Transferring photos and videos from iPhone to Windows PC –Complete guide

Want to transfer photos and videos from your Apple phone to your computer? Let's start with the basics: put those USB cables aside!

Windows 11 updates allow you to set up iCloud on your computer and have full access to your photos.  As well as your iPhone, this method can also work for other Apple devices linked to an iCloud account, such as an iPad or a Macbook. To use iCloud, you will need to create an Apple ID account – if you don't already have one.

Complete guide

To check that iCloud is enabled for your iPhone's photos and videos, open your phone's ‘Settings’. Then tap your name at the top. Select ‘iCloud’, then ‘Photos’.

Make sure you remember your Apple ID password. It probably isn't a password you use very often. Once you've completed these steps, open the Microsoft store to download iCloud for Windows. Sign in using your Apple ID. You may need to enter a verification code from your phone on your computer.

You will then see options for sharing your iCloud content, photos, contacts, calendars, website bookmarks and passwords. Select the items you want to access on your computer.

Look to the right of the photos section, click ‘Options’ and make sure you have ticked the box next to ‘iCloud Photos’ before clicking ‘Apply’. You will also see an option to access shared albums from your smartphone. Next, choose whether you want to automatically send diagnostic information to Apple, and the setup will start downloading.

How do you find your photos on your computer?

You can view the photos and videos you capture on your iCloud-enabled Apple device by clicking the ‘File Explorer’ icon and selecting the ‘iCloud Photos’ tab on the left-hand side of the screen. You can now see thumbnails of all your photos and videos on your computer through iCloud.

If you want to transfer a copy of a photo or video, double-click its thumbnail to open a preview in Microsoft Photos. Then hold down CTRL+S to download a copy to your computer.

Only 5 GB of storage is available free of charge through iCloud. Users who need more space can subscribe to Apple's iCloud+ service, which offers various storage tiers depending on how much you are willing to pay.