Keeping your precious memories organized across all your Apple devices is essential. For photographers and everyday users alike, ensuring your iPhone photos are seamlessly accessible on your Mac is a common need. While iCloud offers automatic syncing, there’s a robust alternative: syncing directly from your Mac using Finder. This method provides more control over which photos are transferred and is particularly useful when you want to manage specific albums or folders.
This guide will walk you through the process of how to sync photos from your iPhone to your Mac, focusing on the Finder method. We’ll cover everything from preparing your devices to managing your synced photos, ensuring you have a clear and efficient workflow.
Preparing for Photo Syncing Between iPhone and Mac
Before diving into the syncing process, it’s important to understand a crucial point: iCloud Photos and Finder syncing are mutually exclusive. If you have iCloud Photos enabled on both your iPhone and Mac, your photos are already automatically synced via the cloud. To use Finder to sync, you’ll need to disable iCloud Photos on your iPhone.
Here’s how to check and disable iCloud Photos on your iPhone if needed:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Tap on your Apple ID profile at the top.
- Select iCloud.
- Tap on Photos.
- If iCloud Photos is toggled on, tap the toggle to turn it off.
Turning off iCloud Photos on iPhone to enable Finder syncing
Note: Turning off iCloud Photos means changes made in Photos on one device won’t automatically reflect on others. Choose the syncing method that best fits your workflow.
With iCloud Photos managed, you’re ready to proceed with Finder syncing.
Step-by-Step Guide to Sync Photos from iPhone to Mac Using Finder
Finder provides a straightforward way to sync photos directly from your Mac to your iPhone. Follow these steps to establish a connection and transfer your chosen photos:
1. Connect Your iPhone to Your Mac
Begin by physically connecting your iPhone to your Mac. You can use either a USB cable or a USB-C cable depending on your devices. Alternatively, you can utilize Wi-Fi syncing if you’ve set it up previously. For a new setup or for the most reliable connection, a cable is recommended.
2. Access Your iPhone in Finder
Once connected, open Finder on your Mac. You can do this by clicking the Finder icon in your Dock. In the Finder sidebar, you should see your iPhone listed under the “Locations” section. Click on your iPhone’s name to select it.
Troubleshooting: If your iPhone doesn’t appear in the Finder sidebar, ensure your iPhone is unlocked and trust the computer if prompted on your iPhone screen. For persistent issues, refer to Apple’s support guide on devices not appearing in Finder.
3. Navigate to the Photos Sync Options
At the top of the Finder window, you’ll see a row of tabs including “General,” “Music,” “Movies,” and “Photos.” Click on the Photos tab. This will bring you to the photo syncing settings.
Turning off iCloud Photos on iPhone to enable Finder syncing
4. Choose Your Photo Source: Photos App or Folder
Check the box labeled “Sync Photos to your device from”. A dropdown menu will appear, allowing you to choose the source of photos you want to sync. You have two main options:
- Photos: This option syncs photos directly from your Mac’s Photos app library.
- Pictures (or Choose Folder…): This allows you to sync photos from a specific folder on your Mac, such as your Pictures folder or any other folder you use to organize photos.
Select the option that best suits where your photos are stored on your Mac.
5. Select Albums or Folders to Sync
The options available will vary slightly depending on whether you chose to sync from the Photos app or a folder:
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Syncing from Photos App:
- All photos and albums: Syncs your entire Photos library.
- Selected albums: Allows you to choose specific albums to sync. You can select albums, people, or even places to curate your synced collection.
-
Syncing from a Folder:
- All folders: Syncs all folders within the selected main folder.
- Selected folders: Lets you pick specific folders to sync to your iPhone.
Choose the selection that matches the photos you want to transfer to your iPhone by checking the corresponding boxes.
6. Configure Syncing Options
Below the album/folder selection, you’ll find additional syncing options to refine your transfer:
- Include videos: Check this to sync videos along with your photos, whether syncing from the Photos app or a folder.
- Only favorites: (Photos App only) Syncs only photos marked as “favorites” in your Photos library.
- Automatically include photos from [Time Period]: (Photos App only) Syncs photos taken within a specified time frame, like the last year or 30 days.
Customize these options based on your syncing needs.
7. Apply and Sync
Once you’ve made all your selections, click the “Apply” button in the bottom right corner of the Finder window. This initiates the syncing process. Finder will then transfer the selected photos from your Mac to your iPhone. The time this takes will depend on the number of photos and videos being synced.
After syncing is complete, you can safely eject your iPhone by clicking the Eject button next to your device name in the Finder sidebar before disconnecting the cable.
Removing Synced Photos from Your iPhone
If you wish to remove previously synced photos from your iPhone, the process is also managed through Finder:
- Connect your iPhone to your Mac and select it in Finder.
- Navigate to the Photos tab in Finder.
- In the list of albums or folders, deselect the checkboxes next to the items you want to remove from your iPhone.
- Click “Apply” to sync the changes. The deselected albums or folders will be removed from your iPhone during the sync.
Important Warning: If you delete photos directly from a synced album within the Photos app on your iPhone, these deletions will not be synced back to your Mac. To permanently delete synced photos, you should remove them from the source on your Mac (either the Photos app or the synced folder) and then resync your iPhone.
Conclusion
Syncing photos from your Mac to your iPhone using Finder offers a controlled and direct method for managing your photo library across devices. While iCloud Photos provides seamless automatic syncing, Finder syncing is a valuable alternative, especially when you need to sync specific albums or folders and want to manage your photos directly from your computer. By following these steps, you can effectively keep your selected photos accessible on both your Mac and iPhone, ensuring your memories are always within reach.
