How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to PC, and Actually Open Them

Your phone is full, your vacation photos belong on your laptop, or you need a photo for a job application on your PC? Moving photos from an iPhone to a Windows PC takes just a few minutes with a cable. Then comes the surprise: the files end in .heic and won’t open. Here are the ways to transfer, with and without a cable, and how to open the photos reliably afterward.

Which method is right for you?

For lots of photos in full quality, the cable is the best way. iCloud is convenient if you already back up your photos there. Messaging apps only suit single pictures, because they shrink the photos.

Method 1: How to transfer photos from iPhone to PC with File Explorer

The most direct way only needs your charging cable and Windows File Explorer.

The photos are spread across several subfolders, sorted by when they were taken. With many thousands of photos, the folders can take a moment to open.

Method 2: Import photos from iPhone to Windows 11 with the Photos app

The Windows 11 Photos app remembers what you’ve already imported. That’s handy if you back up regularly.

1. Install the Apple Devices app from the Microsoft Store. It provides the driver so Windows reliably recognizes the iPhone.
2. Connect the iPhone, unlock it and tap Trust.
3. Open the Photos app, click Import at the top and choose your iPhone.
4. Select the photos, pick the destination folder and click Import.

If you use iCloud Photos with Optimize iPhone Storage, your iPhone only holds smaller versions. Download the originals to the iPhone first, or use the iCloud method further down.

The photos won’t open? That’s HEIC

The iPhone saves photos as HEIC by default, which is the High Efficiency setting. It saves a lot of space on the iPhone. But Windows often won’t open HEIC, or only after you install the HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store. Depending on your PC, you also need the HEVC Video Extensions, which cost $0.99.

Even if your PC shows HEIC, the trouble returns when you share the photos: job portals, government forms, print services and older programs often reject HEIC. And on a work or school PC, you’re often not allowed to install anything from the Store.

The quickest fix for photos that are already on your PC: convert them to JPG. Every program, every phone and every form opens JPG.

1. Open HEIC to JPG in your browser.
2. Drag the HEIC files, or the whole batch, into the box.
3. Choose the quality, High works for almost everything, and click Convert to JPG.
4. Download the photos one by one or as a ZIP. IMG_1234.HEIC becomes IMG_1234.jpg.

Your photos aren’t uploaded. The conversion runs on your PC. For private photos, that’s a real difference from online converters, which upload every file to their servers.

JPG from now on? Two iPhone settings

There are two settings that make new photos arrive on your PC as JPG. Both have a catch.

• Transfer to Mac or PC: Under Settings > Apps > Photos (on older iOS versions, directly under Photos), choose Automatic. The iPhone then converts photos to JPG when you transfer them by cable. The catch: especially when copying large batches, the transfer sometimes stops with the error “The device is unreachable”. The usual fix is Keep Originals, and then the photos arrive as HEIC again.
• Most Compatible: Under Settings > Camera > Formats, the camera saves new photos as JPG right away. The catch: each photo takes up noticeably more space on your iPhone, and photos you’ve already taken stay HEIC.

For most people, the simplest approach is to leave HEIC on the iPhone and only convert the photos you actually need on your PC or want to share.

How to transfer photos from iPhone to computer without a cable

• iCloud for Windows: This app from the Microsoft Store syncs your iCloud photos to a folder on your PC. Only 5 GB of storage is free. For large libraries, you need an iCloud+ subscription.
• icloud.com: Sign in in your browser, open Photos, select photos and download them. Handy on someone else’s PC, but tedious for lots of photos.
• WhatsApp, Telegram, email: Fine for single photos. Messaging apps shrink pictures when you send them as photos. They only arrive in full quality when you send them as a file or document.

These methods often bring photos to your PC as HEIC too. The same step as above helps.

When it doesn’t work: the most common problems

• PC doesn’t recognize the iPhone: Unlock the iPhone, plug the cable in again, confirm Trust. If that doesn’t help, try another USB port or cable and install the Apple Devices app.
• The Internal Storage folder is empty: The iPhone was locked when you plugged it in, or the Trust prompt was declined. Unplug, unlock the iPhone, reconnect.
• “The device is unreachable”: On the iPhone, set Transfer to Mac or PC to Keep Originals and reconnect. The photos then arrive as HEIC, and you can convert them to JPG afterward.
• Photos are missing: With Optimize iPhone Storage, many originals are only in iCloud. Download them from icloud.com or with iCloud for Windows.

Videos and Live Photos

iPhone videos are .MOV files in the same folder, often in the space-saving HEVC format. Windows only plays them with the HEVC Video Extensions. A Live Photo consists of two files: a photo (HEIC or JPG) and a short video clip (MOV). For a still image, you only need the photo. HEIC to JPG converts photos, not videos.

Only delete photos and videos from your iPhone once you’ve checked on your PC that everything is there and opens.

• Fastest by cable: unlock, tap Trust, copy from DCIM in File Explorer or import with the Photos app.
• If the photos arrive as HEIC, Windows often won't open them, or only after a Store extension.
• The iPhone setting Automatic converts to JPG during transfer, but sometimes causes copy errors.
• Convert HEIC photos already on your PC to JPG in your browser, many at once, with nothing to install and no server upload.
• Without a cable, iCloud works, but for lots of photos the cable is faster.
• Only delete photos from your iPhone once the copy on your PC is complete.