This wikiHow teaches you how to copy or transfer photos from your computer to your phone. This can be done with iTunes (on iPhone), or by connecting the phone using a USB charging cable (on Android), although you will need a special program to unlock Android if this is done on a Mac. You can also use a cloud storage service, such as iCloud for iPhone devices, or Google Photos for Android.
Step
Method 1 of 5: Using iTunes
Step 1. Plug your iPhone into the computer
Plug your iPhone into one of the computer's USB ports using the device's charging cable.
Purchase a USB-C to USB-3.0 adapter if you're using a Mac computer that doesn't have a USB port
Step 2. Launch iTunes
If iTunes doesn't open automatically, open the program by double-clicking its icon. iTunes icon in the shape of colorful musical notes on a white background.
Step 3. Click the iPhone icon
It's an iPhone-shaped icon at the top of the iTunes window. Your iPhone page will open.
Step 4. Click Photos
This tab is located in the left sidebar under the " Settings " heading.
Step 5. Check the "Sync Photos" box located at the top of the Sync Photos page
Now you can add photos from your computer to your iPhone.
Step 6. Click the "Copy photos from: drop-down" box
. This option is at the top of the Sync Photos page. A drop-down menu will appear.
Step 7. Click Choose folder… at the top of the drop-down menu
Step 8. Select a folder
Click the folder you want to use to upload photos, then click Select Folder.
Step 9. Select a subfolder if necessary
If in the selected photos folder there are one or more unwanted folders, check the " Selected folders " radio button, then tick each folder you want to use to upload photos.
Step 10. Decide whether you want to include the video or not
Check the " Include videos " box in the middle of the page to upload videos that are in the selected folder, or uncheck the box if you only want to upload photos.
Step 11. Click Apply
The photos that have been selected will begin to be transferred to the iPhone. After the transfer is complete, the photos will be displayed on the iPhone.
Method 2 of 5: Using USB Cable for Android Device on Windows Computer
Step 1. Connect the phone to the computer
Plug one end of the charging cable into your Android device and the other end into your computer's USB port. This method can only be applied to Android phones. If you're using an iPhone, you'll need to use iTunes to transfer photos via a USB cable.
Tap Media devices (MTP) on the Android screen when prompted.
Step 2. Go to Start
Click the Windows logo in the lower-left corner of the screen.
Step 3. Open File Explorer
Click the folder-shaped icon in the lower left of the Start window.
Step 4. Click the folder where the photos are stored
Usually, this is a folder Pictures located on the left side of the sidebar. However, if you want to move photos from another location, click the desired folder in the sidebar.
Step 5. Select the photos you want to move
Click and drag the mouse over the group of photos you want to select, or hold down the Ctrl key, then click each image you want to select individually.
Step 6. Click Home
This tab is in the upper-left corner of the window. A sidebar (toolbar) will be displayed under the tab Home.
Step 7. Click Copy to
This folder-shaped icon is in the " Organize " section of the toolbar. A drop-down menu will be displayed.
Step 8. Click Choose location… at the bottom of the drop-down menu
This will bring up a pop-up window.
Step 9. Click on your Android name
The name appears in the center of the window, although you may need to scroll down first.
Step 10. Click the DCIM folder under the name of the Android device
Folders DCIM will open and display its contents.
Step 11. Click the Camera folder which is located under the folder DCIM.
Click folder Camera to set as the place where the copied photos are stored.
Step 12. Click Copy
It's in the lower-right corner of the pop-up window. The selected photo will start moving to the internal storage of the Android device. Once the photos are done moving there, you can view them in the Photos app on your Android device.
Method 3 of 5: Using USB Cable for Android Device on Mac Computer
Step 1. Connect Android device to Mac computer
Use the Android charging cable to connect the device to one of the computer's USB ports.
- If your Mac doesn't have a USB port, purchase a USB-C to USB-3.0 adapter.
- When the Android device asks you to select a connection type, tap Media devices (MTP) on the screen to continue.
Step 2. Download and install Android File Transfer
How to do it:
- Visit
- Click DOWNLOAD NOW
- Install Android File Transfer.
Step 3. Launch Finder
This blue face icon is located in the Dock of your Mac.
Step 4. Select the location to save the photo
Click the photo storage folder in the folder column on the left. The folder will open in a Finder window.
Step 5. Select the photos you want to move
Click and drag the mouse over the group of photos you want to select, or hold down Command, then click each image you want to select individually.
Step 6. Copy the photo
Click menu Edit, then click Copy in the drop-down menu that appears.
Step 7. Run Android File Transfer
If the program doesn't open automatically, click the Launchpad spaceship icon, then click the Android File Transfer icon, which is the green Android mascot.
-
You can also click Spotlight
Macspotlight in the upper right corner, type android file transfer, then click the Android File Transfer icon.
Step 8. Double click the Internal storage folder or SD cards.
Depending on the location where you saved the photo, the steps involved will vary.
Step 9. Double-click the DCIM folder
This will open another folder.
Step 10. Double click the Camera folder
Photos of Android devices are stored here.
Step 11. Paste (paste) the photo into this folder
Click any area in the folder, click Edit, then click Paste Items in the drop-down menu. The copied photos will start moving to the Android device. When the transfer is complete, the photos can be viewed in the Photos app on Android devices.
Method 4 of 5: Using iCloud
Step 1. Visit the iCloud website
Run a browser on your computer and visit
Step 2. Log in to iCloud
Enter the Apple ID and password used for your iPhone, then click →. You will be signed into your iCloud account.
Skip this step if you are already signed in
Step 3. Click Photos which has a colorful pinwheel icon on a white background
The iCloud Photos app will open.
Step 4. Click "Upload"
The icon is in the form of a cloud with an arrow facing up in the center. A Finder (Mac) or File Explorer (Windows) window will open.
Step 5. Click the folder where the photos are stored
Click the folder used to save the photos. On the left side of the window is a list of folders. So, look for the desired folder there.
Step 6. Select the photos you want to upload
Click and drag your mouse over the group of images you want to select, or hold down Command (Mac) or Ctrl (Windows), then click each image you want to select individually.
Step 7. Click Open located in the lower right corner
The selected photos will start uploading to iCloud.
Step 8. Wait for the photo to finish uploading
This can take a long time depending on the number of photos uploaded. Once uploaded, the photos can be accessed on the iPhone.
To allow iPhone to display photos, turn on iCloud Photo Library on iPhone
Method 5 of 5: Using Google Photos
Step 1. Launch a web browser on your computer and visit the Google Photos site at
If you have backed up your photos, a page containing your photos will open.
You may first need to sign in to your Google account using your email address and password if this is your first time visiting Google Photos
Step 2. Click the blue UPLOAD button at the top right of the page
A Finder (Mac) or File Explorer (Windows) window will open.
Step 3. Click where the photo is saved
Click the photo storage folder on the left side of the Finder or File Explorer window.
Step 4. Select the photos you want to upload
Click and drag your mouse over the group of photos you want to select, or hold down Command (Mac) or Ctrl (Windows), then click each photo you want to select individually.
Step 5. Click Open which is located in the lower right corner of the window
Step 6. Select the quality of the photo to upload
Check one of the options below:
- High quality - Upload photos in high quality resolution with reduced file size. This will not exceed the storage space limit allowed by your Google Drive.
- Original - Upload photos in their original resolution, which can be higher than the " High quality " option. This could exceed the storage space limit allowed by your Google Drive.
Step 7. Click CONTINUE
This option is in the lower-right corner of the quality selection window. The photos will begin uploading to your Google Photos account.
Step 8. Open Google Photos on Android device
This app is in the form of a star containing four dots in red, yellow, green, and blue colors.
If you're not signed in to Google Photos, enter your email address and password when prompted
Step 9. Tap in the top left corner
A drop-down menu will be displayed.
Step 10. Tap Settings
This option is at the bottom of the pop-out menu.
Step 11. Tap Back up & sync at the top of the menu Settings.
Step 12. Make sure the button has been switched to “On”
If it's not switched already, tap the button to enable photo backup. This will enable sync between your Google Photos account and the Google Photos app, which will place the newly uploaded photos into Google Photos on the Android device.
