Forum Discussion

Briarouu's avatar
Briarouu
Copper Contributor
May 18, 2026

What is the fastest way to export all photos from my iPhone to pc?

I have a huge number of photos on my iPhone that I need to transfer to my Windows PC, and I'm getting really frustrated with how long it's taking. I've already tried two methods and neither is workin...
Features
Alexander95s's avatar
Alexander95s
Copper Contributor
May 18, 2026

When it comes to how to export photos from iPhone to PC with USB. There is a family of free, open-source command-line tools called libimobiledevice that can communicate with iOS devices over USB without using iTunes or Apple's drivers. While these require you to use a command line, they are genuinely obscure and completely free.

However, there is a significant catch: These tools require building from source code or using a package manager, and they are not user-friendly. For someone who wants to avoid technical complexity, this approach is not practical.

What you would need to do if you are wondering how to export photos from iPhone to PC with USB:

1. Install a package manager like winget or chocolatey on Windows

2. Use the command line to install libimobiledevice

3. Learn command-line syntax to navigate directories and copy files

Even then, the primary way these tools access photos is by mounting the iPhone's DCIM folder—which is essentially the same File Explorer approach you've ruled out.