How to Transfer Photos from PC to iPhone without iTunes

One of the most frequently asked questions from our iPhone users is: How do I transfer photos from PC to my iPhone 13 or other iPhone series? Why it is so complicated to get photos of my iPhone from the computer? If you have some confusion, you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, we will show you how to transfer photos(videos) from PC to iPhone without iTunes. If you want to transfer photos from your iPhone to your PC, please directly jump to Part 5.

Transfer Photos from PC to iPhone without iTunes – via AnyTrans

Can you send photos from Windows 10 to iPhone? The answer is YES! AnyTrans is a comprehensive iPhone data manager, with it you can export, import, or manage your iPhone photos in your own way. Check its main features and give it a free try:

• Transfer Photos to Anywhere You Like – Transfer photos from your PC to your iPhone without iTunes, transfer photos from iPhone to PC, or transfer photos & all data from iPhone to your new iPhone 13.
• Keep All Your iPhone Photos Organized –  AnyTrans categorize your photos and videos into different folders, like Live Photos, Selfies, Slo-Mos, Time-lapses, or albums you created. So you can quickly find the photos you want.
• Convert Photos to Compatible format – When transferring photos, AnyTrans will automatically convert the photo to your iPhone or computer-compatible format like converting HEIC to JPG.
• No Need for Technical Skills & No Data Erase – Unlike the complicated iTunes, it’s very simple to use AnyTrans to manage your iPhone data, with no data erasing or complicated sync process.

Here are the steps to copy photos from PC to iPhone without iTunes using AnyTrans:

Step 1. Download and install AnyTrans on your PC > Connect iPhone to computer via USB cable. You will see your active iPhone screen > Click “+” on the screen to add photos from the PC. Or you can just drag and drop the photos to this section.

Step 2. Browse and select photos on your PC > Click the “Open” button to start transferring photos to your iPhone.

Step 3. After transferring, you can unlock your iPhone and go to the Photos app to view those photos.

Note: AnyTrans also works on Mac, the steps on Mac to transfer photos to your iPhone are the same as the above steps.

Video Tutorial on How to Transfer Photos from Computer to iPhone without iTunes:

Transfer Photos from PC to iPhone without iTunes – via iCloud

Can I drag and drop photos from PC to iPhone? With iCloud Photo Library enabled on your iPhone, you can sync photos between iPhone and iCloud. So you can upload photos from the computer to icloud.com, and then they will be automatically synced to your iPhone when there is Wi-Fi available.

Follow the steps to transfer photos from PC to your iPhone with iCloud:

1. Open Settings app on your iPhone or iPad > [Your Name] > iCloud > Photos > Toggle on iCloud Photo Library.
2. On your computer, open your browser > navigate to iCloud.com > Log in with your Apple ID.
3. Upload photos from the computer to iCloud: Click on Photos > Click the Upload button >Select photos from the computer to add to iCloud.
4. Open your iPhone Photos, and when there is Wi-Fi available, photos will sync to your iPhone.

Also, you can download the iCloud app for Windows on your PC and turn on the iCloud Photo Library on both your iPhone and iCloud app, then photos will sync between your iPhone and computer with iCloud.

Limits for iCloud Photo Library:

There is 5GB of free iCloud storage, if you have a lot of photos and videos to sync, it will quickly be used up. So you will have to pay for extra iCloud storage at $0.99 per month for 50GB, which is worth buying.

When you enabled iCloud Photo Libary, it will sync those pictures across all other iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Watch which share the same Apple ID. You may not want that to happen sometimes.

Transfer Photos from PC to iPhone without iTunes – via Google Photos

You can add photos from your computer to Google Photos and install the Google Photos app on your iPhone, the photos you added will sync to your iPhone. Or you can choose some Drive services like Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox which will also allow you to transfer photos from computer to iPhone and vice versa. Here is how to use Google Photos to transfer photos from your iPhone to the computer.

1. On your computer, go to Google Photos and create a new album.
2. Choose photos from the computer to upload to Google Photos.
3. On your iPhone, go to App Store and install Google Photos, and log in with the same account on your computer.
4. Then photos will sync to your iPhone Google Photos.
5. You can now download photos synced from Google Photos to your iPhone.

Transfer Photos from PC to iPhone with iTunes

For those who still want to transfer photos from PC to your iPhone with iTunes, here are the steps.

1. Connect your iPhone to the computer with its USB cable.
2. Run iTunes if it doesn’t open automatically.
3. Click Device tab > Select Photos > Check Sync Photos.
4. Select All folders or Selected folders where you want to sync photos (iPhoto, Photos, or some specific folder).
5. Click Apply and wait for iTunes to transfer photos to your iPhone.

Important Note: If you turned on the iCloud Photo Library on your iPhone or iPad when syncing photos from the computer to iDevice with iTunes, you may find your iTunes doesn’t allow you to sync photos from computer to iPhone iPad, because your iTunes doesn’t have this sync option. It just pops up a window and says: “iCloud Photos is On. XXX can access photos in iCloud. Photos can be downloaded to your device via Wi-Fi or cellular network”, just like the following screenshot shows.

To fix this “iTunes can’t sync photos because iCloud photos on” problem, you have 3 choices, they are followed:

Choice 1: Turn off iCloud Photo Library on your iPhone/iPad with the steps below:

On your iPhone iPad, go to Settings App > Apple ID > iCloud > Photos > iCloud Photo Library > Tap on it to turn it off > Choose Remove from iPhone or Download Photos & Videos.

Warning: Applying Choice 1, you have to remove all the iCloud photos from iPhone (those photos stored in iCloud but not on your iPhone will be deleted) or download these iCloud photos to iPhone (this will be a huge burden for an iPhone with limited storage, especially you are working with a 16GB or 32 GB iPhone). If you want to keep all iCloud photos and spare more storage on your iPhone, please choose Choice 2.

Choice 2: Add photos to iCloud from your computer directly, and then all the newly added iCloud photos will be shown on your iPhone automatically once your iPhone is connected to a Wi-Fi or cellular network.

Choice 3: Sync photos from computer to iPhone iPad with an iTunes alternative, just like Part 1 shows – transfer photos to iPhone without erasing existing data on iDevice.

Bonus Tip: How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to PC

How Do I Transfer Photos from iPhone to PC with Photos App?

The steps apply to Windows PC. Connect your iPhone to the PC with a USB cable > Open your iPhone and unlock it > Trust your PC > On your PC, click the Start menu to find and open the Photos app > Click  Import > From a USB device, then follow the instructions to import your iPhone pictures to PC.

How Do I Transfer iPhone Photos to PC without iTunes?

With AnyTrans, it’s also very easy to move photos from your iPhone to the computer, here are quick steps:

Download and install AnyTrans on your PC > If you have already installed it just open it and connect with your iPhone > Under Device Manager > Choose Photos > Select the photos you want to transfer > Click Send to PC (or Mac) button to transfer selected iPhone photos to your computer.

The Bottom Line

As you can see, with the help of AnyTrans, it is easy enough to transfer photos from PC or Mac to iPhone, and you won’t lose any precious data on your device. Except for transfer photos to iPhone, AnyTrans also supports transferring Videos, Music, Ringtones, Voice Memos, iBooks, Podcasts, and other iOS data to iPhone, or from iPhone to computer or iTunes library, with data and personal information safety guaranteed. Why not download AnyTrans and try it yourself? Why not get AnyTrans and start adding photos to your iPhone now?