How To Transfer Photos To Iphone Using Itunes

How to Transfer Photos from Laptop to iPhone with/without iTunes

Want to get some photos from the laptop to your iPhone 2020? This guide will show you the most efficient methods to transfer pictures from laptop to your iPhone with or without iTunes, and using iCloud.

AnyTrans – Transfer Photos from Laptop to iPhone

To copy your photos from laptop to iPhone, AnyTrans enables a quick transferring process to do. Besides, you can add more files like messages, videos, music, etc. from computer to iPhone, and vice versa.

You may have saved thousands of your holiday photos on your home laptop, and want to sync some to your handy iOS devices, like the new iPhone 12 or iPhone 11. So that you can enjoy them on your device.

If you have searched about how to transfer photos(videos) from laptop to iPhone, you may find iTunes is the typical way to go. However, iTunes sync is complicated for fresh users, and it may erase the previous photos on your iOS device. In this post, we also provide you a non-iTunes way to transfer photos from laptop to iPhone without iTunes, which supports any Windows laptop, Samsung, DELL, or Mac.

Also Read: Photos Didn't Transfer to New iPhone 12? Get Solutions Here >

Transfer Photos from Laptop to iPhone without iTunes
Get Photos from Laptop to iPhone via iTunes
Transfer Photos from Laptop to iPhone via iCloud
Bonus Tip: Transfer Photos from iPhone to Laptop

How to Transfer Pictures from Laptop to iPhone without iTunes

How do I transfer photos from my laptop to my iPhone without using iTunes? To transfer photos from laptop to iPhone without iTunes, you can try AnyTrans. It is a comprehensive iPhone data manager. Have a quick look at its main features on photo transferring (iOS 15 and iPhone 13 supported).

AnyTrans – iPhone Photo Transfer

Drag & Drop photos from any laptop to your iPhone.
Unlike iTunes syncing, no data will be erased.
Add more files like music, videos, etc. from computer to iPhone.
Besides, you can transfer photos from iPhone to laptop as a backup.

Now, Freely Download AnyTrans on your Laptop firstly of all. Then follow the simple steps below to transfer photos from computer to iPhone in minutes:

1. Drag and Drop Photos from Laptop to iPhone Directly

Step 1. Connect iPhone to Laptop and Head to Drag Files

Open AnyTrans on your laptop and connect iPhone to laptop via USB cable > Choose Device Manager > Move mouse over the iPhone and tap on +.

Drag Files from Computer to iPhone Directly

Step 2. Select Pictures on Laptop to Transfer

Choose photos from your computer and open them. The photos will be added to your iPhone immediately.

Preview the Photos and Select them to your iPad

2. Add Single Files or Photo Folders to iPhone under Management

Except for the above way, AnyTrans also enables you to manage iPhone files as you like.

Open AnyTrans and click Device Manager > Tap on Photos category > Then your photos will be listed in categories as below > Click the Add button, here you can choose files selectively or the whole photo folder to move. Besides, you can click the To PC/To Device button, which allows you to select photos to PC/another iDevice.

Use Device Manager to Add Photos from Computer to iPhone

Add Photos from Computer to iPhone

You can also send videos, ringtones, music, audiobooks, messages, contacts, notes, books, Safari bookmarks/history as well as other up to 25 file types from laptop to iPhone.
AnyTrans also allows you to manage iCloud data and iTunes media files.
Since iOS 11, all iOS devices willuseHEIC photos by default, while this format is not widely accepted yet. If you have trouble converting HEIC photos into other formats, you could try a free web-based tool – iMobie HEIC Converter. For example, you can easily convert HEIC photos into JPEG with drag and drop with this tool.

You can also view the video to see how do you transfer photos from laptop to iPhone with AnyTrans:

Bonus Part. How to Transfer Photos from Laptop to iPhone Wirelessly (3 Steps)

When you have no available USB cable to use, you can try AnyTrans app – it enables you to transfer photos from laptop to iPhone wirelessly. It can help you transfer files like music, video, documents from computer to phone and vice versa, or between two devices.

You just need to install it on your devices(both iOS and Android are compatible), then you can directly transfer files from one device to another wirelessly via this app.

Before we start, you need to connect your iPhone and laptop to Wi-Fi.

Step 1. Install AnyTrans app on your iPhone.

Step 2. On your computer, enter
anytrans.io
in your browser, and you'll see a QR code.

Step 3. On your iPhone, open the AnyTrans app you just installed and tap on the Scan button on the top right corner to scan the QR code on your computer.

How to Transfer Photos from Laptop to iPhone wirelessly

Step 4. On your computer, click on the "Upload" button and select the photos you want to transfer from laptop to iPhone. Finally hit the "Open" button and the transferring will start.

How to Transfer Photos from Laptop to iPhone wirelessly

Transfer Photos from Laptop to iPhone with iTunes

With iTunes, you are able to transfer photos to your iPhone from the laptop on both Windows and Mac. Here are steps about how to use iTunes to transfer photos from laptop to your iPhone:

Run iTunes and connect your iPhone to your laptop.
Click the iPhone icon on iTunes.
Click Photos taps in the right panel.
In the photos menu, click on the "Sync photos from" option.
Choose the folder you want to transfer > Select the "Selected folders" option.
Click "Apply" to start transferring the photos from your laptop to your iPhone.

Sync Photos from Laptop to iPhone with iTunes

How to Fix iCloud is On issue?

While transferring photos from laptop to iPhone using iTunes, some of you may get the notification of "iCloud Photo is On", that is because iTunes can't transfer photos with iCloud Photo is On. You have three solutions to this.

How to Transfer Photos from Mac to iPhone – iCloud Photo is On

Transfer Photos from Mac to iPhone – iCloud Photo is On

Solution 1. Turn off iCloud Photo. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos. Switch the button next to Photos, then select Remove from iPhone or Download Photos & Videos, now your iCloud Photo is turned off.

Please note that after turning off the iCloud Photo Library, you have to remove all the iCloud photos on your iPhone or download these iCloud photos to iPhone which would be a large burden for your iPhone especially if you are still running 16 GB or 32 GB plan. If these are not what you want, you may refer to the next solution.

Solution 2. You can also transfer photos from your laptop to iCloud, all newly added photos can be synced to your iPhone soon. Please refer to this post to get details. How to Transfer Photos from Computer to iCloud >

Solution 3. You can just sync photos just like Part 1 shows. AnyTrans would not erase any data and don't require you to turn off the iCloud Photo.

Share Photos from Laptop to iPhone Using iCloud

The iCloud Photos feature allows iOS users to share photos and videos between Mac, iPhones or iPads, and even a Windows PC. Before we start, please make sure that the software is up to date on your iPhone iPad iPod touch, Mac, or PC computer. Also, connect your devices to a strong and stable Wi-Fi network. Now, follow the steps below to export photos using iCloud.

Set up iCloud on both your iOS device and computer and signed in with the same Apple ID.
On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos, then turn on iCloud Photos.
Turn on iCloud Photos on your computer and upload photos from your computer to iCloud. Then sync the photos to your iPhone iPad iPod touch using iCloud.

How to Enable iCloud Photos on Mac:

Go to System Preferences > iCloud.
Click the Options button next to Photos.
Then select iCloud Photos.

How to Enable iCloud Photos on Windows:

Download iCloud for Windows > follow the steps to set up iCloud Photos on your laptop.
Check Photos, and click Options.
Check iCloud Photo Library and Upload new photos and videos from my PC, then click on the Apply button.
Navigate to the File Explorer and find iCloud Photos, just open it.
Click on the Uploads folder, click Add photos to upload the photos you want to copy to iCloud.
Wait for a while, all your photos should be uploaded to your iCloud. Then you can find the uploaded photos on your iOS device Photos app.

Upload Photos from PC to iCloud

If you don't want to install iCloud for Windows on your Windows laptop, you can Open a browser > navigate to iCloud.com > Log in with your Apple ID > Upload the photos from your PC to iCloud.

Further Reading: How to Access iCloud Photos on iPhone/iPad >

Bonus Tip. Download iCloud Photos to iPhone or Computer

If you've already uploaded pictures to iCloud, here is an easy way for you to view iCloud photos on any laptop or device then download them. You can sign into your iCloud on iPhone and download photos to iPhone or sign in on a computer so that you can get photos on the desktop. Here are the steps to download photos:

Step 1. Open Brower and go to iCloud.com > Log into your Apple ID and click Photos.

Step 2. Preview the photos saved in your iCloud account > Select your favorite photos and tap on the "Download" icon to continue. Finally, you will get those pictures on your iPhone or laptop computer.

Select Photos to Download

The Bottom Line

That's all for the methods to import photos from laptop to iPhone. Besides transferring photos, you can also use AnyTrans to easily transfer music, contacts, videos, songs, and some other types of files from laptop to iPhone 11/12, and vice versa.

AnyTrans also guarantees you 100% Safe & Security. During this process, all the contents on your iPhone will be kept safe, and you won't lose any data or files. So why not download AnyTrans and have a free trial on your Windows notebook or MacBook?

AnyTrans – Transfer Data to New iPhone

Free download AnyTrans to start moving data from your laptop to your new iPhone 13, including contacts, messages, photos, apps, etc.

Author Avatar

Member of iMobie team as well as an Apple fan, love to help more users solve various types of iOS & Android related issues.