Importing Iphone Videos Using Airdrop To Mac Photos App

Transferring iPhone photos and videos to your Mac can save precious space on your mobile device. Plus, it’s easier to edit and retouch when you’ve got a larger screen with a higher resolution, not to mention that native Mac tools allow you to convert, resize, and organize your images in no time. In this article, we’ll cover the four quickest ways to transfer your images over.

The built-in Photos app on Mac allows you to manage the photos and videos on your Mac and import photos and videos from an external device, like an iPhone. With the Photos app, you are able to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac using a USB cable. To import videos from iPhone to Mac using Photos: Step 1. Connect your iPhone to your MacBook.

Step 1: Connect your iPhone to your Mac and launch the Photos app as you would normally. Step 2: Select your iPhone from the left-hand menu. Step 3: Select the videos you want to import from the. Mac OS X (macOS Sierra) offers a good number of iPhone to Mac photo importing methods, like the Photos app (formerly named iPhoto), iCloud Photo Library, AirDrop, etc. If you want to import photos from iPhone Camera Roll and Photo Library to Mac, and want to find your photos by Albums, it's suggested to have a try with PrimoPhoto, a simple yet. Again, turning on AirDrop on your Mac automtically turns on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. After enabling AirDrop on your Mac, you can close the Finder window, and move back to your iPhone for the next step. Open up the Photos app, and then tap a photo you want to send to your Mac—or hit “Select” and choose multiple photos to transfer. You can use the Photos app to import photos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your Mac. Connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your Mac with a USB cable. Open the Photos app. The Photos app shows an Import screen with all the photos and videos that are on your connected device.

The best ways to transfer photos from an iPhone to a Mac

Because iPhone and Mac are parts of the Apple ecosystem, there are multiple ways to connect them and move content around. Some involve using a USB cable, others work wirelessly. These methods have proven the handiest in our experience:

  1. Sync photos to your Mac using Finder (macOS Catalina or later)
  2. Move photos and other content with AnyTrans
  3. Import pictures to the Photos app
  4. Upload photos using ImageCapture
  5. AirDrop photos from iPhone to a Mac
  6. Transfer photos using iCloud

Let's talk about all these in more detail.

Before you transfer your iPhone pictures to the Mac

Although Macs have more storage than iPhones, that storage is not infinite, so you might want to avoid dumping thousands of unneeded pics onto your Mac. We’re talking blurry party selfies, multiple shots of the same sunset, taken just seconds apart, long-forgotten screenshots of long-forgotten conversations — those can add up to a few gigabytes.

So before you start the transfer, scan your iPhone pics with Gemini Photos: Gallery Cleaner. This app will find all the clutter you’ve accumulated over the years, such as similar shots and blurry photos, and help you delete them in no time.

Now that you’ve done that, here are our top ways to transfer photos and videos.

How to import photos from an iPhone or iPad to a Mac with a USB cable

The most common ways to transfer pictures from your iPhone to your Mac involve connecting your devices with a USB cable. But even then, you have options depending on which application you want to use. Below you’ll read about four different apps that will help you sync your photos.

Move photos from iPhone to Mac using Finder

Starting with macOS Catalina (10.15) or later, you can sync your iPhone with a Mac using Finder. Follow these steps to sync photos from your iPhone to your Mac:

  1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac with a USB cable.
  2. On the Mac, open a new Finder window.
  3. In the sidebar, under your Devices, click on your iPhone.
  4. At the top of the window, click Photos.
  5. Check the “Sync Photos” box.
  6. Choose the app or folder that you want to sync from.
  7. Choose to sync all photos and albums or just selected albums.
  8. Click Apply.

Copy photos from iPhone to Mac with AnyTrans

iCloud and Photos are obvious choices for image transferring, but they're not without flaws. If you want to transfer all content from your iPhone without having to wait forever, and back it up at the same time, a third-party utility like AnyTrans for iOS makes much more sense.

A combination of a backup tool and media downloader, AnyTrans helps you migrate content. Here’s how you use it to move photos and everything else from your iPhone:

  1. Launch AnyTrans and ensure both your devices are connected to the same network.
  2. Connect iPhone to your Mac’s USB port.
  3. Allow AnyTrans access to your photo library.
  4. Go to Device Manager > Export iPhone content to computer.

Your content will travel instantly. What’s more, it will sync to iCloud — so there’s no need to worry your photos don’t have a backup.

Import photos from an iPhone or iPad to a Mac using Photos

One of the quickest methods is to plug the Lightning-to-USB cable you use to charge the iPhone into one of your Mac’s USB ports. When an iPhone is connected, the macOS Photos app automatically opens and suggests importing your photos. Here’s the import process, step by step.

  1. Connect your iPhone to the Mac using a Lightning-to-USB cable
  2. If needed, unlock your iPhone and confirm it trusts the device
  3. The Photos app should load and show you the images from your iPhone in the main window. If that doesn't happen, select your iPhone from the left-hand menu in the Photos app. Now you’ll see all of the images and videos stored in your iPhone’s Camera Roll.
  4. Click Import All New Items in the top right-hand corner, or go through the photos, select the ones you want to import, and click Import Selected

Once the import is complete, you can ask Photos to automatically delete the pics on your iPhone, giving you space to start again and take even more pictures.

Upload photos from iPhone to Mac using Image Capture

Another method for transferring your pictures from iPhone to Mac is with the Image Capture app, which comes by default with macOS. Follow these steps to import pics from your iPhone:

  1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac with a USB cable.
  2. On your Mac, open Image Capture.
  3. In the sidebar, select your iPhone under the Devices category.
  4. At the bottom of the window, click the Import To menu to choose where to save your pictures.
  5. Select the pictures you want to import and click the Import button or click Import All.

How to transfer photos from an iPhone or iPad to a Mac wirelessly

If you don’t have a USB cable nearby, don’t worry. You can still send pics from your phone wirelessly. And even if you have a cable close, you might want to try one of these methods to save you the hassle of plugging your iPhone into your computer.

Send photos from iPhone to Mac using AirDrop

If you need to move just a few of your images over to your Mac, the quickest way to do that is by using AirDrop.

Start by switching AirDrop on your iPhone.

  1. Go to Settings
  2. Tap General
  3. Scroll to AirDrop
  4. Set this to Everyone to send data via AirDrop to any device

Now switch it on on your Mac:

  1. Open Finder
  2. Click Go in the menu bar and select AirDrop
  3. A Finder window will open, with the AirDrop icon at the bottom. It looks like an old-fashioned set of blue radio waves
  4. Below this icon is a dropdown. Click on it and select Everyone.

Give both devices a few moments to find one another.

Now, here’s how you transfer photos from your iPhone to your Mac with AirDrop:

  1. Open Photos on your iPhone
  2. Select the pics you want to transfer
  3. Tap the sharing button in the bottom left-hand corner
  4. Wait till AirDrop finds your Mac and tap on it
  5. On your Mac you’ll see a pop-up window asking you to accept the photos. Click Accept.

Depending on your Mac’s settings, you may be asked where you want to save the photos. Once you’re done transferring, you can switch off AirDrop on your Mac and iPhone.

Sync photos from an iPhone or iPad to a Mac using iCloud

Another way to move photos from an iPhone to a Mac is with iCloud. iCloud Photo Library, a.k.a. iCloud Photos, can do all the heavy lifting. However, if you’ve got over 5GB of photos and videos, you’ll need to upgrade your storage plan, paying anything from $0.99 per month for 50GB to $9.99 for 2TB of cloud storage.

To set up iCloud Photo Library on your iPhone, follow these steps:

  1. Go to Settings
  2. Tap on your name at the top

  3. Go to iCloud
  4. Underneath the iCloud storage indicator, you’ll see a list of Apps Using iCloud
  5. Tap on Photos
  6. Switch on iCloud Photos

Now, to set it up on your Mac:

  1. Launch the Photos app
  2. Go to the Photos menu in the menu bar
  3. Click on Preferences
  4. Next, click on iCloud
  5. Check the box next to iCloud Photo Library (iCloud Photos in macOS Mojave)

Provided you’ve followed both series of steps and both your devices are using the same Apple ID, your photos and videos will automatically sync between iPhone and Mac.

Remember: while you have iCloud Photo Library on, any changes you make to photos on one device will automatically sync to the other. So if you want to delete them on your iPhone and keep them on your Mac, switch off the sync after you’ve transferred everything.

Whichever method you use, Apple makes it easy to transfer photos and videos from an iPhone to a Mac. Just make sure you move the pics you really need, otherwise you’re just shuffling clutter around.

Applies to: MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, and iMac Pro

Importing photos and videos from iPhone to Mac is necessary especially when you want to free up your iPhone space or make a backup of your precious files.

Since the ways on how to transfer photos from iPhone to computer have been detailed in another guide, here I'd like to show you how to transfer videos from iPhone to Mac in four easy ways.

Method 1. How to Transfer Videos from iPhone to Macbook Air/Pro with Photos

The built-in Photos app on Mac allows you to manage the photos and videos on your Mac and import photos and videos from an external device, like an iPhone. With the Photos app, you are able to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac using a USB cable.

To import videos from iPhone to Mac using Photos:

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to your MacBook.

Step 2. Unlock your iOS device and click 'Trust' to trust the computer.

Step 3. Launch the Photos app and select your iPhone from the left panel.

Step 4. Wait for Photos to load all the new items from your iPhone.

Step 5. Choose to import selected photos and videos or 'Import All New Photos (including your videos)'.

Photos only works to import the photos and videos from your iPhone camera roll and the imported items will be saved in the Photo Library folder on your Mac. (It's no doubt that you can also apply this tip to transfer iPhone photos to Mac.)

Method 2. How to Send Videos from iPhone to Mac Using Image Capture

Similar to Photos, Image Capture on Mac can also transfer photos and videos from a camera or from a device that has a camera, like your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, to Mac. To use Image Capture to send videos from your iPhone to Mac, all you need is a USB cable to connect your iPhone and computer.

To transfer videos from iPhone to MacBook Air/Pro via Image Capture:

Step 1. Connect your iOS device to Mac via a USB cable.

Importing Iphone Videos Using Airdrop To Mac Photos App Computer

Step 2. Make sure your iPhone is unlocked and launch 'Image Capture'.

Step 3. Wait for the program to load the items on your iPhone.

Step 4. Select the videos you want to share and click 'Import', or click 'Import All' directly.

You can change the storage path of the videos by setting the option 'Import To'.

Method 3. How to Import Videos from iPhone to MacBook Air/Pro via iPhone Transfer Software

Both Photos and Image Capture allows you to transfer videos from your iPhone camera roll only. If you want to transfer videos like movies, TV shows, and music videos, you will need a tool like EaseUS MobiMover - free iPhone data transfer software.

With EaseUS MobiMover installed on your Mac, you can easily:

  • Transfer data from one iPhone/iPad/iPod to another
  • Access and manage iDevice content from computer

What's more, EaseUS MobiMover has an extra video download feature with which you will be able to download YouTube videos to Mac or iPhone/iPad.

To transfer videos from iPhone to Macbook Air/Pro:

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac and tap 'Trust' on your iPhone screen to continue. Run EaseUS MobiMover for Mac on your computer and choose 'Phone to Mac' > 'Next'.

Photos

Step 2. Select 'Videos' among the options and click the default path to set a custom storage path if you need to. Afterward, click 'Transfer'.

Airdrop Photos From Iphone To Mac Photos

Step 3. When the transfer process has finished, you can go to view the videos on your computer.

Method 4. How to Import Videos from iPhone to MacBook Air/Pro Using AirDrop

The three ways above all require a USB cable to work. If you don't have a USB cable available, you can choose to send videos from iPhone to Mac wirelessly via AirDrop.

AirDrop is the file-sharing utility on Apple products including iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Mac. It supports the sharing of photos, videos, contacts, locations, websites, and more. Thus, when you want to get iPhone videos to Mac, AirDrop will help.

To AirDrop a video from iPhone to Mac:

Step 1. Turn on AirDrop and Mac on your iPhone and Mac.

Step 2. On your iPhone, find and click the video you'd like to send.

Step 3. Tap the 'Share' button and choose 'AirDrop' > [your Mac's name].

Step 4. On your Mac, click 'Accept' in the window to start receiving the video from your iPhone.

Step 5. When the transfer completes, go to the 'Downloads' folder to check the video file.

The Bottom Line

In addition to using the four ways above, there are other workable solutions to transfer videos from iPhone to MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. For example, you can use cloud-based services, like iCloud and Dropbox, to automatically sync videos from your iPhone to Mac over Wi-Fi.

If you want to import iPhone videos to Mac using iCloud, go to the guide on how to transfer long videos from iPhone to Mac and you will learn how to do it with ease.