[5 Ways] How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to External Hard Drive

iPhone photos and videos can take up a lot of space on your device and lead to storage issues. Deleting them directly on your iPhone may not be an option since the photos may be important to you.

There are different ways to back up your iPhone data, like iCloud or iTunes, but today, we will focus on how to transfer photos from iPhone to external hard drive. Now, let's go through all the methods step by step.

Way 1: Transfer Photos from iPhone to External Hard Drive in 1-Click

One of the best solutions to help you transfer photos from your iPhone to the external hard drive is using FoneGeek Backup & Restore (iOS). This third-party iOS management tool is very easy to use, allowing you to quickly and easily transfer data from an iOS device to a computer or external storage device. Let’s take a look at some of its key features:

• Transfer various data types from an iPhone to an external hard drive or computer, including contacts, SMS, music, photos, videos, etc.
• Allows you to manage the data on your device in numerous ways, including exporting, adding, or deleting data as needed.
• You can transfer data between your iOS devices and computer without needing iTunes.
• Fully supports all iOS devices and all versions of iOS, even the newest iPhone 15/14 and iOS 17/16.

Here’s how to transfer photos from an iPhone to an external hard drive:

Step 1: Download and install FoneGeek iOS Backup & Restore on to your computer and then launch the program.

Step 2: Connect the iPhone to the PC and tap on "Trust This Computer" when prompted. Once the device is detected, click on "One-click Export Photos to PC."

Step 3: The program will scan the device for all photos and automatically transfer all photos to the computer.

When the photo exporting process is complete, the destination folder will pop up. Then, you can freely transfer your iPhone photos to your external hard drive for safe backup. All the photos will be kept in original quality.

Way 2: Transfer iPhone Photos to External Hard Drive via iCloud

If the photos you want to transfer are in iCloud, follow these simple steps to transfer them to the external hard drive:

1. Ensure that the "iCloud Photos" is enabled on your iPhone.
2. Go to iCloud.com and sign in with your Apple ID and password.
3. Click on "Photos" and then wait while all photos are loaded. Select all the photos you want to transfer and then click on "Download selected items."
4. When the download is complete, connect the external hard drive to the computer and copy all photos to the drive.

Way 3: Transfer iPhone Photos to External Drive via Windows Photos

You can also easily use the Windows Photos app to transfer photos from your iPhone to the external hard drive. Here’s how to do it:

• Connect the iPhone to the PC using a USB cable.
• For Windows 7 users, the "Import Pictures and videos using Windows" popup will appear. Click on "Import" to begin importing the photos in your camera roll.
• For Windows 10, open the Photos App and then click on the "Import" button. You can then select the photos you want to import.
• Finally, connect the external drive to the computer and then move the photos to the drive.

Way 4: Transfer iPhone Photos to External Drive on Mac via Image Capture

For Mac users, the best way to transfer photos from the iPhone to the external drive is to use “Image Capture.” Here’s how to do it:

1. Connect the iPhone and the external hard drive to the Mac computer.
2. Using spotlight search to find "Image Capture" and launch the program when it appears in search results.
3. Click on the iPhone (you should be able to see it by its name), and all the photos on the device will be displayed in the next window.
4. On the "Import to" bar, choose the external hard drive. You can also select only some photos to import to the drive by first selecting the photos and then clicking on "Import." You can choose "Import All" if you want to import all photos.

Way 5: Transfer iPhone Photos to External Hard Drive without Computer

This method is very convenient for those who don't want to use a computer. You can connect your iPhone and external hard drive using an adapter for the photo transfer. However, ensure your iPhone/iPad is running iOS 13 or later.

1. Connect your iPhone and external drive using an adapter or a lightning port-equipped external hard drive.
2. Open the Photos app on your iPhone and select the pictures you want to transfer.
3. Tap the "Share" button, then select "Save to Files". Choose the external hard drive and a location on it, then tap "Save" to complete the transfer.

FAQs about Transferring iPhone Photos to External Hard Drive

How to backup iPhone photos to an external hard drive?

To transfer and back up photos from your iPhone to an external hard drive, start by connecting both your iPhone and the external hard drive to your computer. Then, you can use various methods such as the Photos app, iCloud, Image Capture, or third-party software to move the photos.

Can I connect my iPhone directly to an external hard drive?

Yes, you can connect your iPhone or iPad to various external storage devices like flash drives, USB hard drives, and SD cards using the right adapter. The type of adapter you need depends on your device model and the external device you're connecting to. You can buy the right adapter on Amazon.

Can I use other cloud services to transfer iPhone photos to an external drive?

Yes, you can use other cloud-based services besides iCloud to transfer photos from your iPhone to an external hard drive. Services like OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox offer similar features and steps to help you move your photos to the external hard drive.

The Bottom Line

This guide should be very helpful when you want to transfer photos from your iPhone to external hard drive. All the methods explained above can be used to back up photos to any brand of external hard drive, such as Seagate, Samsung, WD, and others. Among these methods, FoneGeek Backup & Restore (iOS) stands out as the top choice. It's software that simplifies the process of transferring data from an iPhone/iPad to any other device.