How to Transfer Videos from iPhone to Laptop (Windows, Mac)

You can move videos from an iPhone to a laptop either wired or wirelessly. For very large or long videos, you'd better use wired transfers or dedicated transfer tools. Here's how.

Katrin Gray

Updated on Nov 28, 2025

Do you want to save your iPhone videos locally on your laptop to free space, edit on a bigger screen, or archive footage but don't know which way is reliable? Depending on the size and length of the file, both Windows and macOS built-in tools certainly get the job done, but if you want additional options, third-party apps can do much more. Apple's AirDrop and cloud services also offer alternatives.

In this article, we'll walk you through different ways to send, download, and transfer videos from iPhone to laptop (wired and wireless) for different laptop brands and scenarios.

For those who want to get a reliable way to transfer media files to and from iPhone in daily use, check out Higospot iPhone Data Transfer, which supports bidirectional transfer, handles very large files, and even give you flexibility to manage your media library on the device.

Before doing anything

Before you decide to send videos from iPhone to laptop, keep in mind that very large or long videos (high bitrate, or continuous recordings) create problems: wireless transfers can be slow or fail, cloud services hit storage limits and long upload times, and some automatic import tools may convert or truncate files. Users often get stuck on transfer process when copying files over 1 GB or when network bandwidth is limited.

How to send a large video from iPhone to laptop Windows - Wired (best for large files)

If you want to import your iPhone videos to Windows laptop using the built-in Photos app or File Explorer, all you have to is open the app from your Start menu. Then you can select what item you need to import, or just drag your videos onto a local folder in hard drive. Here're detailed steps to follow:

Transfer videos to laptop from iPhone with Photos app

1. Plug your iPhone into your laptop using the cable.

2. Unlock your iPhone with Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode. If prompted, tap "Trust This Computer" and enter your passcode.

3. Launch the Photos app.

4. Click the Import button (usually at the top right).

5. Select From a USB device. Windows will scan your iPhone for photos and videos.

6. Select the video clips you want to import.

7. Click Import. The videos will now transfer from your iPhone to your laptop.

By default, imported videos go into the Pictures folder. They are now safely stored on your Windows laptop (HP, Dell, Lenovo, Asus, Acer, Toshiba, etc.).

Related: How to Bypass iPhone Passcode

Transfer videos to laptop from iPhone with File Explorer

1. Connect the iPhone with a Lightning or USB-C cable, depending on your model.

2. Unlock the device and tap Trust.

3. Open File Explorer and locate your iPhone in the left sidebar under This PC. If it doesn't detect your phone, try reconnecting, using a different USB port.

4. Open the Internal Storage folder. Inside, you'll find a folder named DCIM.

5. Browse through the subfolders to locate the videos (and photos) you want.

6. Select them, copy and paste to your desired folder on your laptop.

This preserves original quality of the video files and ensure a solid transfer without interruption.

Use a dedicated iPhone-to-laptop video transfer utility

If you don't like the way that Windows' preinstalled Photos or File Explorer does, you may always get a more convenient and efficient way to handle your videos transfer from an iPhone to a laptop.

Higospot iPhone Data Transfer is a reputable software tool for transferring videos from iPhone to a laptop because it offers direct, flexible, and user-friendly control over your media. With it, you can easily browse your iPhone's video, photos, and music library, then move to your PC, Mac, iTunes, or another Apple iPhone/iPad without syncing hassles.

Beyond video transfer, it also provides advanced features like selective backups, the ability to export personal info (messages, contacts, notes, etc.) and create custom ringtones, and manage your iCloud drive. This makes it not just a transfer tool, but a full-fledged device management solution that saves time, preserves quality, and gives you full control over where and how your videos are stored.

Win Download Mac Download

Here's a step-by-step guide for downloading videos from iPhone to a laptop. It supports both Windows-based laptops, and MacBook (Air, Pro). You will get a similar process. Here we take a Windows laptop as example.

1. Connect your iPhone to the laptop and open the program. It will shows the basic information of your phone on the screen.

2. Click Videos in the left sidebar. The program will load your iPhone's video library. All your videos are sorted by categories: Movies, Home Videos, TV Shows, Music Videos, etc.

3. To transfer videos from iPhone to laptop, select the videos you want to transfer, click the Export to PC button at the top. In the dialog that opens, choose a destination folder on your computer.

Higospot iPhone Data Transfer will copy the selected videos to your chosen folder. Once complete, you'll see a confirmation message.

Alternatively, after selecting your videos, right-click on the screen, then select Export to PC from the context menu.

If you need to transfer a full album of videos to your laptop, head to the albums list, right-click on a specific album, then choose Export to PC.

With these steps, you can reliably transfer videos from your iPhone to your laptop, while keeping full control over file selection and storage. Because the process involves a USB cable, it's suitable for large and long videos transfer.

how to upload a video from iPhone to laptop — Wireless (convenient for small files)

Apple comes with its own cloud storage service, iCloud to keep everything updated across all devices, including your laptop, which means you can access your videos, photos, calendars, bookmarks, files and other files from your laptop. So, if you just want to transfer a small or medium video clip, you may choose to do that through iCloud.

There are two ways to use iCloud with Windows: via a browser or using a dedicated iCloud for Windows application. Here we take a browser as an example.

Steps to transfer videos from iPhone to laptop with iCloud

1. Open Settings on iPhone, and go to [Your Name] > iCloud > Photos.

2. Toggle Sync this iPhone (or iCloud Photos for older models).

This automatically uploads all photos and videos from your iPhone to iCloud.

3. Open a web browser and go to iCloud.com.

4. Sign in with the same Apple Account used on your iPhone.

5. Click on Photos.

6. Browse and select the videos you want to download.

7. Click the Download button (cloud icon with a downward arrow in the upper right).

The iPhone videos will be saved to your laptop's default downloads folder.

Keep in mind that iCloud only offers 5 GB of free storage, if you want to transfer a long video that might be larger than the limit, you'll need to upgrade your plan or switch to use the Windows built-in tools instead.

How to send video from iPhone to laptop Mac — Wired (fastest, native)

If you're a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro user and need to import videos from an iPhone, Photos app that's preinstalled in macOS is the simplest option. It allows direct transfer of pictures and videos to your MacBook via a USB connection, without requiring any additional software.

1. Use a cable to connect your iPhone and Mac.

2. When prompted on your iPhone, tap "Trust."

3. On your Mac, launch Photos app from the dock. If it isn't there, open Applications folder, find it and double-click it (or search for it using Spotlight.).

4. Click on the Import tab located at the top of the window. Wait for it to detect your iPhone and display the photos available for import.

5. Choose the videos you want to transfer to your laptop.

6. To specify where the videos will be saved on your Mac, click on the Import Selected button and select Import Settings from the drop-down menu.

7. click on the Import Selected button to begin transferring the video from your iPhone to your laptop Mac.

You can also install Higospot iPhone Data Transfer outlined above on your Mac for a solid transfer of your videos, photos, and music. It strikes the same balance between power, polish, and efficiency.

How to Bluetooth video from iPhone to laptop — Wireless

Need a quick and easy way to Bluetooth a video from iPhone to laptop? Those with Apple laptops, such as MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro can take advantage of AirDrop, which lets you instantly send videos between your iPhone and laptop with just a few taps. AirDrop uses Bluetooth to discover and connect devices, then transfers the videos directly over a peer-to-peer Wi-Fi link for fast, secure sharing.

Something to be noted, AirDrop is only suitable for small to medium videos transfer. It's advisable to use combination of a solid USB cable and built-in transfer tool to send a long video from iPhone to laptop.

1. Go to Settings > General > AirDrop on iPhone. On a Mac, open Finder and click the AirDrop tab.

2. Set to Contacts Only or Everyone. to use the former option, both devices must be registered with iCloud, and each user must be in the other's contacts.

3. Open the video from your Photos library or Files app, then tap Share.

4. Select AirDrop from the menu. This will display a list of nearby people that's able to receive the file.

5. Tap the name of your Mac laptop.

6. On your Mac, tap Accept.

The select videos will send to your Mac instantly.

FAQs

What's the fastest way to transfer large videos?: Wired transfers are typically much faster and more reliable than wireless methods. You may Use a USB cable and import with the Photos app built in either your Windows or Mac laptop. Or use a dedicated tool like Higospot iPhone Data Transfer to handle the transfer.

Can I use iCloud Photos instead of a cable?: Yes — iCloud Photos syncs originals to iCloud and makes them available on your laptop, but it uses iCloud storage and can be slower for initial uploads depending on your internet speed

How do I keep original video quality?: To transfer videos from an iPhone to a laptop with original quality, you'd better use USB import or enable iCloud Photos with "Download Originals" on your laptop.

Why won't my computer see my iPhone?: Ensure that you unlock the phone and tap Trust prompt on the screen. If problems persists, try a different cable or USB port, and update drivers.

Can I transfer HEVC or ProRes videos?: Yes; modern Macs and recent Windows apps support HEVC, but older systems may need codecs or conversion. For ProRes, use a Mac or convert on the iPhone before transfer if your laptop can't play it.