# How do I transfer photos from Mac to I-Phone? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 5, 2012, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-transfer-photos-from-mac-to-i-phone/640004 "2012-11-05T21:42:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kiyoshi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kiyoshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiyoshi)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-transfer-photos-from-mac-to-i-phone/640004/1 "2012-11-05T21:42:15Z")
I have a jpeg file on my Mac desktop. I want to transfer the file onto my I-Phone, so that I can send it in a picture message. Sounds simple, huh? Common sense says that I should be able to plug in the phone, use it as a portable hard drive, and just drag the file across. But apparently Apple has no common sense. I guess I have to use that god-awful I-Photos software, but I can’t work out how to do it, and Google isn’t helping me. Any ideas, folks? ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-transfer-photos-from-mac-to-i-phone/640004/2 "2012-11-05T21:47:53Z")
Common sense says you should be able to use your phone as a USB jumpdrive? No, no it doesn’t. If I needed to transfer one photo from my Mac to my phone, I would use Dropbox or email it to myself. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-transfer-photos-from-mac-to-i-phone/640004/3 "2012-11-05T21:56:07Z")
Detailed instructions are here: > **[Sync your photos manually using the Finder](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201313)** > > If you don't use iCloud Photos, you can manually sync your photos and videos from your Mac to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch using the Finder.  You don’t have to use iPhoto if you don’t want, that page tells you how to sync photos from a folder. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-transfer-photos-from-mac-to-i-phone/640004/4 "2012-11-05T21:59:11Z")
> [@Kiyoshi](#): > > I guess I have to use that god-awful I-Photos software, but I can’t work out how to do it, and Google isn’t helping me. For the record, I Googled [“import files to iPhoto”.](http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-import-pictures-to-iphoto-in-ilife-11.html) ETA: though I see you can also do it without using iPhoto. So choose yer poison. ---
**Author:** ![Kiyoshi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kiyoshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiyoshi)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-transfer-photos-from-mac-to-i-phone/640004/5 "2012-11-05T22:29:59Z")
> [@Garfield226](#): > > Common sense says you should be able to use your phone as a USB jumpdrive? No, no it doesn’t. I guess you work for Apple 😉 Other brands of phone, such as HTC, show up as a portable HD when you plug them in. On the whole, HTC phones are pretty user-unfriendly, but transferring files onto them is a piece of piss. And come to think of it, I’m pretty sure that I-Pods show up as a portable HD… ---
**Author:** ![Kiyoshi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kiyoshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiyoshi)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-transfer-photos-from-mac-to-i-phone/640004/6 "2012-11-05T22:34:28Z")
> [@tellyworth](#): > > Detailed instructions are here: > > [Sync your photos manually using the Finder - Apple Support](http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4236?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US) > > You don’t have to use iPhoto if you don’t want, that page tells you how to sync photos from a folder. Thanks, that did the job. (So…you transfer _photos_ using the _music_ software… 😕) ---
**Author:** ![Kiyoshi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kiyoshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiyoshi)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-transfer-photos-from-mac-to-i-phone/640004/7 "2012-11-05T22:38:05Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > For the record, I Googled [“import files to iPhoto”.](http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-import-pictures-to-iphoto-in-ilife-11.html) Thanks, but that didn’t cover how to get the photo actually onto my phone. Sorted now though. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-transfer-photos-from-mac-to-i-phone/640004/8 "2012-11-05T23:43:42Z")
> [@Kiyoshi](#): > > (So…you transfer _photos_ using the _music_ software… 😕) …said the guy who wants to look at a _picture_ on his _phone_. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-transfer-photos-from-mac-to-i-phone/640004/9 "2012-11-06T00:00:39Z")
> [@Garfield226](#): > > …said the guy who wants to look at a _picture_ on his _phone_. It’s a portable computer that happens to be capable of telephony. There’s nothing odd about expecting to use standard file transfer protocols on a portable computer. Unless it’s made by Apple, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-transfer-photos-from-mac-to-i-phone/640004/10 "2012-11-06T00:05:16Z")
We just did this a few weeks ago. [Enjoy!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=668915) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-transfer-photos-from-mac-to-i-phone/640004/11 "2012-11-06T02:25:13Z")
If you have an iCloud account and you activate Photostream then photos you add to iPhoto will automatically show up on your iPhone. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-transfer-photos-from-mac-to-i-phone/640004/12 "2012-11-06T04:01:02Z")
maybe try [iPad File Explorer](http://www.easypadapps.com/ipadfileexplorer/) ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-transfer-photos-from-mac-to-i-phone/640004/13 "2012-11-06T11:52:39Z")
> [@Garfield226](#): > > email it to myself. This is what I do to get pics from my blackberry to my kindlle fire.