you need

iPhones save photos as HEIF (.heic) and videos as HEVC by default. These files are smaller. Macs have opened them since macOS High Sierra, but some older apps, websites and PCs don't.

Shoot in JPG from now on

  1. Open Settings ▸ Camera ▸ Formats.
  2. Tap Most Compatible. New photos save as JPEG, and new videos as H.264.

Choose High Efficiency to switch back. This only affects new photos, not ones you already took.

Control what happens during a cable import

By default, when you import over a cable into Photos or Image Capture, the iPhone may convert HEIF and HEVC files to JPEG and H.264. To copy the original files as they are, open Settings ▸ Apps ▸ Photos, scroll down, and tap Keep Originals.

Where your photos end up

  • iCloud Photos and Photos import: inside the Photos library. Browse them in the Photos app, not in Finder.
  • AirDrop: usually the Downloads folder (⌥⌘L opens it in Finder).
  • Image Capture: the folder you picked in Import To.

Find transferred photos later with FileShelf

Photos copied as files, through AirDrop or Image Capture, end up spread across Downloads and other folders. FileShelf is a Mac app that indexes the folders you choose and shows images as big previews. You can search in plain words, like “images from today”, and it groups downloads by the app that saved them, AirDrop included. It doesn't read your Photos library, and everything stays on your Mac.

See photos you AirDropped or imported as big previews, by date.

7 days free, then pay once.

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