5 Easy Ways to Import Photos from iPhone to Mac [2024]

Do you have numerous photos on your iPhone, and are they consuming a significant amount of storage space? They may not be an issue if you have ample storage; however, if you're running low on space, transferring them to another device can swiftly free up space on your iPhone.

The Mac is an ideal destination for storing iPhone photos. In this blog post, we will introduce you to five easy ways to transfer photos from your iPhone to your Mac. Read on to discover what they are.

Should I Import Photos from iPhone to Mac?

The answer is yes. Here are some scenarios where you should transfer photos from iPhone to Mac.

• iPhone storage space is low.
• Prevent important photos from being lost.
• Before giving away or selling your iPhone.
• Organize and edit iPhone photos on Mac.

How to Import Photos from iPhone to Mac with or without USB

There are several ways to copy iPhone photos to your Mac. All you need to do is choose the way you like.

Method 1. Transfer Photos from iPhone to Mac via AirDrop (without USB)

The quickest and easiest way to copy photos from iPhone to Mac is with AirDrop. But before you can AirDrop photos, you should make sure of the following:

• AirDrop on iPhone and Mac accepts files from Everyone.
• Your iPhone and Mac are well connected to the network.

Here are the steps.

1. Open Photos on your iPhone.
2. Select the photos you want to copy to your Mac.
3. Press the Share icon > AirDrop > your Mac name.
4. Find the sent photos in the Downloads folder on your Mac.

Method 2. Sync Photos from iPhone to Mac via iCloud (without USB)

AirDrop is better for transferring small numbers of photos. If you want to move a lot of photos from iPhone to Mac, iCloud may be your ideal choice. No USB is needed.

1. Make sure the photos on your iPhone are synced to iCloud.
2. Open the Photos app on the Mac that is signed in with the same Apple ID.
3. Click the Photos menu in the menu bar and select Preferences.
4. Switch to iCloud and select Download Originals to this Mac.

Method 3. Import Photos from iPhone to Mac via Photos (with USB)

iCloud is limited to 5GB of free space. To sync all the photos on your iPhone to iCloud, you'll need to upgrade to iCloud+ for more storage for at least $0.99 per month.

If you don't want to spend any money on iCloud, use the Photos app to import photos from iPhone to Mac.

1. Connect your iPhone and Mac with a USB cable.
2. Open the Photos app, then click Devices > your iPhone.
3. Unlock your iPhone and the Photos app will automatically sync iPhone photos to your Mac.
4. Select the photos you want to copy to your Mac, then click Import XX Selected.

Method 4. Copy Photos from iPhone to Mac via Image Capture (with USB)

Another way to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac is to use Image Capture, a built-in tool in macOS. This tool is designed to capture video and images from iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and other tools with cameras. Like the Photos app, Image Capture also allows you to delete photos from your iPhone on your Mac.

1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac.
2. Launch Image Capture.
3. Unlock your iPhone, wait for seconds, then you can find all iPhone photos in Image Capture.
4. Select the photos you want to download to your Mac, choose a destination for them, and click the Download button at the lower right corner.
5. To delete a photo from your iPhone, right-click it and select Delete "XXX".

Method 5. Move Photos from iPhone to Mac via a File Transfer App (with USB)

There are plenty of third-party file transfer apps on the Internet that allow you to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac wired or wirelessly. In fact, they may have features like organizing and backing up iPhone files, in addition to transferring photos.

If none of the above methods work for you, then a file transfer app is the way to go.

Bonus Tip: How to Quickly Delete Duplicate Photos on Mac

You probably have a lot of duplicate iPhone photos moved to your Mac. If you want a faster and easier way to find duplicate photos on your Mac, then give BuhoCleaner a try.

BuhoCleaner is one of the best duplicate file finder tools for Mac. It can find and delete duplicate photos, files, songs, documents, and more in any folder on your Mac. In addition to removing duplicates, it offers other features such as clearing cache, uninstalling apps, deleting large files, analyzing disk space, and more.

Here's how to delete duplicate photos on Mac with BuhoCleaner.

1. Download, install, and launch BuhoCleaner.
2. Click on Duplicates and select the folder you want to scan.
3. Click the Image tab and you will find all the duplicate photos.
4. Preview and delete the ones you don't need.

Conclusion

That's how to import photos from your iPhone to your Mac. Which way do you like best and want to try it first?

Duplicate photos can take up a lot of storage space on your Mac. If you want to get rid of them easily, go ahead and try BuhoCleaner.