Transfer files between iPhone and your computer

: June 7, 2024
: Apple

Table of Contents

Transfer files between iPhone and your computer

Transfer files between iPhone and your computer

You can use iCloud Drive to keep your files up to date and accessible on all your devices, including Windows PCs. You can also transfer files between iPhone and other devices by using AirDrop and sending email attachments.

Alternatively, you can transfer files for apps that support file sharing by connecting iPhone to a Mac (with a USB port and OS X 10.9 or later) or a Windows PC (with a USB port and Windows 7 or later).

Transfer files between iPhone and your Mac

Connect iPhone to your Mac.You can connect using USB, or if you set up Wi-Fi syncing, you can use a Wi-Fi connection.
In the Finder sidebar on your Mac, select your iPhone.

Note: To use the Finder to transfer files, macOS 10.15 or later is required. With earlier versions of macOS, use iTunes to transfer files.

At the top of the Finder window, click Files, then do one of the following:
- Transfer from Mac to iPhone: Drag a file or a selection of files from a Finder window onto an app name in the list.
- Transfer from iPhone to Mac: Click the disclosure triangle beside an app name to see its files on your iPhone, then drag a file to a Finder window.

To delete a file from iPhone, select it below an app name, press Command- Delete, then click Delete.

Transfer files between iPhone and your Windows PC

Install or update to the latest version of iTunes on your PC.See the Apple Support article Update to the latest version of iTunes.
Connect iPhone to your Windows PC.You can connect using USB, or if you set up Wi-Fi syncing, you can use a Wi-Fi connection.
In iTunes on your Windows PC, click the iPhone button near the top left of the iTunes window.
Click File Sharing, select an app in the list, then do one of the following:
- Transfer a file from your iPhone to your computer: Select the file you want to transfer in the list on the right, click “Save to,” select where you want to save the file, then click Save To.
- Transfer a file from your computer to your iPhone: Click Add, select the file you want to transfer, then click Add.

To delete a file from iPhone, select the file, press the Delete key, then click Delete.

File transfers occur immediately. To view items transferred to iPhone, go to On My iPhone in the Files app on iPhone. See View files and folders in Files on iPhone.

Important: Syncing has no effect on file transfers, so syncing doesn’t keep transferred files on iPhone up to date with the files on your computer.

See Transfer files from your Mac to iPhone or iPad in the macOS User Guide or Transfer files between your PC and devices with iTunes in the iTunes User Guide for Windows.