Transfer photos from iPhone or iPad to Mac

Move photos and videos from your iPhone or iPad to your Mac over WiFi. No iTunes, no cable. There are two ways to do it, depending on whether you want to pick photos on your phone or on your Mac.

Before you begin

Photo Transfer App installed on both your iPhone or iPad and your Mac.
Both devices on the same WiFi network.
Photo Library permission granted on iOS (the app will prompt the first time).

Method 1 — Pick on the Mac

Browse your iPhone's library on the bigger screen and download what you want.

Open Photo Transfer App on your Mac.
Open Photo Transfer App on your iPhone or iPad. Tap Send → Computer → Pick on Computer.
Your iPhone appears in the Mac app. Click it to connect.
Browse your iPhone's albums and photos directly in the Mac app.
Select the items you want, then click Download.

Method 2 — Pick on the iPhone or iPad

Pick photos on your phone first, then transfer them as a batch.

Open Photo Transfer App on your iPhone or iPad. Tap Send → Computer → Pick on Phone.
Browse your photo library and select the photos and videos you want. The selection becomes a Selected album.
Open Photo Transfer App on your Mac. Your iPhone appears with the Selected album visible.
Open the Selected album, then click Download → Download Album. The entire selection transfers in one go.

Working with iCloud Photos

If your iPhone uses Optimize iPhone Storage, some photos exist only as low-resolution previews on the device — the full original is in iCloud. Photo Transfer detects this and asks iOS to download the original before sending. The transfer itself still happens locally over WiFi; iCloud is only the source.

HEIC, Live Photos, ProRAW

HEIC stays as HEIC by default — macOS reads it natively. You can switch to automatic HEIC → JPG conversion in the app's settings if you want JPGs.
Live Photos arrive as Live Photos (a still + a short video). Use Preview or the Photos app on the Mac to view the motion.
ProRAW and DNG arrive at full bit depth with all embedded metadata.

Drag & drop

You can also drag photos directly from the Mac app's window into any Finder folder, external drive, or network share.