How To Transfer Photos From iPhone To PC? [Complete Guide]

Use a pro tool with backup capability to transfer photos from iPhone

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Key notes

  • If you can't transfer photos from your iPhone to Windows 10 or 11, start by checking your drivers.
  • Ensure you have the latest iTunes versions and all the permissions needed.
  • Moreover, your iPhone and PC must both be set as trusted devices.
pics-w11 iphone pics not transfering to windows

If you can’t import photos from your iPhone to Windows 10, here is all you need to know.

Windows 10 is doing great so far, but some users have reported that they have difficulty transferring their photos from their iPhones to Windows 10.

Seemingly, they can’t transfer photos from iPhones, no matter what they try. So you might want to read these tips below if you’re one of those users. Some of them may be applied in Windows 11 as well.

Not being able to transfer photos from your iPhone to your PC can be a big problem. However, our readers reported more issues.

Before jumping into the list of causes and solutions to this issue, we recommend that you first take a look at how to backup your iPhone photos to PC without iTunes to make sure you won’t lose any data.

Let’s quickly review them to get more context and see some common scenarios and their causes.

Why can’t I import Photos from iPhone to Windows 10?

There are a few known triggers for this problem. But, most of the time, having the correct Apple software installed on your devices bothers around.

However, this error can present itself in different forms. Here are the most common ones:

  • Can’t view iPhone photos on PC – This is an unusual problem, but you should be able to fix it using one of our solutions.
  • Can’t transfer photos from iPhone 6 to PC – This issue affects all iPhones, and many iPhone users reported this problem on their PC.
  • Can not transfer photos from iPhone with iTunes, Bluetooth, iCloud, iPhoto – Several readers reported that they could not share pictures using iTunes and iCloud. In addition, they couldn’t transfer their photos even while using a Bluetooth connection.
  • iPhone photos not showing up on PC – An outdated or corrupted driver most likely causes this issue.
  • Can’t import photos iPhone 3GS to computer – Your settings usually cause this issue, which can be easily fixed.
  • Can’t import photos from iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 – This problem can also occur on newer iPhones, and many readers reported that they couldn’t import photos from iPhone 4S or iPhone 5.

Do I need iTunes to transfer photos?

You do not need iTunes to transfer photos. In fact, there are a couple of ways you may transfer photos to your windows devices without this service.

A USB cable is often the most convenient way, but some users may simply send the photos via email that will be opened on a Windows device.

How to transfer photos from iPhone to laptop or PC?

  1. Connect your iPhone to your computer.
  2. Press the Windows key + E to start File Explorer.file explorer windows 10
  3. Open This PC, find your iPhone under the Portable Devices, right-click it, and press Import Pictures and videos.how to import pictures and videos
  4. In addition, you can try transferring your photos using the iTunes application.

What can I do if I can’t transfer photos from iPhone to PC?

1. Verify if the iTunes Apple Mobile Device USB Driver is installed

  1. Close iTunes and connect your iPhone to your computer.
  2. Press Windows key + X and select Device Manager from the list.device manager windows
  3. Find Universal Serial Bus controller and press plus to expand the list.USB controllers windows
  4. Then, find Apple Mobile Device USB Driver on the list, and if it is marked with an exclamation sign, right-click on it and select Update driver.
    can't import photos from iphone to windows 10
  5. If that doesn’t work, you can also uninstall it and restart your PC. Then, the system will automatically install the correct driver.
Note icon NOTE
If the Apple Mobile Device USB Driver isn’t available on the list, then you might have a problem with your USB port. To resolve this, try a different port on your device.

If this method doesn’t work, or you do not have the necessary computer skills to update/fix the drivers manually, we strongly suggest doing it automatically using a dedicated tool.

Outbyte Driver Updater is ​​a tool that specializes in updating drivers. Automatically finds and updates all outdated drivers on your computer from a database of over 18 million driver files.

Outbyte Driver Updater

Simple and safe solution to update all drivers to their latest versions.
Free Trial Visit Website

2. Check if Apple Mobile Device Support is installed

  1. Press Windows Key + S, type in the control panel, and select the results.windows 10 control panel
  2. Locate and click on Programs and Features.windows 10 programs and features
  3. Check the list for Apple Mobile Device Support. If it isn’t on the list of installed software, you need to remove iTunes, QuickTime, Apple Software Update, and Apple Application Support.
    can't import photos from iphone to windows 10
  4. Then, reinstall iTunes.

iOS devices require Apple Mobile Device Support to be installed on your computer. To check if this feature is installed, follow the instructions above.

3. Restart AMDS if you can’t import photos from iPhone to Windows 10

  1. Close iTunes and disconnect any iOS devices that you have connected.
  2. Open the Run window by pressing the Windows key + R.
  3. In the input field, type the following and click OK
    services.msc
    can't import photos from iphone to windows 10
  4. On the list on the left, find Apple Mobile Device Service, right-click it, and choose Properties from the menu.
    can't import photos from iphone to windows 10
  5. Find Startup type and choose Automatic from the drop-down list.
    can't import photos from iphone to windows 10
  6. Click the Stop button below to stop the service.
  7. After the service has stopped, click Start to start it again, select OK and restart your computer.
    can't import photos from iphone to windows 10
  8. Open iTunes and connect your iOS device. You can import photos from your iPhone to your Windows 10 PC now.

4. Reset your iPhone’s location and privacy settings

  1. On iPhone, go to Settings, then General.ios general settings
  2. Now navigate to Reset.how to reset ios
  3. Then Reset location & privacy.reset location on ios
  4. Now connect your iPhone to the PC and select the Trust option on your phone.
  5. Open iTunes, and be sure to check the Trust option as well.

According to our readers, if you can’t import photos from your iPhone to Windows 10, you might be able to fix the problem simply by resetting your location and privacy settings.

After doing that, the problem should be resolved, and you’ll be able to transfer pictures without any issues.

5. Use a third-party manager to transfer photos from iPhone

If you want more efficiency and don’t want to spend your time following complicated steps, then the best way to deal with this issue is to use a powerful manager like Wondershare Dr. Fone.

This great software not only simplifies the process but also provides excellent results and adds some useful extra features like iPhone migration and mass delete options.

6. Change the permissions of the Pictures folder if you cannot transfer photos

6.1. Allow complete control for a user

  1. Press the Windows key + E to start File Explorer.windows 10 file explorer
  2. Open This PC, right-click the Pictures folder, and choose Properties from the menu.windows 10 picture properties
  3. Navigate to the Security tab and click on the Edit button.security edit windows 10
  4. Select your account from the list and check Full control in Allow column.windows 10 full control
  5. Now click on Apply and OK to save the changes.

According to users, the problem might be your permissions if you can’t transfer photos from iPhone to Windows 10.

Several people reported that they had missing permissions for the Pictures directory, and that caused this problem to appear.

6.2. Allow complete control to a user group

  1. Press the Windows key + E to open File Explorer.file explorer windows 10 open
  2. Click This PC, right-click the Pictures folder, and select Properties from the menu.picture properties windows 10
  3. Click on the Add button.add button windows
  4. In the Enter the object names to select field, you need to enter Everyone, then click on Check Names and OK.check names windows
  5. Select the Everyone group, check the Full control option in the Allow column, then click OK to save the changes.save changes ok

After doing that, the problem should be resolved, and you’ll be able to transfer pictures without any issues.

Should the issue persist, you might want to try transferring fewer pictures. Unfortunately, many users try to share all their photos at once, which can cause this problem.

Instead of transferring all your pictures, try to share them ten or more times and check if that works. This might be a tedious workaround, but it works for some, so be sure to try it out.

7. Disable your antivirus if you can’t import photos from your iPhone

  1. Click the Start icon, type security, and click on Windows Security from the results.windows 10 security
  2. Select Virus & threat protection.virus and threat protection windows 10
  3. If you have a third-party antivirus installed, click on the Open app. If not, you should see a switch to disable protection from Windows Defender.antivirus windows open app

The issue might be your antivirus software when you can’t transfer photos from your iPhone to Windows 10. Many users had this problem on their PC, but after disabling it, the issue was resolved, so be sure to try that.

However, that isn’t a permanent solution because you need protection. An alternative is to check its configuration and try to disable only the features related to removable storage. Another solution is to get a better antivirus solution.

What can I do if I can’t import photos from iPhone to Windows 11?

  1. Open the Settings app by pressing Windows + I.
  2. Click on Windows Update on the left pane.
    can't import photos from iphone to windows 10
  3. Download & install any available update.
    can't import photos from iphone to windows 10
  4. Try the import again and see if it works. Many bugs on Windows 11 are fixed with new updates from Microsoft. So try an update if photos won’t import from your iPhone.

Many problems from Windows 10 worked their way into the new OS, so our readers complained about not being able to transfer their photos from iPhone to Windows 11.

But as we’ve all learned, the new OS is not so different from the old Windows 10. All the solutions we presented here also apply to Windows 11.

There are, however, slight changes in the design of the windows and menus that you will easily overcome.

windows virus and threat protection settings

For instance, for disabling the antivirus in Windows 11, you will need to click on Manage settings from Virus & threat protection settings, just like in the screenshot above, to turn it off.

Otherwise, as we mentioned before, all the other indications for Windows 10 in our solutions are still pretty much the same.

In this article, we have tackled the media transfer problem; another related issue that can be solved in a few steps is syncing data across multiple devices. By syncing data, no new device feels new or foreign.

Don’t hesitate to give us any feedback regarding the subject or tell us about solutions that we haven’t mentioned in the comment section below.

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