Moving photos from your iPhone to a PC: 5 ways that actually work (HEIC included)
Cable + Photos app, File Explorer, iCloud for Windows, iCloud.com or the cloud: the 5 ways side by side, with the fix for HEIC and for an iPhone Windows can't see.
Door The Phone Shopper
Gepubliceerd: 2026-09-08
Getting photos from an iPhone onto a Windows PC isn't hard, but three things almost always ruin it: the HEIC format Windows won't open, the "Trust This Computer" prompt you missed, and the "The device is unreachable" error halfway through copying. Below are the five ways, from simple to automatic, each with its pitfall and the fix. No iTunes needed.
Which one? Transferring everything once (for example before selling your iPhone): way 1 or 2 with a cable. Having your photos on the PC automatically and continuously: way 3 (iCloud for Windows) or 5 (Google Photos/OneDrive). A few photos quickly: way 4 (browser).
First: stop the HEIC hassle
Since iOS 11 the iPhone shoots photos in HEIC instead of JPEG. Windows doesn't open those by default. Two fixes, pick one:
- On the iPhone (recommended): Settings > Photos > at the bottom "Transfer to Mac or PC" > choose Automatic. The iPhone then converts HEIC to JPEG while copying over the cable. Want new photos shot as JPEG straight away: Settings > Camera > Formats > Most Compatible (uses almost twice the storage though).
- On the PC: install the free "HEIF Image Extensions" from Microsoft in the Microsoft Store; after that Windows Photos opens HEIC files normally.
1. Cable + the Windows Photos app
- Connect the iPhone to the PC with a cable. Preferably the original or one you know carries data (some cheap cables only charge).
- Unlock the iPhone. If "Trust This Computer?" appears, tap Trust and enter your passcode. Without this step Windows only sees an empty iPhone.
- On the PC open the Photos app, click Import at the top right and choose your iPhone.
- Select everything or a period, choose a destination folder and click Import. Windows skips what you imported before.
This is the best way for large amounts: thousands of photos and videos go in one pass, and the Photos app keeps dates and folders tidy.
2. Cable + File Explorer (drag it yourself)
Open File Explorer > This PC > Apple iPhone > Internal Storage > DCIM. There you find folders like 100APPLE, 101APPLE and so on with your photos, oldest first. Drag the folders to a folder on your PC. Advantage: you see exactly what you copy. Disadvantage: the folder names mean nothing and Live Photos arrive as a separate .HEIC and .MOV.
Error "The device is unreachable" or copying stops halfway? That happens when the iPhone is converting HEIC to JPEG during the copy (the "Automatic" setting above) and the connection can't keep up. Temporarily set Settings > Photos > Transfer to Mac or PC to Keep Originals, copy again, and use the HEIF extension on the PC. Also make sure the iPhone screen doesn't lock while copying (Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock > Never, temporarily).
3. iCloud for Windows (automatic, continuous)
- Turn on iCloud Photos on the iPhone: Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos > Sync this iPhone.
- Install iCloud for Windows from the Microsoft Store on the PC and sign in with your Apple Account.
- Tick Photos. Your photos appear in File Explorer under "iCloud Photos" and in the Windows 11 Photos app under iCloud.
Disadvantage: you need enough iCloud storage for your whole library; the free 5 GB has been too little for most people for years. With 50 GB (€0.99 a month) or 200 GB (€2.99) it works without trouble. Note: delete a photo on your iPhone and it disappears on the PC too; this is sync, not backup.
4. iCloud.com in the browser (a few photos, nothing to install)
On the PC go to icloud.com, sign in and open Photos. Select photos (Ctrl-click or Shift-click) and click the download icon. Handy on a computer that isn't yours, or for a few photos. For hundreds at once it's slow and the download often stops after a few hundred; use way 1 then. Only works if iCloud Photos is on on the iPhone.
5. Google Photos or OneDrive (automatic, even without iCloud)
Install Google Photos or OneDrive on the iPhone and turn on "Backup" or "Camera upload". Every new photo goes to the cloud over Wi-Fi and is visible on the PC via photos.google.com or the OneDrive folder. Google gives 15 GB free, OneDrive 5 GB (100 GB comes with Microsoft 365). The advantage over iCloud: this is a real copy, independent of Apple, and it keeps working if you move to Android later. Disadvantage: the first upload of a large library takes a night or longer, and the iPhone needs to be on the charger and on Wi-Fi for it.
iPhone not showing up in Windows? Run through this
- iPhone unlocked and "Trust" tapped? Unplug the cable, plug it back in and see if the prompt returns.
- Another cable and a USB port directly on the PC (no hub; USB-A rather than a USB-C hub).
- Install the Apple Devices app from the Microsoft Store (the successor to iTunes). It installs the driver Windows needs to recognise the iPhone; you don't need to use the app beyond that.
- Restart both devices. Sounds trivial, often solves it in practice.
- Trust prompt never returns: Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Location & Privacy. The iPhone then asks again.
Photos safe, what now?
If you're moving photos because your iPhone is full, first consider whether a phone with more storage isn't wiser than endless shuffling: a refurbished iPhone 13 with 256 GB costs less than you think. If you're moving them because you're selling the iPhone: follow resetting and wiping your iPhone before sale afterwards and see what your old device fetches with us on sell your iPhone.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I only see part of my photos on the PC?
If iCloud Photos is on with "Optimise iPhone Storage", the originals live in iCloud and not on the iPhone. Over the cable you only get what's stored locally. Use way 3 or 4, or temporarily turn on "Download and Keep Originals" (uses storage on the iPhone).
How do I get Live Photos as moving images on the PC?
Windows doesn't know Live Photos. You get a photo (HEIC/JPG) and a short video (MOV). If you want the moving part, keep the MOV.
Can I put photos from the PC back onto the iPhone?
Not directly over the cable. Use iCloud for Windows (drag into the "iCloud Photos" folder), the Apple Devices app (sync a folder) or a cloud service.
And from iPhone to Mac?
On a Mac it's simpler: AirDrop for a few photos, or the Photos app with a cable for everything. With iCloud Photos on there's nothing to do.
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