You can import photos and videos you have stored on a camera’s SD card, a USB drive, a phone, or on another device. Here's how:
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Use a USB cable to connect your device to the PC.
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In the search box on the taskbar, type photos and then select the Photos app from the results.
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Select Import from the app bar.
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Your devices will automatically show under Import.
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Choose your device from the list of connected devices.
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Wait for the content to load from your device.
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Select the photos and videos you would like to import.
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Choose the location of the destination folder for import.
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Select Confirm to move the photos and videos.
Note for iPhone: If you are having trouble with your iPhone import, make sure your device is unlocked and you’ve accepted the permissions.
Note for Androidand other devices:If you’re using an Android phone or other device and import isn’t working, you might need to change your phone’s USB settings from Charging over USB to Transfer Files or Transfer Photos.
First, connect your phone to a PC with a USB cable that can transfer files.
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Turn your phone on and unlock it. Your PC can’t find the device if the device is locked.
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On your PC, select the Start button and then select Photos to open the Photos app.
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Select Import > From a connecteddevice, then follow the instructions. You can pick the items you want to import and select where to save them.Allow a few moments for detection and transfer.
Make sure the photos you want to import are actually on the device rather than in the cloud.
For any general information related to photos and videos in Windows 8.1, seehow to manage photos and videos in Windows 8.1.
Following are several ways to import photos and videos from your phone, camera, other device, or disc.
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Connect a phone, camera, storage card from your camera, or external drive to your PC.
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Open the Photos app.
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Swipe in from the bottom edge to see the app commands.
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(If you're using a mouse, right-click within the app.)
Note:Import isn't available if you're looking at a single picture in full screen view.
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SelectImport.
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Select the device you want to import from.
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The app automatically searches for all photos and videos that it hasn’t imported before and selects them. You can also swipe down on or click each photo and video you want to import or selectSelect all.
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SelectImport.
The photos and videos are saved in the Pictures folder in a subfolder named with the date (for example, 2013-09-10).
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Insert the disc into the drive.
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Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tapSearch.
(If you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, and then clickSearch.)
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EnterFile Explorerin the search box, and then selectFile Explorer.
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In the left pane, clickThis PCto expand the list of folders and devices.
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Select the drive with your photos and videos.
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Find the photos you want to import, select them, and then copy them to a new folder. If you’d like to see them in the Photos app, copy them into the Pictures folder on your PC or in OneDrive.
You can use AutoPlay to determine what happens when you connect a device to your PC. For example, set it so that every time you plug in a storage card, the Photos app opens and you select which photos and videos to import. You might need to turn on your device's multimedia transport control before AutoPlay can find it.
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To set basic options: openPC settings, selectPC and devices, and then selectAutoPlay.
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To set advanced options: openControl Panel, selectHardware and Sound, and then selectAutoPlay.
FAQs
If your photos are not importing from your iPhone to Windows, you can try to troubleshoot the issue by checking the connection between your iPhone and the PC, updating the Photos app, and restarting both devices.
How long does it take to prepare to import photos from an iPhone? ›
The preparation to import from the iPhone process should only take a few seconds, but sometimes you can get stuck on it longer. If stuck for more than a few seconds, it means there's a problem. Identify the best method to fix the problem using the steps discussed in this article.
How do I open Windows import pictures and videos? ›
On your PC, select the Start button and then select Photos to open the Photos app. Select Import > From a connected device, then follow the instructions. You can pick the items you want to import and select where to save them. Allow a few moments for detection and transfer.
What has happened to Microsoft photos? ›
Microsoft released a new version of the Photos app for Windows 11 in October 2022 that supports iCloud integration and an enhanced Slideshow feature. Learn more about how to get Windows 11.
Why are my iPhone photos not supported on my PC? ›
This is most likely because your PC does not recognise the HEIC format. In 2017, Apple began using the High Efficiency Image Container (HEIC) format in iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra. This format allows for smaller file sizes than JPG or PNG.
Why can't I import video from iPhone to PC? ›
The reason why you can't transfer iPhone videos to a PC is probably that your computer doesn't recognize your iPhone. There are some ways that you can try to fix: Check if your Windows PC or iPhone is running the latest iOS. Make sure you updated iTunes to the latest version.
Why does it keep saying preparing to import photos? ›
Because of incompatibility problems, 'preparing to import from iPhone photos' can occur if your device iOS is outdated. Hence, you need the latest version of iOS/MacOS to tackle this issue.
Why is importing photos from iPhone taking so long? ›
Too many photos may slow down the transferring speed, just select fewer photos or files. Then iCloud or iTunes will not have to transfer a large number of files. Make sure that your network speed is in good condition and avoid downloading other large files when you are using the network to import iPhotos.
What does import photos and videos mean? ›
Importing is the process of acquiring photos and videos from sources and/or devices external to your computer hard drives and copying them into folders on your computer so Picasa can find and index them.
What is the fastest way to transfer pictures from phone to computer? ›
You can quickly transfer photos from your Android mobile to your computer using Google Photos. The amount of time it takes to transfer a picture depends on the kind of photo you're trying to transfer. The Storage saver option in Google Photos is sufficient for most users.
Specific examples of imports are cars, gas and oil, clothing, and computers. Economists and politicians may disagree about the benefits of imports for their nation. Imports may allow businesses to access goods, services, and natural resources from other countries.
Is Microsoft Photos any good? ›
Microsoft Photos offers several great features that make it a standout application for managing and editing photos. I appreciate its user-friendly interface, which makes it easy for users to organize and navigate through their photo libraries.
Is there an alternative to Microsoft Photos? ›
Other important factors to consider when researching alternatives to Microsoft Photos include user interface and features. The best overall Microsoft Photos alternative is Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic. Other similar apps like Microsoft Photos are Photos, Adobe Bridge, Flickr, and ACDSee.
Can I edit videos in Microsoft Photos? ›
Whether you like to apply changes that affect your photo's quality, feel, and look—or you want to add information on top of your photos, the Photos app in Windows gives you all kinds of options for getting your photos and videos looking their best.
Why are my photos not transferring from iPhone to computer? ›
This usually means you only store a smaller preview of your images on the iPhone. The images are actually stored on the iCloud. For this reason, photos won't import from iPhone to PC when you are trying to transfer data. Under iCloud, go to Photos and disable this option.
Why does it say device unreachable when importing photos from iPhone? ›
One of the common problems that causes this error to erupt is a broken USB cable port. In order to make sure that this is not the root cause, try a different port for the transfer and if that is not working you can transfer using a different cable altogether.
Why won't my iPhone photos import to Windows 11? ›
Check your connections and try a different computer. When you are unable to import photos from iPhone to PC, try to import your photos using a different or new Apple USB cable. If you still don't see the camera entry in the Device Manager, test your iOS device on a different computer.
