How to Access Photos on iPhone from PC: 5 Proven Ways

How to view iPhone photos on PC? 5 ways are listed here to help you and FoneTool might be the most useful.

Kathy by Kathy Updated November 28, 2024
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Regularly backing up iPhone data is essential for users. Otherwise, you might face sudden data loss, making it impossible to recover important photos, videos, and more. Accessing your iPhone photos on a computer and creating a backup can simplify this process.

Additionally, when you need to view, edit, or share these photos, accessing them on your computer becomes necessary. What are the methods to view iPhone photos on a PC, and how can you easily export them? In this article, you'll find the answers.

Method 1. How to access photos on iPhone from PC [Fast & Easy]

When you need to transfer photos from iOS to Windows computer, you may consider using iTunes. However, due to compatibility issues, many users encounter various errors or find that photos cannot be recognized, making it difficult to complete the transfer successfully using this method.

Additionally, iCloud's wireless transfer can also help you, but the speed may become very slow when you need to transfer a large number of photos. In such cases, a professional iPhone data transfer tool - FoneTool can assist you.

FoneTool

Best & Free iOS Data Management Software

  • Preview and select pictures on iPhone from PC to transfer.
  • Various photo formats are compatible (jpg, jpeg, png, gif, tif, heic, raw, etc.).
  • 1, 000 full-resolution photos can be moved within 10 minutes.
  • Transfer unlimited iPhone photos to PC and vice versa with no limitation.
  • Change the storage location to save photos anywhere (PC, USB drive).
  • Various iOS devices and versions are supported (iPhone 16/iOS 18).

Now you can download this useful tool to browse iPhone pictures from PC and transfer.

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to the PC with a USB cable > Tap Trust on iPhone when asked. Launch FoneTool and go to Phone Transfer > Choose iPhone to PC > Click Get Started

iphone to pc transfer

Step 2. Choose the Photos icon > Select the images you need and click OK.

transfer from iphone to pc

Step 3. Change the file storage location from the Transfer Settings to save your photos to the targeted folder on PC > Click Start Transfer to begin the task.

choose iphone photos

👉️ How to transfer photos from PC to iPhone with USB?
You can also rely on this wired way to transfer photos from PC to iPhone without iTunes (Phone Transfer > PC to iPhone).

Method 2. How to view iPhone photos on PC - File Explorer

How to transfer photos from iPhone to computer with USB? Windows File Explorer can also help you a lot. It allows you to access the DCIM folder on iPhone and export photos stored in it to the computer.

Step 1. Establish a connection between your iPhone and computer. When asked, click Trust on iPhone to continue.

Step 2. Open File Explorer from your PC > Go to This PC and find the connected device named xxx iPhone.

Step 3. Click the device and open the folder named Internal Storage > Go to DCIM > Choose the photos you need to copy and paste them to your computer.

⚠️ Note: Photos stored in the DCIM folder are saved in different subfolders according to timestamps. To transfer lots of pictures, you may need to open them one by one to select them.

Method 3. How to access photos folder on iPhone from computer - iTunes

Or you can rely on the official transfer and synchronization software - iTunes to view iPhone photos with a USB cable.

Step 1. Download the latest iTunes and install it on your PC > Launch iTunes > Connect your device to the computer.

Step 2. Click on your iPhone’s icon from iTunes > Click Photos > Check the Sync Photos option > Select All photos and album (You can select Include Videos to access iPhone videos) > Click Apply to begin the task.

sync photos with itunes

Step 4. When the transfer is finished, click on the Done button to check photos from your computer.

Method 4. How to transfer photos from iPhone to PC windows 11/10/8 - Windows Photos

For Windows 11/10/8 users, you can also use the built-in software named Photos to finish the process.

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to the computer > Click Trust and enter your password on your iPhone if asked.

Step 2. Go to the Start menu and open the Photos app > Click Import and select From A connected device. Then the app will automatically search your iPhone photos.

Step 3. Once all the photos are detected, you can choose the photos you need > Click Import setting > Select Change the import destination and change settings as you like > Click Import Selected to transfer pics to your computer.

access iphone photos via photos app

Method 5. How to access iPhone pictures on PC wirelessly - iCloud

In addition to the wired transfer methods mentioned above, you can also opt to use iCloud for wireless data transfer. Simply log into your iCloud account on a Windows PC and download the photos to your computer. Before downloading, make sure that iCloud Photos is enabled on your iPhone (Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos).

⚠️ Note: iCloud only offers 5 GB of free storage. If you need to transfer a large number of files, this method may not be suitable.

Step 1. Visit https://www.icloud.com/ from your computer > Log in with your Apple ID.

Step 2. Click the Photos icon to browse the uploaded photos > Choose the items you need and hit the download icon to add them to your computer.

download icloud photos

Tip:
If you need to download full-resolution photos from iCloud to PC, you can use the professional iCloud manager named FoneTool to help you make it efficiently. With this software, you can easily download 1,000 iCloud photos to your computer within 15 minutes, offering a download speed much faster than iCloud Web and other similar software.
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FAQs on how to allow access to photos on iPhone to computer

1. Why can't I access my photos on my iPhone from my computer?

This is most likely because your PC does not recognize the HEIC format. In 2017, Apple began using the High Efficiency Image Container (HEIC) format in iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra. This format allows for smaller file sizes than JPG or PNG. You can choose to convert HEIC to JPG before the process or choose FoneTool, which offers excellent compatibility, to easily recognize HEIC files.

2. How to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac?

You can connect your iPhone to the Mac and open the Photos app from your computer to export iPhone photos or sync pictures via iCloud.

Conclusion

This passage tells you about how to access photos on iPhone from PC. You can use tools mentioned above to make it, whether you want a wired or wireless way. To import a large number of full resolution photos to PC, FoneTool mentioned in Method 1 might be the best choice.

FoneTool - All-in-one iPhone Data Manager

Transfer, backup and manage data on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch in an easy way.

  • iOS 18 Compatible
  • iPhone 16 Supported

Free iPhone Manager - FoneTool

  • Full/Selective Backup iPhone
  • Transfer between iPhone and PC
  • 1-Click Transfer iPhone to iPhone
  • WhatsApp Backup & Transfer
  • Fully compatible with iOS 18
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