How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to Mac Wirelessly
Can You Transfer Photos from iPhone to Mac Wirelessly
Apple provides many pre-installed apps for you to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac, including Photos, Image Capture, and Preview. However, all of them require a USB cable to work. That means when you don't have a USB cable available, all these apps will fail to fulfill your needs.
Then can you transfer photos from iPhone to Mac wirelessly? Of course, you can. Both iPhone and Mac are Apple products and there are built-in services on Apple devices that help you transfer photos from iPhone to Mac wirelessly, including iCloud and AirDrop.
If you want to import photos from iPhone to Mac without USB, check the two ways below:
How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to Mac Wirelessly Using AirDrop
Although both iCloud and AirDrop work to import photos from iPhone to Mac without USB, each is suitable for different situations. AirDrop is a better choice when you are going to transfer specific photos and the devices are within the Bluetooth range.
In addition to photos, AirDrop also supports videos, contacts, websites, locations, and many other files. Moreover, since AirDrop is available on iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, and more, you can use it to transfer supported files between two of these devices freely. For example, you can transfer photos from iPhone to iPhone, transfer contacts from iPhone to Mac, or share locations from iPhone to iPad with it.
To send photos from iPhone to Mac via AirDrop:
Step 1. Turn on AirDrop on both your iPhone and Mac.
Step 2. On your iPhone, go to the Photos app and select the pictures you want to transfer.
Step 3. Tap the "Share" icon and choose "AirDrop."
Step 4. Select the name of your Mac.
Step 5. On your Mac, go to the AirDrop window and click "Accept" to start receiving photos from your iPhone.
How to Import Photos from iPhone to Mac Without USB via iCloud
Another common way to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac wirelessly is using iCloud. Unlike AirDrop, iCloud syncs data across your devices that use the same iCloud account. Therefore, is it advisable to use iCloud when you are looking to sync photos from iPhone to Mac all at once and you are using the same iCloud account on your devices.
In addition to using the same account, there are other preparations to need to make to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac wirelessly with iCloud. First, you need to ensure there are stable network connections on both the iPhone and the Mac. Then it's important to ensure there is enough free space in iCloud to save the items to be synced.
If you come across the issue "iCloud photos not syncing," you can either fix it following the troubleshooting guide or use one of the other ways to get iPhone photos onto your Mac.
To sync photos from iPhone to Mac without USB:
Step 1. Go to the Settings app on your iPhone.
Step 2. Tap your Apple ID and go to "iCloud" > "Photos."
Step 3. Turn on "iCloud Photos."
Step 4. On your Mac, go to the Apple menu and head to "System Preferences" > "Apple ID" > "iCloud." Then enable "Photos."
Step 5. After the syncing process, you can access your iPhone photos via the Photos app on Mac.
How to Send Photos from iPhone to MacBook with USB
It's much more convenient to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac without a USB. However, wireless solutions are not recommended in all situations. Why? Both iCloud and AirDrop rely on network connections to work. There are times when there are no network connections available. Besides, it's also common that you have GBs of photos to transfer and the network is not fast enough.
Thus, for you to have more choices in various situations, the ways to transfer photos from iPhone to Macbook with a USB cable are also provided here. If you can't import photos from iPhone to Mac without a USB, don't hesitate to try one of the ways below to get pictures from your iPhone to Mac.
Option 1. Send Pictures from iPhone to Macbook with Qiling MobiMover
To transfer photos from iPhone to Mac or vice versa, one of the popular tools is Qiling MobiMover. It is a powerful iOS content manager that has four main features:
iOS data transfer: This is the most frequently used feature. With it, you will be able to transfer file between iPhone and Mac or transfer data from one iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to another. Other than photos, Qiling MobiMover also transfers videos, music, ringtones, contacts, messages, books, and more.
Device backup: When you switch to a new device or need to back up your precious files, you can use this feature to back up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch selectively or all at once. Unlike iTunes, Qiling MobiMover allows you to change the iPhone backup location. Thus, you can easily back up iPhone to external hard drive whenever you need to.
WhatsApp management: This feature makes it easy to transfer, back up, or restore your WhatsApp messages. Whether you want to back up WhatsApp chats to a PC or transfer WhatsApp messages from one iPhone to another, let Qiling MobiMover do it for you.
HEIC conversion: On windows or earlier macOS, HEIC photos are not supported natively. That's when you need to convert iPhone photos to JPG so that you can open HEIC on Windows or Mac successfully.
To transfer photos from iPhone to Macbook:
Step 1. Connect your iPhone to Mac with a USB cable. Run Qiling MobiMover, choose "Phone to Mac" and click the "Next" button to continue.
Step 2. Check the category/categories you want to copy from your iPhone to Mac. As you can see, you can copy other supported files together with photos from your iPhone to Mac all at once. After that, don't forget to customize the storage path for the exported photos unless you want to save them on your desktop.
Step 3. Now, click the "Transfer" button to start transferring photos or other files from your iPhone to Mac without iTunes. Exporting files from iPhone to Mac with MobiMover is the right way for backup to avoid unexpected data loss.
Option 2. Get Pictures from iPhone to Mac with Photos
- Apple makes it easy to import photos from an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to a Mac by providing pre-installed apps for you. Both Photos and Image Capture can satisfy your needs well. Since they work similarly, here I'd like to take Photos as an example. You can also follow the steps below to transfer photos from iPad to Mac.
To upload photos from iPhone to Macbook:
Step 1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac and make sure it is recognized by the computer.
Step 2. Open the Photos app and click your iPhone from the left pane.
Step 3. Select the photos you want to transfer and click "Import selected" or click "Import All New Photos" to start photos from iPhone to Mac.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are some common questions related to photo transfer from iPhone to the computer. If you also have such confusion, read on to check the answers.
1. Can you wirelessly transfer photos from iPhone to computer?
You can import photos from iPhone to Mac without a USB cable using iCloud or AirDrop. Both services rely on network connections to work and don't require a USB cable. For example, to wirelessly transfer photos from iPhone to a computer, turn on iCloud Photos on the iPhone and the computer, then wait for the photos to be synced to the computer automatically over Wi-Fi.
2. Can you transfer photos from iPhone to Mac via Bluetooth?
Bluetooth is helpful to connect your iPhone and Mac but doesn't work to transfer photos. Therefore, to put iPhone photos on Mac, you need AirDrop, which requires Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to work. Turn on AirDrop on your iPhone and Mac, go to the Photos app on your iPhone, select the pictures you want to transfer, and then send them to your Mac using AirDrop.
3. How do I transfer pictures from an iPhone to a Macbook?
If you want to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac without USB, use AirDrop, iCloud, or other cloud services to get things done. While if you are willing to use a USB cable, you can use the apps on macOS - Photos or Image Capture to import photos from iPhone to Mac over a USB cable.
The Bottom Line
Transferring photos from iPhone to Mac wirelessly using iCloud or AirDrop will fulfill your needs in most situations. Even if they don't work as expected, there are alternative ways that will help to import photos from iPhone to Mac smoothly.
What's more, the ways above are also applicable to sending other types of files between iPhone and Mac, like videos and contacts. Command these ways and you can help yourself out in many data transfer situations.
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