Why Won't My Iphone Photos Download To My Macbook Pro



  1. Why Won't My Iphone Photos Download To My Macbook Pro Laptop
  2. Why Won't My Iphone Photos Download To My Macbook Pro 2017
  3. Why Won't My Iphone Photos Download To My Macbook Pro Model
  4. Why Won't My Iphone Photos Download To My Macbook Pro 2020

If your iPhone photos not showing up in iPhoto/Photos on Mac? Read this post to learn some quick solutions to fix the problem.

Recently, iCloud Photos failed to sync a fresh batch of my photos from my iPhone to my PC and Mac. That was super-annoying since I wanted to make some quick edits and was crunched for time. Connect your device to your computer. You can connect your device using a USB or USB-C cable or a Wi-Fi connection. To turn on Wi-Fi syncing, see Sync iTunes content on PC with devices on Wi-Fi. In the iTunes app on your PC, click the Device button near the top left of the iTunes window.

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Camera roll is about 4.4GB, and I want to save my pictures to the MacBook Pro. I connect my iPhone to MacBook Pro and iPhoto shows iPhone 8 plus yet displays the loading message. iPhone photos not showing up on Mac. I have just updated my iPhone to iOS 14, is that the problem?

iPhoto or the upgraded Photos app on Yosemite and later is the default app on Mac to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac. However, some users have met the same problem as the above user asked – photos on iPhone will not show up on Mac in iPhoto/Photos when connected with the iPhone. So you can’t import photos from iPhone to Mac. This may happen to users who have just updated to the latest iOS 14.

But don’t worry, in this guide, we will show you some easy tips to fix iPhone photos not showing up on Mac issue. Also, there is an efficient way to import photos from iPhone to Mac without iPhone or Photos.

Fixes to iPhone Photos Not Showing up in iPhoto or Photos on Mac

Here we collect some common quick solutions that once worked for some users to fix the iPhone photos not showing up on Mac in iPhoto or Photos.

  1. Update your Mac and your iPhone system to the latest version. If possible update iPhoto to Photos (for Mac OS X Yosemite and later).
  2. Unplug your iPhone, and quit iPhoto/Photos as well as iTunes. Then plug the iPhone back and restart iPhoto/Photos.
  3. Try to move iPhone photos to your Mac more easily and quickly without iPhoto. AnyTrans is one of the best tools to import photos from iPhone to Mac.
  4. Turn off your Mac and restart again, also restart your iPhone.
  5. Unlock your iPhone, and when you plug in with it a pop-up will show on your iPhone and ask whether to Trust or Don’t Trust this computer. Tap on Trust.
  6. If you use any other photo storage device on your Mac like DropBox, which can be conflicting with iPhoto. You should close DropBox or just remove it.
  7. Enabled iCloud Photo Library. For iPhone/iPad: Go to Setting on devices > Tap on[Your Name] > Click iCloud > Click Photos under Manage Storage > Toggle on iCloud Photos. For Mac: Go to System Preferences > Click iCloud > Click Options by the side of Photos > Check iCloud Photos.
  8. Reset iPhone Location & Privacy. Disconnect your iPhone from your Mac. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Location & Privacy > Reconnect to your Mac and select Trust when your iPhone asks > Import iPhone photos to Mac.
  9. Use the Photos repair tool: Make sure that you backed up your main Photos library > Quit Photos > Press and hold the Option and Command keys as you open Photos again.
    You will see the Repair Library dialog appears > Click Repair, and then enter an administrator password to begin running the Photos repair tool.

A Better Solution: How to Upload iPhone Photos without iPhoto/Photos

When you’re facing iPhone photos not showing up on Mac, iPhoto won’t open, or iPhoto not working at all, how can you sync or edit iPhone photos on Mac? Another way is trying a Photos/iPhoto alternative tool – AnyTrans. With AnyTrans, transferring iPhone photos to Mac/PC computer will become much easier and quicker with the related features as below:

AnyTrans – iPhone Photo Transfer

  • Transfer all types of photos and albums to Mac as well as Windows.
  • Convert incompatible iPhone photos automatically.
  • Guarantee you no harm to picture quality.
  • Also, help you transfer photos from iPhone to new iPhone directly.

Free Download100% Clean & Safe

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To fix iPhone photos not importing to Mac or not all photos importing from iPhone to Mac:

Step 1: Free Download AnyTrans on your Mac > Open AnyTrans > Connect your iPhone to the computer using a digital cable > Choose “Device Manager” mode > Click on “Photos” option.

Open AnyTrans and Choose Photos

Step 2: Select the photos you want to see on your computer > Click “To Mac” button at the top-right corner to start the process. After it completes, the selected photos will be successfully exported from iPhone now.

Other iPhone Photos Related FAQs

You may have some other iPhone photos related questions and we’ve prepared some guides to give you answers.

Question 1. Where are photos stored on mac and how to view my photos on Mac?

After you import your iPhone photos to Mac with the Photos app, you can view them in Photos app directly or view photos on Mac in the Photos library folder.

On your Mac, Go to Finder > Choose Pictures > Right Click Photo Library > Choose Show Package Contents > In a folder named Masters, you will find photos in different folders.

Whare arr Photos Stored on Mac

Question 2. How can I import photos from iPhone to Mac in more ways?

To transfer photos from iPhone to Mac, besides using Photos or iPhoto, you can also try AirDrop, Image Capture, iCloud, etc. Read this guide to learn 6 ways to import photos from iPhone to Mac >

Question 3. What to do when the iPhone not showing up on PC?

If you are using a Windows PC and your iPhone won’t show up, here some fixes you can try. To get more info you can refer to How to Fix iPhone Not Showing up on PC , or you can try the following quick fixes:

  • Restart your iPhone and your Windows PC.
  • Make sure the iPhone is NOT locked and it is showing the home screen when you plug it in.
  • Try a different USB port if you have one.
  • Try enabling Windows AutoPlay.

Bonus Tip: How to Convert HEIC Photos

After the release of iOS 11, all Apple devices would use HEIC photos by default. This new file format is intended to save your iOS device storage space, but it is not yet widely compatible.

As a result, sometimes users would have trouble opening HEIC files. Here we recommend a free tool – iMobie HEIC Converter, to help you convert HEIC files to any formats you want, such as JPG, JPEG, PNG, etc.

Don’t miss: How to Change a HEIC File to JPEG on Mac/PC >

The Bottom Line

If photos from iPhone not showing up on mac in iPhoto or Photos app, or iPhoto not working, then you can try AnyTrans to import iPhone photos to Mac. It enables you to view and upload all iPhone photos when you connect the computer. And Windows PC/Mac, newly iPhone 12 and iOS 14 are supported. If you have any problems with this guide, feel free to leave your comment below or contact our support team via email.

Free Download * 100% Clean & Safe

Why Won't My Iphone Photos Download To My Macbook Pro Laptop

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Product-related questions? Contact Our Support Team to Get Quick Solution >

There are many ways to import photos from iPhone to PC: iTunes, FonePaw DoTrans, Windows Photos, Autoplay, Picasa and more. The most direct way to transfer photos from iPhone to PC is clicking Import on Autoplay window(Windows 7) and on Photos app(Windows 10/8).

However, importing photos from iPhone doesn't always work. Somehow, you can't import photos from iPhone to PC with Windows showing prompts like:

  • There are no photos to import.

  • iPhone internal storage folder (DICM folder) is empty.

  • No New Photos found.

  • Something went wrong. Try again.

If you can't import pictures from iPhone because you can't view iPhone photos on PC or not all photos can be imported from iPhone to PC, here are the solutions you can try to fix the issue. If you are looking for a better way to transfer iPhone photos, try FonePaw DoTrans, which can import not only photos but also videos, music, contacts from iPhone to PC, or vice versa.

Why Won't My Pictures on iPhone Import to My Computer?

Photos can't import from iPhone to computer possibly because of one of the following reasons.

  • Faulty USB cable;

  • iPhone doesn't trust the computer;

  • Apple components are not properly installed on your computer;

  • USB connection between iPhone and your computer cannot set up as USB driver is corrupted;

  • File permissions for Pictures folder on your computer has been changed because of Windows update;

  • Some of your iPhone photos are stored on iCloud so not all photos on you iPhone can be imported.

Why Won't My Iphone Photos Download To My Macbook Pro 2017

Change A New USB Cable

If possible, get an official Apple USB cable to connect your iPhone to computer. Some third-party USB cables can make your iPhone recognized by the computer and even let you view iPhone photos on PC, but it can't import your iPhone photos to PC. So try to import iPhone photos with a different USB cable to ensure that the USB cable is not the problem.

Let iPhone Trust Your Computer

Keep your iPhone unlock when connecting your iPhone to PC via USB cable. Once it is connected, a notification will pop up on iPhone home screen asking if the iPhone would like to trust the computer. Tap Trust.

Once the computer is trusted, you should be able to choose Import photos and videos to transfer photos with Windows' Photos app (Or go to Portable Devices, right-click your iPhone, and press Import Pictures and videos). Also, you can access your iPhone photos on File Manager > Your iPhone > DICM folder.

Import Photos from iPhone to PC with FonePaw DoTrans

If you have trouble importing photos from iPhone to Windows PC, you can get help from a third-party data transfer tool -FonePaw DoTrans.

Not only photos but also videos, music, movies, contacts, messages on the iPhone can be imported into PC via DoTrans. And with DoTrans, not only iPhone photos can be imported to PC but also photos on PC can be transferred to iPhone, and photos can be transferred between iPhone and Android.

Import photos from iPhone to PC with DoTrans.

Step 1 Launch FonePaw DoTrans on PC. (Your computer should have iTunes for DoTrans to work properly)

Step 2 Connect iPhone to computer and contents on your iPhone will be displayed on DoTrans.

Step 3 Click Photos and select the photos you want to import to PC and click Export to PC.

Why Won't My Iphone Photos Download To My Macbook Pro Model

Install Apple Mobile Device Support and Restart the Apple Mobile Device Service (AMDS)

Apple Mobile Device Support and Apple Mobile Device Service is used to help your computer to communicate with iPhone. So if they are not functioning, the computer can't recognize your iPhone and thus you can't import photos from iPhone.

First of all, make sure that Apple Mobile Device Support is installed on your PC. Open Control Panel > Programs and Features and see if Apple Mobile Device Support is listed. If not, Apple Mobile Device Support is missing on your PC so you have to reinstall iTunes to get Apple Mobile Device Support.

If Apple Mobile Device Support is already installed but photos can't import from iPhone to PC, try to restart Apple Mobile Device Service. Keep iTunes closed and your iPhone disconnected. Then open the Run window on PC, enter services.msc to open Services window. On the list, find Apple Mobile Device Service, right click it and choose Properties. Set Startup type as Automatic from drop down list.

First click the Stop button to stop the Apple Mobile Device Service.

Then click the Start button to restart the service.

Update Apple Mobile Device USB Driver

On your Windows PC, go to Device Manager and find Apple Mobile Device USB Driver under Universal Serial Bus controller(If Apple Mobile Device USB Driver is missing, read how to reinstall Apple Mobile Device USB Driver on Windows). If there is '!' or '?' next to the driver's name, uninstall the drive and then reinstall it.

Change Pictures Folder Permission

If your computer doesn't have full control of the Pictures folder, the computer won't import photos from iPhone. So get full control permission for the Pictures folder on your PC.

Step 1 Go to This PC > Pictures folder.

Step 2 Right click the folder and select Properties > Security > Edit.

Step 3 Highlight one of the account names and check Full Control under Allow.

x

If you want to give full control permission to all accounts. Click on Add button under user names. In Enter the object names to select field, enter Everyone and click Check Names > OK. The Everyone group is created. Now you need to give Full control permission to Everyone.

Reset Your iPhone's Location and Privacy Settings

Another trick you can try is resetting Location and Privacy Settings for your iPhone.

Step 1 Disconnect your iPhone from the computer.

Step 2 On your iPhone, go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset location & privacy.

Step 3 After reset, plug your iPhone to the computer and trust the computer. You should be able to import pictures from iPhone to PC now.

Why Won't My Iphone Photos Download To My Macbook Pro 2020

Import Smaller Selections of Photos

If you can see iPhone photos on PC but can't import the photos from iPhone, you can try to import only a small portion of photos on your iPhone to PC for one time. Some users found they can't import all thousands of photos on their iPhones to PC at once. A batch of 250-300 photos is recommended to import from iPhone to PC at a time.

If you want to import all iPhone photos at once, try FonePaw DoTrans, a data transfer tool for iPhone to transfer photos, videos, music, and more.

Turned off Antivirus Programs

If you have antivirus programs installed on your computer, disable the program temporarily when importing iPhone photos to PC.


If you still cannot import photos from iPhone to Windows PC, describe your issue below.