How to Connect iPhone to Windows PC: Flexible & Free

Are you finding ways about how to connect iPhone to PC with a USB cable or wirelessly? This message can help you a lot!

By @Kathy Last Updated December 2, 2024
 

Can I connect my iPhone to my Windows PC? 

Hi, in Windows settings it says you can link an Android or iPhone to the PC yet when I try it only allows you to link to Android. It was a very mundane statement. So how do I link my iPhone to my PC? Thank You and stay safe.

- Question from Microsoft Community

Due to differences between operating systems, it is not easy for Windows users to access iPhone data on their computers. Therefore, you may need to look for ways to help you connect your iPhone to your PC to transfer or back up iPhone data.

How can you do to allow your PC to see your iPhone? There are 5 ways can help you make it easily, whether you need wired or wireless operations.

Method 1. How to connect iPhone to Windows PC with USB [Easiest]

When you try to allow your PC to see your iPhone, a professional iPhone data manager managed FoneTool will be your good helper. With its powerful features, you can easily access media files and WhatsApp data on iPhone or back up iPhone data via a stable USB connection.

FoneTool

Best iOS Data Manager & Free iPhone Connect to PC Software

  • Selectively & fully transfer iPhone photos, videos, etc. to PC.
  • Selectively & fully backup iPhone data without iTunes in 3 steps.
  • 1, 000 full-resolution photos can be moved within 10 minutes.
  • Change the storage location to save iPhone files anywhere (PC, USB drive).
  • Easily access iPhone WhatsApp messages, media files, etc. from PC.
  • Various iOS devices and versions are supported (iPhone 16/iOS 18).

How can I transfer files from iPhone to Windows PC? To get answers, download this useful tool and follow steps below. To transfer files from PC to iPhone, you can choose PC to iPhone from the interface.

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.

Step 2. Choose the icon you need > Select the targeted data and click OK.

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

Other useful features:
· To back up iPhone data, you can go to Phone Backup and choose Full Backup to back up all iPhone data, or choose Selective Backup to back up photos, videos, music, contacts and messages.
· To access WhatsApp files on iPhone from PC, go to WhatsApp Manager > Choose Backup WhatsApp to back up all WhatsApp data to PC. Then you can go to My Backups to view and export your WhatsApp chats to HTML or other formats.​​​​​

Method 2. How to connect iPhone to PC Windows 11/10/8/7 - File Explorer

How can I display my iPhone on Windows PC? Windows File Explorer can be another wired way to help you make it. With this built-in software, you can access the DCIM folder on iPhone and move photos/videos stored in it to the Windows PC.

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to the computer via a USB cable. When asked, click Trust on iPhone.

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

Step 3. Click it and open the Internal Storage folder > Go to DCIM > Select your targeted files and copy and paste them to your computer.

⚠️ Note: Files stored in the DCIM folder are saved in different subfolders according to timestamps. You need to find them from various folders and select targeted items to transfer. So, if you want to export a large amount of data, it will be very inconvenient.

Method 3. How to connect iPhone to computer with USB - iTunes

Or you can use iTunes to link iPhone to your PC. This official method can help you back up all iPhone data to PC, or sync books, ringtones, movies, etc. between your iPhone and PC. It offers wired and wireless way to connect. Here we focus on the wired connection and you can follow the instructions below to learn how to connect iPhone to iTunes.

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

Step 2: Choose Summary. Under the Backups section, choose This Computer and then click the Back Up Now button to back up your iPhone (To encrypt iTunes backup, you can choose Encrypt local backup under Backups and set a passcode for the backup).

πŸ‘‰οΈ Tip: If you want to use iTunes to selectively transfer files from iPhone to PC wirelessly, sync the Wi-Fi syncing option within the app and go to File Sharing to make it.

Method 4. How to link an iPhone to a Windows computer - Windows Photos

Windows Photos app can be used to connect iPhone to Windows 11 to transfer photos, and for Windows 10/8 users, it’s also effective. Follow the steps below to see how to make it.

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to the computer > Enter your passwords to unlock your iPhone and click Trust to continue 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. After all photos on your iPhone have been detected, choose specific items you need > Click Import setting > Select Change the import destination and change settings as you like > Click Import Selected to transfer files from iPhone to Windows 11/10/8.

Method 5. Apple software to connect iPhone to PC - iCloud

If you need an official app that connects iPhone to PC wirelessly, iCloud also helps you a lot. Just log into your iCloud account on a Windows PC and you can download or upload data from/to your iCloud.

As long as you have enabled the iCloud Sync feature on your iPhone, the data management action will work on your device.

⚠️ Notes:

  • Before the process, make sure that iCloud Sync is turned on your iPhone (Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Choose the app you want to sync with iCloud).
  • iCloud only offers 5 GB of free storage. If you need a large file transfer, you may need to turn to another way.

Now you can follow the steps below to manage your iCloud data, here we take downloading iCloud photos as an example.

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

Step 2. Click the Photos icon > Choose the data you need and click the download icon to import them to your computer.

πŸ‘‰οΈ Tip: If you need a fast way to download iCloud data, you can also rely on the professional iCloud manager - FoneTool to help you (My iCloud > Manage iCloud). With this tool, you can download, upload, or delete iCloud data on a Windows PC, with transfer speeds far exceeding those of iCloud web and any other similar software.
Download Freeware Win 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP
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Conclusion

How to connect iPhone to Windows PC? This passage has given you detailed answers! You can choose wired or wireless way to make it efficiently. To start a large file transfer, FoneTool mentioned in Method 1 might be the ideal choice.