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Full Guide on How to Connect iPhone to PC and Transfer Files?

2023-05-11 00:00:00/Posted by Alleny Gavinto iOS Transfer Topic/Follow @ MobiKin

iPhone is the pocket smartphone combining with a high-definition camera, media player, wireless communication equipment, and personal digital assistant. When iOS device users intend to manage or share data on their iDevice more quickly, it's better to connect iPhone to Windows PC so that you can transfer photos from iPhone to PC, download music from PC to iPhone, back up a whole phone to pc, or manage the phone data on computer directly.

However, do you know how to connect iPhone to PC successfully? This article offers you a full guide on how to link iPhone to PC in six different ways. You can select any way as per your choice.

how to connect iphone to pc

Way 1: How to Connect iPhone to Windows PC with USB Cable

The easiest and most direct way to connect iPhone to computer is to use a USB cable. Make sure you have a USB cable that came with your device. Then you can follow the steps below.

  • Take out the USB cable, plug the large end into the PC and the small end into iPhone.
  • Once the connection is enabled, and the computer detects your iPhone, you will get a tip on your device.
  • Unlock your iPhone, and you will see the message "Allow this device to access photos and videos?", tap on "Allow".
  • Turn to your computer, click on "This PC" and you can see your iPhone under Devices and drives section.
  • Double-click the iPhone to open the internal storage, and then, you can copy photos and videos from your iPhone to this computer.

connect iphone to windows pc with usb

By the way, if it is the first time your iPhone connects to the computer, you may need to install the USB driver firstly. But don't worry, Windows will automatically complete the driver installing process for you.

 

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Way 2: How to Connect iPhone to PC with iTunes

It is a common method to connect iPhone to computer with iTunes. Here are the steps you might follow.

  • Link your iPhone to a computer with an original USB cable.
  • While connecting, iTunes might be launched automatically. Please make sure that the latest version of iTunes is installed. Go to "Help" > "Check for Update" on iTunes and update the iTunes if necessary.
  • Click the iPhone icon on the iTunes interface.
  • Actually, by the time you can find the iPhone icon on the iTunes interface, you have already successfully connected your iPhone to the computer, and you might start to manage your iPhone here on iTunes. Next, this guide will take the file backup as an example to manage files on iTunes after connecting.

  • Click "Back Up Now" to create a local iPhone backup on your computer, then select contents to sync.
  • Hit "Apply" and "Sync" to begin the syncing process, and wait for a while till the process ends.

connect iphone to pc with itunes

You can also click "Option" > "Automatically sync when this iPhone is connected" to sync whenever you connect your iPhone to your computer.

 

Way 3: How to Link iPhone to PC over WiFi

You could also connect your iPhone to a computer with WiFi. You can refer to the following steps to achieve that.

1. Connect your iPhone to a computer with an original USB cable.

2. Run iTunes on your computer.

3. Click the iPhone icon on the iTunes interface, then scroll to the "Options" button and check "Sync with this iPhone over Wi-Fi" in the right panel. Then, click the "Apply" option to start the syncing process.

link iphone to pc over wifi

4. Wait for a while to finish syncing for changes to be applied on your iPhone and then disconnect your iPhone from the computer.

5. Go for your iPhone's "Settings" and tap "Wi-Fi" > "Wi-Fi Network". And please ensure that your iPhone and the computer are connected to the same WiFi network.

wifi networks settings

6. Click "Settings" on the left top of the screen, and scroll down to tap "General" > "iTunes Wi-Fi Sync". And please ensure that iTunes is running on your computer now.

7. Tap on "Sync Now" and your iPhone will sync wirelessly with your PC via WiFi.

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Way 4: How to Connect iPhone to Computer with Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a common function on smart devices. Its appearance has made a big breakthrough in the way of file sharing between different devices. Following is how to use Bluetooth to connect iPhone to computer.

Step 1. Turn on Bluetooth on Windows PC

Turn on Bluetooth from the actions center notification, or you can click on Start > Settings > Devices to turn it on.

turn on bluetooth on pc

Step 2. Turn on Bluetooth on iPhone

On the iPhone screen, turn on Bluetooth by swiping from the bottom to the top and tapping on the Bluetooth icon, or you can also go to tap on Settings > Bluetooth > move the slide bar to the right to turn it on.

turn on bluetooth on iphone

Step 3. Connect iPhone to PC via Bluetooth

iPhone will automatically detect the Bluetooth enabled devices nearby. Find and click on your PC, and then you will receive a message on your computer screen, asking you whether to match the password with your iPhone. You just need to click "Yes".

When your iPhone is successfully connected to the PC via Bluetooth, you can easily share files between them.

Way 5: How to Connect iPhone to PC via iCloud Drive

Another way to connect your iPhone to PC is using iCloud Drive. With the help of it, you can access your iPhone files on PC and sync data across different devices.

1. First of all, you need to enable iCloud Drive on your iPhone by navigating to Settings > iCloud > iCloud Drive, and tap on the On/Off button to turn it on.

turn on icloud drive on iphone

2. On your Windows PC, download and install iCloud from Apple official site. Run it ad log in to your iCloud account.

3. Go to iCloud Drive, and here, you can view and copy files to your PC.

connect iphone to pc via icloud drive

Way 6: How to Connect iPhone to PC and Transfer Files Selectively

In addition to the five methods described above, we can also use third-party software to connect iPhone to PC. Here, we strongly recommend MobiKin Assistant for iOS, because it is simple but powerful software. For people who don't want to use iTunes, this software is simply a perfect iTunes alternative. The following are some of its functions.

Core Features of Assistant for iOS:

  • Provides two connecting methods, that's to say, you can connect iPhone to PC via USB cable or WiFi.
  • It enables you to transfer a wide range of data between iPhone and computer, which include contacts, SMS, photos, videos, music, call logs, notes, books, apps, etc.
  • No data quality loss during or after the data transferring process.
  • It comes with 1-click iTunes backup and restore ability.
  • The Mac version of Assistant for iOS allows you to connect iPhone to Mac and transfer files effortlessly.
  • Supports overall iPhone/iPad/iPod models, including iPhone 12/12 Pro (Max), iPhone 11/11 Pro (Max), iPhone Xs Max/Xs/XR, iPhone 8/7/6S/6, etc.

How to Connect iPhone to PC and Transfer Files with Assistant for iOS

Step 1. Connect iPhone to Windows PC

Free download Assistant for iOS on your PC and connect your iPhone to PC via USB cable. From the main interface of the software, you can go to the left panel, where all files categories are displayed.

launch assistant for ios

Step 2. Transfer files from iPhone to PC

Click each data category, you can preview and choose the files you want to transfer. After that, click on the "Export" button from the top menu to start the transfer process.

transfer data from iphone to pc

The Bottom Line

The above are six different but effective ways to connect iPhone to PC. Among them, MobiKin Assistant for iOS is the simplest and most efficient way to connect and transfer files from iPhone to PC or Mac. OK, such six selections are ready for you to solve the matter that you have trouble connecting iPhone to computer. Do you have any other good solutions? Welcome to share with us.

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Alleny Gavin
Alleny GavinChief Editor
 
A chief editor at MobiKin, brings over a decade of experience in technical writing and holds a B.A. in English Literature. With a background as a Project Manager in the IT industry, he has authored 1000+ articles on MobiKin.com, offering expert solutions for iOS issues. Gavin, a tech enthusiast, effortlessly recommends software with passion and extensive expertise in smartphones and software.
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