5 Ways to Import iPhone Photos to External Hard Drive in 2024

You accumulate data every day on your mobile phone and this data can’t be stored forever on your iPhone. You must transfer them to another device to free some space and ensure that your phone is still in good condition.

There are many ways on how to backup your data, you can use iCloud, iTunes, and other sources but today, we will show you how to import photos from iPhone to external hard drive.

Why use an external hard drive? Because it has more than enough space to offer than your iPhone or your iCloud and iTunes backup.

You might even want to transfer your entire iPhone to the hard drive. This article will show you the best ways to try!

Part 1. The Easiest Way to Import Photos from iPhone to External Hard Drive (Simple Clicks)Part 2. Can You Transfer Photos from iPhone Directly to External Hard Drive?Part 3. How to Import Photos from iPhone to the External Hard Drive without A ComputerPart 4. Import Photos from iPhone to External Hard Drive via Windows Photos AppPart 5. Use iCloud to Import Photos from the iPhone to the External Hard DrivePart 6. Import Photos from iPhone to External Hard Drive via Image Capture on MacPart 7. Summary

Part 1. The Easiest Way to Import Photos from iPhone to External Hard Drive (Simple Clicks)

It has always been a call from iOS users asking for a dedicated program that could help them manage their files easily and more conveniently than the features offered by Apple.

So this is why FoneDog Phone Transfer was designed. It was developed to fill in the gap and provides users with the best transfer option among iOS devices, android, computer, and hard drives.

Phone Transfer Transfer files among iOS, Android, Windows PC, hard drive.Transfer large amounts of photos easily and smoothly.
Transfer and backup text messages, contacts, photos, video, music on computer easily. Fully compatible with the latest iOS and Android. Free Download

This software comes with a user-friendly interface that lets you transfer a multitude of files from iOS to iOS or any other device without data loss. To use FoneDog Phone Transfer to import photos from iPhone to External Hard Drive, check out the easy steps below:

1. Download, install and open FoneDog Phone Transfer on your computer.
2. Connect your iPhone to the computer with a USB cable.
3. Click Photos and mark the pictures to import.
4. Click the ‘Export to’ and select your External Hard drive.
5. When the import process is done, disconnect the iPhone.

That's it! After only a few steps, your photos will be transferred from your iPhone to your hard drive safely.

Free Download

Part 2. Can You Transfer Photos from iPhone Directly to External Hard Drive?

Yes, you can transfer photos from your iPhone directly to an external hard drive by using the appropriate adapter, such as a Lightning to USB adapter, or a wireless external hard drive that connects over Wi-Fi. Please ensure you choose an adapter compatible with your iPhone model.

Part 3. How to Import Photos from iPhone to the External Hard Drive without A Computer

Part 4. Import Photos from iPhone to External Hard Drive via Windows Photos App

Later versions of Windows included the Photos app. This app allows you to manage and import photos from a folder or a USB device to a PC.

Check out how to import photos from iPhone to external hard drive using Photos App on PC:

1. Connect the iPhone and the external hard drive to the computer via USB. Make sure that both devices are recognized and your computer must be running on Windows 8 or later.
2. If received on the iPhone, tap Allow when asked to Trust this computer.
3. Open the Photos app on your computer and click Import from a USB Device. This will prompt the Photos app to search for pictures on the iPhone.
4. Navigate and mark all the photos you wish to import.
5. Go to Import Settings and select Change the import destination. Set a specific location on the external hard drive. Click Done.
6. Click Import Selected to initiate the transfer of photos from the iPhone to the external hard drive.

Part 5. Use iCloud to Import Photos from the iPhone to the External Hard Drive

You might be surprised but your iCloud can let you import the photos from your iPhone to the external hard drive. How? Let’s first set up iCloud Photos on the iPhone. Follow the complete guide below:

1. On your iPhone, enable iCloud Photos. Head to Settings and then iCloud. Select Photos and toggle on iCloud Photos.
2. Get iCloud for Windows on your computer. Sign in using the same Apple ID.
3. After successful download, select the Options button next to Photos and check the box beside iCloud Photo Library. Also, tick the box for ‘Download new photos and videos to my PC’.
4. Then under "Download new photos and videos to my PC" click Change and set the default location as your external hard drive.
5. Click Done and click Apply.

Wait for the sync to be completed. Your iPhone photos will now be imported to the external hard drive.

Part 6. Import Photos from iPhone to External Hard Drive via Image Capture on Mac

If you are using Mac, you can also swiftly learn how to import photos from iPhone to external hard drive using the Image Capture app. The Image Capture app lets you upload media files from other digital sources such as cameras.

Check out how to use Image Capture to import iPhone photos to the external hard drive;

1. Connect your devices, the iPhone, and the external hard drive to your Mac with a USB cable. Again, make sure they are recognized.
2. Open Image Capture and select your iPhone from the Devices list.
3. Select the Import To dialogue box and choose to save the pictures to your external hard drive.
4. Click either Import to select a few or Import All.

Part 7. Summary

There are many more ways on how to import photos from iPhone to external hard drive but we gathered the top 5 options. We made sure that you can perform the import on both Windows and Mac computers.

Of course, among the options, FoneDog Phone Transfer is so far the easiest and most convenient way. It has all the required tools that any iOS device could ask for. The software is also designed to provide hassle-free transfer options across various devices including iOS, Android, and computer.