How to Access iPhone Files on PC via USB for Free: 3 Ways

After using your iPhone for a while, you'll accumulate a growing collection of photos, videos and files. Whether it's for data protection or the desire to access and manage them on your computer, transferring files between your iPhone and Windows is essential. When dealing with a significant volume of data, can you transfer files from iPhone to PC via USB? The answer is Yes!

This article will guide you through three methods to open iPhone files on PC using USB cable.

Method 1. How to access iPhone files on PC via USB (Best free way)

As an all-in-one iPhone data management app, FoneTool can be the best choice to access iPhone storage from PC using USB cable. You can easily view and transfer photos, videos, music and contacts on PC and all common file formats are supported.

With FoneTool's high transfer speed, you can effortlessly move large files quickly. For example, you can transfer 100 photos in just 3 seconds, all while maintaining their original quality. Unlike dealing with frequent iTunes errors, FoneTool is compatible with a wide range of iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices.

So why not download it now and experience a seamless data transfer process between iPhone and PC?

Step 1. Plug iPhone into computer

Download and launch FoneTool > Connect iPhone to PC via USB > If asked, tap Trust on your iPhone to continue.

Step 2. Start USB transfer iPhone to PC

Launch FoneTool and choose Phone Transfer > iPhone to PC and click Get Started to continue. 

Step 3. Access iOS files on PC

Click the + icon to preview the data > Choose the files you want to move to PC > Click OK to confirm.

Step 4. Transfer files from iPhone to PC

Choose a destination from the Transfer Settings to save your targeted files > Click Start Transfer to begin.

Pros:

Super-fast transfer speed than iTunes and other similar apps.

No Apple ID restriction. It’s so easy for you to transfer data between different Apple IDs.

Easy-to-use interface makes transferring between iPhone and PC more convenient.

 FoneTool runs stably on iPhone 4 to iPhone 15, iPad/mini/Air/Pro and iPod Touch 1-7, as well as the latest iOS 18. 

FoneTool supports a wide range of file formats, including mp3, m4a, wav, aac, jpg, jpeg, png, heic, raw, mp4, mov, m4v, csv, vcf, and more.

You can preview all files on PC directly.

Cons:

Only supports getting iPhone photos, videos, music and contacts on PC.

Method 2. How to access files on iPhone from PC with iTunes

iTunes lets you view some app documents on your iPhone from a PC using the File Sharing option. And this method does not allow you to transfer songs, photos, etc.

Step 1. Download and install the latest version of iTunes on your Windows PC if you haven't already. Use a USB cable to connect your iPhone to your computer.

Step 2. Launch iTunes on your computer, then locate and click on your connected iPhone, which should appear in the upper left corner of the window.

Step 3. On the left side of the iTunes window, click on File Sharing. You'll see a list of apps that support File Sharing on the right side of the iTunes window. Choose the app to which you want to add files and click the Add File button to select the files.

Once the process is finished, your file will be transferred to your iPhone. And you can open the targeted apps to access them.

Pros:

Easily access app data on iPhone.

Cons:

Apple ID limitations. You can’t transfer files between two IDs.
Frequent iTunes error, such as iTunes error code 4013.
Can’t access photos and music on PC with iTunes.
The interface is illogical for some users.

Method 3. How to open iPhone files on Windows with File Explorer

If you want to know how to connect iPhone to Windows laptop via USB without third-party software, File Explorer on your computer is a straightforward process. And This method is specifically for accessing photos and videos in the Photos app, it doesn't provide access to other types of data on your iPhone.

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to PC with a reliable cable. On your Windows PC, go to your taskbar and open File Explorer, then look for the Apple iPhone icon. It's usually located under This PC or Devices and drives.

Step 2. Double-click on the Apple iPhone icon to access your iPhone's storage > Go to the Internal Storage folder and then open the DCIM folder. Then you can find various folders containing your photos and videos. You can drag files on the computer to your iPhone or export photos and videos to your PC.

Pros:

Don’t need to install any software, you can directly access your iPhone files from PC.

Cons:

Only supports accessing photos and videos in iPhone Photos app.
Transfer speed is much slower than FoneTool.
The files are organized into different folders based on their timestamps, requiring you to open each folder to browse them.

Conclusion

That’s all about how to access iPhone files on PC via USB, and iTunes, FoneTool and File Explorer all are available. iTunes can help you view apps data on iPhone. File explorer can access your photos/videos in iPhone Photos app directly. FoneTool can help you export iPhone data including photos, videos, music, contacts, ringtones, etc. to PC and vice versa.

According to their pros and cons, hope you can choose the most suitable way as you like to get your files from iPhone to PC or PC to iPhone.