5 Common Ways to Transfer Photos from iPhone 16 to PC

When you get a new iPhone 16(Plus)/Pro(Max), what can you do to transfer photos from your new iPhone to the Windows laptop/desktop? Find the best way in this full guide!

Kathy by Kathy Updated September 20, 2024
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The arrival of the iPhone 16 has brought a lot of joy to many fans. Each upgrade that Apple makes to the camera features on the new iPhone greatly excites photography enthusiasts. As everyone gets used to using the iPhone 16 to document their lives, the device is sure to store a large number of photos.

When you need to view these photos on a computer or want to edit them, how can you quickly accomplish this process? Answers are listed here!

Method Connection Transfer Speed Effectiveness Large File Transfer
FoneTool🔥 USB Cable Super-Fast High - 3 Steps to Get All You Need Most Convenient
Photos App USB Cable Moderate Medium - Tedious Operation Slow Process
File Explorer USB Cable Moderate Medium - Manually Find and Choose Data Slow Process
iCloud Wireless Slow Low - Unknown Errors may Occur  Unstable Transfer
Google Photos Wireless Slow Low - Manually Upload and Download Unstable Transfer

1. How to transfer photos from iPhone 16 to PC: Fastest and free

When you need to transfer pictures from iPhone 16 (Plus) / Pro (Max) to PC, we recommend the professional & free FoneTool for you to easily make it.

FoneTool

Easily transfer data from iPhone to PC and vice versa as you like.

  • 100+ full-resolution images can be moved in 1 minute without any data loss.
  • Only relies on a USB connection, which ensures all tasks run stable and all data is safe.
  • View all iPhone pictures from PC and choose the data you want to transfer.
  • Easily change storage location to move pictures to any location on PC or to other external drives.
  • Various iPhone models and iOS versions are supported, including iPhone 16 and iOS 18.

Now just download FoneTool on your computer and follow the steps below to learn how to transfer photos/videos from iPhone 16 to PC without iTunes/iCloud.

Step 1. Connect your iPhone 16 to the Windows PC using a reliable USB cable > If promoted, tap Trust on your iPhone.

Step 2. Open FoneTool > Go to Phone Transfer > iPhone to PC and click Get Started.

transfer from iPhone to PC

Step 3. Click the on-screen + icon to preview and select your iPhone images or videos > Click OK to continue.

How to transfer files from iPhone 16 to PC?
From this page, you can know that FoneTool allows you to easily access iPhone files on PC via USB, so you can also transfer videos, music, ringtones and contacts from iPhone 16 to PC.

choose iPhone photos to transfer

Step 4. Check the data you want to transfer > Change photo storage location from the Transfer Settings option > Click Start Transfer to copy iPhone photos to PC without iTunes.

start transfer iphone 16 photos to pc

👉️Tip: You can connect your USB drive to the PC at the same time and change the Transfer Settings to transfer photos from iPhone 16 to external hard drive.

2. How to transfer photos from iPhone 16 to Windows laptop/desktop with Photos

If you don’t want to rely on any third-party software, using the Photos app to move photos is also available for Windows 11, 10 and 8 users. You can set it to automatically put newly-taken iPhone pictures to computer.

Step 1. Connect your iPhone 16 to the computer > Open the Photos app.

Step 2. Click Import > Choose From A USB device. Your computer will start to search all of your iPhone photos and videos.

Step 3. Once all files are shown up, you can uncheck the data you don’t need > Click Import to add iPhone 16 pictures to PC.

transfer photos from iPhone 16 to PC with photos app

3. How to import photos from iPhone 16 to PC with File Explorer

Windows File Explorer is another common way for all Windows users. But this method only allows you to move photos/videos stored in the iPhone DCIM folder.

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to the computer via a USB cable > File Explorer will show up on PC automatically. If not, click the Start Menu or find it in the Taskbar.

Step 2. Go to This PC and then you can see your iPhone listed under the Portable Device option. Click your device to continue.

Step 3. Go to the Internal Storage folder > Browse the photos and videos > Drag and drop them to copy iPhone photos to PC without iTunes.

move iphone photos to pc with file explore

⚠️Note: From this interface, you can know that all your iPhone photos/videos are put into different folders based on time. So you can’t choose and move all the photos you need to transfer at one time. To efficiently make it, using FoneTool mentioned in Part 1.

4. How to download pics from iPhone 16 to laptop/desktop with iCloud

For people who don’t need to move a large number of pictures, downloading photos from iCloud to PC will be a good way.

Preparation: Enable the iCloud Photos

You need to check if the iCloud Photos option is enabled on your iPhone 16 first. Just go to the Settings app > Choose profile > Tap on iCloud > Photos > Confirm the option is turned on. If not, enable it. Then all your photos will be uploaded to iCloud automatically.

👉️Tip: For more details about uploading photos, go to this How to upload photos to iCloud guide.

Once the uploading process is finished, you can choose the ways below to download iCloud photos to PC. If you have some large files needed to be downloaded, use the professional iCloud manager mentioned in Option 2 to speed up the process.

Option 1. How to save photos from iCloud to computer via official web

You can use the Apple official web to download iPhone 16 photos to PC, and with this way, you can only download no more than 1000 photos each time.

Step 1. Go to https://www.icloud.com/ on your PC and log in with your account.

Step 2. Click the Photos icon > View all uploaded iCloud photos > Choose the data you need and click the download icon to download photos to your PC.

download icloud photos to pc

👉️Tip: If the download speed of the Apple official website is too slow, or if you frequently experience web crashes during use, you can use the more user-friendly FoneTool mentioned in the next option to speed up the iCloud photo download process.

Option 2. How to copy iCloud photos to pc with professional tool

FoneTool will be a fast and safe way to download iCloud data from PC.

Highlights:
· Efficiently download, upload or delete iCloud (Drive) data from Windows computer.
· 1000 + pictures can be downloaded in 20 minutes without any data loss and unknown error.
· FoneTool can protect all your data with professional SSL encryption and will never access any information on your account.
· You can even transfer data from one iCloud account to another with the iCloud sync feature in one click.

Now you can download FoneTool on your PC and choose your iCloud photos/videos to download as you like.

Download Freeware Win 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP
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Step 1. Install and open FoneTool > Go to My iCloud > Log in with your account > Choose Manage iCloud to continue.

manage iCloud

Step 2. Go to the Photos option > Choose the data you need > Click the Download button.

choose photos to download

Step 3. If necessary, change the download settings from the pop-up window > Click Download to confirm your choice.

start download photos

5. How to get photos from iPhone 16 to computer - Google Photos

If you need another wireless way to upload photos from iPhone 16 to computer, Google Photos can help you a lot. Unlike iCloud's 5 GB, it will offer 15 GB of free storage for users to store your photos and videos.

Step 1. Open a browser on your iPhone > Go to the photos.google.com website or you can download the Google Photos app from the App Store to your iPhone > Log in with your Google account > Click the Upload option to transfer photos.

Step 2. Once the upload process is finished, go to photos.google.com on your computer > Log in with the same account > Preview and select the photos you need > Click the three-dots button in the upper right corner > Click Download to download pictures from iPhone 16 to laptop/desktop.

download iphone photos from google photos

FAQs about iPhone 16 to PC data transfer

1. Why can't I transfer my iPhone photos to my PC?

· Incompatible File Format: Your PC might not recognize your pictures on iPhone, like HEIC. FoneTool can recognize various common image files, you can use it to avoid the trouble.

· Enabled iCloud Photos: If iCloud Photos is turned on, you might need to download the original, full-resolution versions of your photos to your device before moving them to your PC. 

· Some Device Errors: Your computer may not have correctly recognized your device, your iPhone is unlocked or your computer has not yet been trusted by your iPhone.

2. How to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac?

Connect your iPhone to your Mac with a USB cable > Go to the Photos app on your computer and follow the on-screen instructions to finish the process. Or you can transfer photos wirelessly using AirDrop or iCloud. 

3. How to increase photo quality on iPhone?

For iPhone 15 and 16 models, you can change the camera resolution from 12 MP to 24 MP or 48 MP. To do this, go to Settings > Camera > Formats > Photo Mode. Or use some third-party apps to enhance your photo quality.

Final Words

This passage offers 5 ways for you to transfer photos from iPhone 16 to PC.

If you need to transfer a large number of pictures/videos from iPhone, you can use wired ways to make it, like FoneTool, Photos app and Windows File Explorer. And the professional iPhone data transfer software - FoneTool will be the fastest & most useful way.

If you want to make it wirelessly, then you can use iCloud or Google Photos to easily transfer. 

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

  • iOS 18 Compatible
  • iPhone 16 Supported

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