By Achilles Hill | Last Updated
Running out of space on your iPhone? Transferring photos to an external hard drive is a great way to free up storage while keeping your memories safe. In this guide, we’ll show you multiple methods to transfer photos from your iPhone to an external hard drive, whether you’re using a Mac, Windows PC, or direct connection.
If you do not want to use the third-party tool, there are two free ways for you to move photos from iPhone to external hard drive. You can check details below:
Step 1: Use the lightning cable to connect your iPhone to a USB port on a PC. If prompted, tap Trust on your iPhone and enter the screen passcode to unlock it.
Step 2: Press Windows + E key to access the File Explorer. Then find your iPhone storage under This PC or Devices in the left sidebar.
Step 3: Click your iPhone and then choose Internal Storage which houses your photos.
Step 4: Open the folder and select the photos you want to transfer to the external hard drive and then copy them.
Step 5: Access your external hard drive and then paste the photos.
Step 1: Make sure the iPhone and external hard drive is well connected to your PC.
Step 2: Open the Windows Photos app and then click Import and the select the Apple iPhone option.
Step 3: Soon, the photos on your iPhone are detected. It is required to select the photos you want to import.
Step 4: Click Import settings> Change the import destination. After that, define the location on your external hard drive as the target destination.
Step 5: Click Import Selected to begin the importing process. Minutes later, you can check whether the photos are saved on the external hard disk or not.
If you have a Mac, transferring photos is straightforward:
Step 1: Plug your iPhone and the external hard drive into the Mac and ensure they are well detected by the Mac.
Step 2: Run Photos app on your Mac. Then click your iPhone in the Devices section on the right sidebar.
Step 3: Click the Import to or Add to option and change the location to your external hard drive.
Step 4: Hit Import All New Photos. Soon, the photos will be transferred to your external hard drive. You can delete them on your iPhone to get more available space.
If you are using Mac OSX 10.10.3, you can transfer photos from iPhone to external hard drive with Image Capture—the built-in app for users to upload photos to Mac.
Step 1: Ensure iPhone and external hard drive is connected to your Mac. Then open Image Capture.
Step 2: Find your iPhone under DEVICES category. Click it and click Import to on the prompt. After that, set the pictures to save on the external hard drive.
Step 3: Click Import All on the lower right corner and then wait for the process to end.
Is it possible to directly transfer photos from iPhone to external hard drive without a computer? Yes, you need a USB-C adapter to build the connection.
Step 1: Connect your external hard drive with the iPhone.
Step 2: Open your iPhone, tap Photos and then the Select option on the top right corner to select the photos you want to transfer.
Step 3: After that, tap the Export icon on the lower left corner and choose Export Unmodified Original.
Step 4: Choose your external hard drive under Location category. After that, tap Save to export the photos to your external hard disk.
Tips: External hard drives usually require an external power source when used with an iPhone.
Third-party apps can simplify the transfer process. It is super easy to backup iPhone photos to the external hard drive with iSunshare iDevice Genius. You can export the photos and large files to the external hard drive in clicks. Thus, more available space is released.
Here are some must-do preparations before you can proceed to backup iPhone photos to the external hard disk.
To transfer or backup iPhone photos to external hard drive on Windows:
Step 1: Connect your iPhone and make it trust your computer. Also, plug the external hard drive into the PC. Then launch iSunshare iDevice Genius and click the Scan button.
Step 2: In minutes, the scanning process ends. Check the Pictures section and click the Clean button.
Step 3: Now all photos are displayed. Tick the Check all option and then click the Export button on the lower right center.
Step 4: Select a folder in your external hard drive to save the photos. After that, the exporting process begins.
Step 5: Minutes later, all your photos are successfully exported to the external hard drive. Click Yes to view the photos. Or you can choose the No option and then you can delete them from the iPhone via the Delete button so as to release the iPhone storage.
Q1: Is it possible to directly transfer photos from iPhone to an external hard drive?
Yes, you can use an OTG adapter to connect the external drive and transfer photos through the Files app.
Q2: Why can’t my external hard drive connect to my iPhone?
Ensure your external drive is formatted in a compatible file system (like exFAT). Also, check your adapter and power source.
Q3: What’s the fastest way to transfer photos from iPhone to an external hard drive?
Using a computer (Mac or Windows PC) provides the fastest and most reliable transfer process.
Transferring photos from your iPhone to an external hard drive is an effective way to free up storage, back up your memories, and keep your device organized. Whether you’re using a Mac, Windows PC, or direct connection, the steps outlined in this guide will help you manage your photos with ease.
