Sync Photos Library Mac To Windows

  1. Mac To Windows Converter
  2. Windows 10 Photos App Sync
  3. Mac To Windows Software

How to Switch From a Mac to a Windows PC Without Losing Your Data. The Google Photos uploader for macOS will spot your Photos library straight away, and you can use the Google Drive desktop. If you’ve forked out for a Pro account (or you have a small library) then Dropbox can sync your iTunes library from one machine to another, but it’s a method only for the brave. You’ll need to have all your music and video content in the designated Media folders, and you need to then point iTunes (on Windows. It allows you to sync and backup your photos from iPhoto library to OneDrive. If you want to sync iPhoto library with OneDrive, then you need to download and install 'OneDrive application' on your Mac. When you install the OneDrive app for Mac, it will create a folder (OneDrive folder) on your Mac to backup photos, videos and files.

Choose where you want to keep your photos and videos

First, decide where you want to keep your collection of photos and videos. You can make them available on all your devices with iCloud Photos. Or you can choose to store them locally only on your Mac or PC.

Windows

iCloud Photos

With iCloud Photos, you can access your photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, Apple TV, on iCloud.com, and even your PC. Your latest shots are automatically added to iCloud Photos, and any organizational changes or edits you make are always kept up to date across all your devices.*

Before you begin:

  1. Make sure that the software is up to date on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, your Mac, and your Apple TV.
  2. Set up iCloud on all of your devices. If you have a PC, download iCloud for Windows. Make sure that you're signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID on all of your devices.
  3. Make sure that your device is connected to Wi-Fi.

Turn on iCloud Photos:

  • On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos, then turn on iCloud Photos.
  • On your Mac, go to System Preferences > iCloud. Click the Options button next to Photos, then select iCloud Photos.
  • On your Apple TV, go to Settings > Accounts > iCloud > iCloud Photos.
  • On your PC, follow the steps to set up iCloud Photos.

If you've already synced photos to your iOS device from iTunes, and then you turn on iCloud Photos on your iOS device, you'll see a message that says 'Photos and Videos Synced from iTunes will be Removed.' The photos and videos that you synced from your computer will stay on your computer, but they're removed from your iOS device.

You can get these photos and videos back onto your iOS device by turning on iCloud Photos on your Mac or PC. When you do that, the photos from your computer upload to iCloud so that you can access them on all of your devices. After you turn on iCloud Photos, all photos are in iCloud and accessible from the Photos app on your Mac or a folder on your PC.

You can get more help using iCloud Photos on your Mac or PC.

* The photos and videos that you keep in iCloud Photos use your iCloud storage. Before you turn on iCloud Photos, make sure that you have enough space in iCloud to store your entire collection. You can see how much space you need and then upgrade your storage plan if necessary.

Import to your Mac

You can use the Photos app to import photos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your Mac without using iCloud Photos. These steps also work for importing images from digital cameras and SD cards.

  1. Make sure that you have the latest version of iTunes on your Mac. Importing photos to your Mac requires iTunes 12.5.1 or later.
  2. Connect your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or digital camera to your Mac with a USB cable. If you're using an SD card, insert it into the SD slot on your Mac, or connect it using a card reader.
  3. You might need to unlock your iOS device using your passcode. You might also see a prompt on the iOS device asking you to Trust This Computer. Tap Trust to continue.
  4. On your Mac, the Photos app automatically opens. If it doesn't, open the Photos app.
  5. The Photos app shows an Import screen with all the photos and videos that are on your connected device. If the Import screen doesn't automatically appear, click the Import tab at the top of the Photos app, or click the device's name in the Photos sidebar.
  6. To import a selection of photos, click the ones you want, then click Import Selected. To import all new photos, click Import All New Photos.
  7. You can now disconnect your device from your Mac. If you imported photos from an SD card or other USB device, safely eject the device first.

In macOS High Sierra or later, imported photos appear in the Photos app's Import album. If you're using an earlier version of macOS, you'll find them in your Last Import album.

Photos and videos that you sync from your computer to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch using iTunes can't be imported back to your computer.

Learn what to do if you can't import photos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your computer.

Import to your PC

You can import photos to your PC by connecting your device to your computer and using Windows Photos app:

  1. Make sure that you have the latest version of iTunes on your PC. Importing photos to your PC requires iTunes 12.5.1 or later.
  2. Connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your PC with a USB cable.
  3. You might need to unlock your iOS device using your passcode.
  4. You might also see a prompt on the iOS device asking you to Trust This Computer. Tap Trust or Allow to continue.

Then, follow the steps in these Microsoft knowledge base articles to learn how to import photos to Windows Photos app:

When you import videos from your iOS device to your PC, some might be rotated incorrectly in Windows Photos app. You can add these videos to iTunes to play them in the correct orientation.

If you have iCloud Photos turned on, you need to download the original, full resolution versions of your photos to your iPhone before you import to your PC. Find out how.

Photos and videos that you sync from your computer to your iOS device using iTunes can't be imported back to your computer.

Learn what to do if you can't import photos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your computer.

Get photos from your computer to your iOS device

You can choose among several options for transferring photos and videos from your computer to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch:

  • Use iCloud Photos with Photos for macOS or iCloud for Windows to keep your photos safely stored and up-to-date on all your devices.
  • Use AirDrop to wirelessly send photos and videos from your Mac to your iOS device. This is a quick and easy Mac-only option for sending a few items. When you send photos and videos to an iOS device via AirDrop, they appear in the device's Photos app.
  • Sync your photos manually with iTunes. Each time that you sync your iOS device with iTunes, the photos and videos on your iOS device update to match the albums on your computer.

Learn more

  • Use Time Machine to back up all of your files, including your photos and videos, to an external hard drive.
  • Import photos and video from storage media, like a hard disk or SD card, to Photos for macOS.
  • Use a scanner and Image Capture to import photos that were taken with a film camera.
  • Use the Move to iOS app to transfer your photos from an Android device to an iOS device.
  • Import your images directly to a folder on your Mac with Image Capture.

With iCloud Photos, you can access your photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, Apple TV, on iCloud.com, and even your Windows PC. When you're connected to the Internet, Wi-Fi, or a cellular network, your newest shots upload automatically and your edits update in real time. So you always see the latest version on your devices and online.

Before you begin

  • Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to the latest version of iOS, your Mac to the latest macOS, and your Apple TV 4K or Apple TV (4th generation) to the latest tvOS.
  • Make sure that you’re signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID on all of your devices.
  • Set up iCloud on all of your devices. If you have a PC, download iCloud for Windows.
  • Make sure that your device is connected to Wi-Fi.

Turn on iCloud Photos

  • On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos, then turn on iCloud Photos.
  • On your Mac, go to System Preferences > iCloud > Options next to Photos, then select iCloud Photos.
  • On your Apple TV, go to Settings > Accounts > iCloud > iCloud Photos.
  • On your Windows PC, download iCloud for Windows then set up iCloud Photos.

If you have photos synced to your iOS device from iTunes and then turn on iCloud Photos, you'll see 'Photos and Videos Synced from iTunes will be Removed.' The original versions of the photos and videos will stay on your computer and the copies are removed from your iOS device. When you turn on iCloud Photos on your Mac or PC, your original versions will upload to iCloud and you can access them on all of your devices.

If you choose not to turn on iCloud Photos, you can sync your photos and videos manually in iTunes.

Sync your photos manually with iTunes

You can set up iTunes to sync photos to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from the Photos app, or from a folder on your computer. Each time that you sync your iOS device with iTunes, the photos and videos on your iOS device update to match the albums on your computer. If you have photos on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch that aren't on your computer, follow these steps to import them.

  1. Make sure that you have the latest version of iTunes.
  2. Open iTunes on your computer.
  3. Use the included USB cable to connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your computer.
  4. In the sidebar on the left side of the iTunes window, click Photos.
  5. Click the box next to 'Sync Photos.' If instead you see 'iCloud Photos is On,' all of your photos and videos are already on all of your devices that use iCloud Photos. You don't need to sync them through iTunes.
  6. Choose the app or folder that you want to sync from. If you choose to sync a folder with sub-folders, the first level of sub-folders will appear as albums on your device.
  7. Choose to sync all photos and albums or selected albums.
  8. Select 'Include videos' to sync the videos from your app or folder too.
  9. Click Apply.

Mac To Windows Converter

You must import Slo-Mo and Time-Lapse videos through the Photos app or Image Capture in OS X Yosemite or later for their effect to be synced via iTunes. When you use iCloud Photos, Slo-Mo and Time-Lapse videos keep their effects.

Sync Photos Library Mac To Windows

Live Photos keep their effect when you import them to Photos in OS X El Capitan and later, but they lose their effect if you sync them back to your device via iTunes. Use iCloud Photos so that Live Photos keep their effect, no matter what device you use.

If you're syncing from Photos, only your System Photo Library is available in iTunes.

Turn off iTunes syncing

If you don't want the synced photos on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch anymore, turn off syncing in iTunes and they'll be removed from your device. You can turn off syncing for some of your photo albums or all of them at once.

Stop syncing some albums

  1. Open iTunes on your computer and connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
  2. Click Photos.
  3. Choose 'Selected albums' and deselect the albums or collections that you want to stop syncing.
  4. Click Apply.

Stop syncing all photos

Windows 10 Photos App Sync

  1. Open iTunes on your computer and connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
  2. Click Photos.
  3. Deselect 'Sync Photos' then click 'Remove photos.'
  4. Click Apply.

Learn more

Mac To Windows Software

  • iCloud Photos doesn't upload photos and videos you add to your device from iTunes. If you're missing photos after you turn on iCloud Photos, follow these steps.
  • You can always make a copy of your photos and videos and keep them on your computer.
  • Learn how to import photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your computer. If you use an iPod nano (5th generation), learn how to import recorded videos using Windows or Mac.