Transfer photos from iPhone to Windows without a cable
Getting photos off an iPhone onto a Windows PC usually means finding the cable, trusting the computer, waiting for Explorer to load thousands of thumbnails, and then discovering that Windows cannot open HEIC files. iCloud for Windows works, but only after installing it and signing in, and a messenger will quietly compress every picture you send yourself.
With both devices on the same Wi-Fi, a browser tab on each side is enough. Pick the photos on the iPhone, and they appear on the PC a few seconds later at their original size.
How to do it
- Put the iPhone and the Windows PC on the same Wi-Fi network. A desktop on Ethernet counts as long as it is behind the same router.
- Open https://www.clipboardapp.org/en/ in a browser on each device. Devices on the same network are grouped automatically under the Same network tab. There is no code to type and no invite to send.
- In Safari, tap the Upload File card and choose Photo Library. Select as many photos or videos as you need and tap Add.
- If you just copied a screenshot or an image, tap the Paste card once and allow clipboard access. It goes across without opening the photo picker.
- The photos appear on the PC screen. Use the download button to save them, or click an image to copy it to the clipboard and paste it straight into a document.
- To send from the PC to the iPhone, drag files onto the page or press Ctrl+V. On the iPhone, open the item and long-press to save it to Photos.
Good to know
- Photos are sent as they are, so HEIC files stay HEIC. If Windows cannot open them, set Camera > Formats to Most Compatible on the iPhone for future photos, or install the HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store.
- Each file can be up to 100MB. Long 4K videos exceed that quickly; trim them in the Photos app first.
- Add the page to the home screen from Safari's share menu and it opens like an app the next time.
- If the two devices are on different networks, switch to the Everyone tab. Items there are visible to anyone with the service open, so keep personal files and one-time codes on the same network instead.
Questions
Do I need iTunes or an Apple ID on the PC?
No. Nothing is installed on the PC and no account is used on either side. Any current browser on Windows is enough.
Is the image quality reduced?
No. Files are transferred without compression, so photos keep their full resolution and metadata.
Can I transfer my whole library this way?
It is built for a handful of photos to a few hundred megabytes at a time. For a full backup of thousands of photos, a cable or iCloud for Windows is still the better tool.