# How to move photos from iPhone to a computer to free up space

**Short answer:** connect the iPhone with a cable, tap **Trust**, and import with the **Photos** app (Mac or Windows) or **Image Capture** on Mac. Check the copies open on the computer, then delete them from the iPhone and empty **Recently Deleted**. If **iCloud Photos** is on, deleting from the iPhone deletes from iCloud and all your devices too, so make sure the computer has the full-size originals first.

## Steps
1. **Check iCloud Photos first:** **Settings › Apps › Photos**. If **Optimize iPhone Storage** is on, some originals are only in iCloud and a cable import won't get them all (see below).
2. Set **Settings › Apps › Photos › Transfer to Mac or PC** to **Keep Originals** for HEIC files at full quality, or **Automatic** for JPEG copies.
3. Connect the iPhone with a USB cable, unlock it and tap **Trust** on the iPhone.
4. **Mac:** open **Photos › File › Import**, or **Image Capture** to save files to a folder you choose. **Windows:** open the **Photos** app and choose **Import › From a connected device**, or open File Explorer › **Apple iPhone › Internal Storage › DCIM**.
5. Import, then open a few photos and videos on the computer to check they play and have the right dates.
6. Back up the computer folder (an external drive or cloud backup). A single copy on one laptop isn't a backup.
7. Delete the transferred photos on the iPhone, then empty **Photos › Collections › Utilities › Recently Deleted** (on iOS 18, scroll down to Utilities).

## If iCloud Photos is on
| Your setting | What to do before deleting from the iPhone |
|---|---|
| iCloud Photos off | Cable import gets everything on the iPhone; deleting affects only the iPhone |
| iCloud Photos on, Download and Keep Originals | Cable import gets the originals; deleting removes them from iCloud and every device |
| iCloud Photos on, Optimize iPhone Storage | Download originals on a Mac (Photos › Settings › iCloud › Download Originals) or from iCloud.com first; deleting removes them everywhere |

If you want photos off the iPhone but still in iCloud, don't delete them: turn on **Optimize iPhone Storage** instead ([how it works](/guides/optimize-iphone-storage)). If you want them off both, export first, then delete.

## Wireless options
- **AirDrop** to a Mac: select photos, tap Share › AirDrop. Fine for a few hundred, slow for a whole library.
- **iCloud Photos on the computer:** Photos for Mac with **Download Originals**, or iCloud for Windows, keeps a full copy on the computer automatically.
- **Google Photos, OneDrive and Dropbox** apps can upload your library too. Check each service's own storage limits and settings.

## Free up space without moving everything
Often you don't need to move the whole library. Duplicates, near-identical retakes, [bursts](/guides/delete-burst-photos-iphone) and old screenshots can simply go, and long videos can be compressed. [Spaceclear](/) finds all of them in one scan, keeps the best shot of each set and shows your biggest videos first. Its **iCloud Space** view marks the items that exist only in iCloud, so you know what a cable import would miss. See [find the biggest videos](/guides/sort-videos-by-size-iphone).

## FAQ
### Will deleting photos from my iPhone delete them from my computer?
No. Once photos are copied to a folder on the computer, they're independent files. The exception is the Photos app on a Mac signed in with iCloud Photos on: its library syncs, so deletions on the iPhone also remove them there.

### Why doesn't my PC show all my iPhone photos?
Usually because **Optimize iPhone Storage** is on and the originals are in iCloud, not on the iPhone. Download them from iCloud.com or with iCloud for Windows. Also make sure the iPhone is unlocked and you tapped **Trust**.

### How do I transfer photos from iPhone to PC without iCloud?
Use a USB cable and the Windows Photos app or File Explorer (DCIM folder). Set **Transfer to Mac or PC** to **Automatic** if the PC can't open HEIC files.