How to transfer videos from iPhone 13 to computer - PC & Mac
Learn how to transfer videos from iPhone 13 to a computer seamless using various native tools and iPhone data transfer software. Works for Windows PC and Mac.
Lucas Seltzer Updated on Jul 22, 2026 5:39 PM
Appgeeker iPhone Data Transfer offers a stable and efficient USB-based solution to transfer videos between an iPhone and a computer in batch or individually. You can access the video library and pick what you'd like to copy across the devices without losing quality.
It's easy to offload videos from an iPhone 13 to the computer with or without a cable.
The iPhone 13 can record high-quality videos in 4K resolution, HDR, and HEVC formats, making it an excellent camera for capturing memories. However, moving those large video files from your iPhone 13 to a computer is not always straightforward - especially you don't know which tools you can use for the transfer of thousands of gigabytes of video files.
No worries, this guide breaks down top tested, reliable methods to transfer videos from your iPhone 13 to your computer. The best method depends on whether you're transferring the videos to a Windows PC or a macOS desktop, whether you prefer a wired or wireless video import, as well as how large your video library is.
Before we begin the iPhone 13 video transfer to computer, make sure there's enough space on the hard drive. Let's dive in.
Table of Contents
Transfer videos to Windows PC via USB cable
The direct USB cable connection is the most straightforward way to transfer large video files to a Windows computer from iPhone 13 (Pro, Pro Max, Mini) without relying on internet network or wireless syncing. With File Explorer and Photos app preinstalled in Windows system, exporting videos from the iPhone 13 directly to any computer's folder has become a free simple task.
Before transferring iPhone 13 videos to computer
First, change the HEVC to a Windows compatible format. HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) does not work with some older Windows systems. Open Settings app, scroll down and tap Apps, then choose Photos. From there, scroll down to "Transfer to Mac or PC" section and select Automatic.
Then, connect iPhone and enable Trust permission. Use a USB-C to Lightning cable to plug iPhone 13 into the computer, and unlock the screen. A prompt will appear on your iPhone asking "Trust This Computer?". Tap Trust and enter your device passcode, allowing PC to access your iPhone media library and send the videos from iPhone to computer.
Option 1: Use Windows File Explorer (Manual Drag-and-Drop)
If you prefer a traditional way of manually moving videos from your iPhone 13 Camera Roll, Windows File Explorer gives direct access to iPhone's videos for a cable transfer without installing iTunes or extra video transfer software. This works for all Windows computers.
1. Open File Explorer on your PC (Windows Key + E).
2. Click This PC in the left sidebar, then double-click Apple iPhone.
3. Navigate through Internal Storage > DCIM.
You will see date-based folders, or folders named 100APPLE or similar numbered folders.
4. Open these folders to locate your video files (.MOV or .MP4), and select the ones you wish to import to the computer.
5. Copy and paste, or drag and drop the selected videos into your desired PC folder (such as Videos or Pictures or whatever folder you created).
Tip: You can also right-click Apple iPhone, and choose Import pictures and videos > Import all new items now to transfer all new photos and videos from your iPhone 13 to computer.
Option 2: Use the Windows Photos App
For Windows 10 and Windows 11 users, the built-in Photos app provides an organized import wizard allowing to quickly import Camera Roll videos from an iPhone 13 to a computer through a cable connection, while keeping the original resolution of the raw videos.
1. Open the native Photos app on Windows.
2. In the top-right corner, click the Import > From a connected device. Windows will scan your iPhone 13 for photos and videos that are stored in iOS Photos app.
3. Select the specific videos you wish to transfer.
4. Set your destination folder to save all your transferred video files.
5. Click Import button to initiate the manual copying. Simply wait for your computer to get your videos from your iPhone 13 storage, and afterwards, viewing offline.
Transfer videos to both PC and Mac with Appgeeker iPhone Data Transfer
Sometimes, the native video import tools may fail with loading and copying a large video library. If you're looking for a seamless iPhone video transfer strategy to get all or a selection of long videos from iPhone 13 to your computer—regardless of a PC or Mac, or vice versa, consider the cross-platform Appgeeker iPhone Data Transfer.
This beginner-friendly program lets you preview and manage all videos - 4K footage, screen recording, movies, TV shows, etc. in one place, making it straightforward to transfer thousands of videos to the computer from iPhone's Photos app or Videos app. In addition to videos, the tool can also handle the transfer of photos, music, contacts, messages and more between iOS device and computer quickly and effortlessly.
Here're detailed steps on how to transfer videos from iPhone 13 to computer without losing quality in simple clicks — using Appgeeker iPhone Data Transfer tool.
Step 1: Lauch the software on your PC or Mac. Then attach your iPhone 13 to the computer.
Step 2: To import iPhone 13 videos to the computer, click Videos option on the left sidebar.
The software does a scan quickly and displays all your video files on its interface and into different categories: Movies, Home Videos, TV Shows, Music Videos, etc.
If your videos you need to move onto PC or Mac are stayed in your iPhone 13's camera roll, click Photos option instead.
Step 3: Look through and check your desired videos or entire video library for exporting to PC.
Then hit the Computer icon > Export to PC, designate a local folder and the transfer begins.
Within a few minutes, your videos are copied over from your iPhone 13 to your computer's drive at their original resolution and ratio.
Also: How to transfer data from iPhone to PC
AirDrop videos from iPhone 13 to Mac
If you use a Mac, AirDrop is the absolute fastest wireless method to send smaller-sized videos from iPhone 13 to computer without needing a physical cable. It uses a combination of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to transfer full-resolution video footages directly from iPhone 13 Photo Library without compression and put them into Mac's Download folder.
If you have hundreds of large 4K ProRes videos to move from iPhone to a Mac, AirDrop is not the best method; The wise option is to employ a USB transfer route like Photos or Image Capture.
Now when you want a quick sharing for a small number of short videos at once, here's how to use AirDrop to complete the iPhone 13 to computer video transfer process wirelessly.
1. First, enable AirDrop on your Mac.
2. Select videos on your iPhone 13 for the import.
- Open the Photos app on your device.
- Select the video you want to send over to the computer.
- Tap the Share button at the bottom.
- Tap AirDrop, then select [your Mac] from the list of nearby devices.
3. A pop-up notification will appear on your Mac. Click Accept. The video file will automatically save to your Mac's Downloads folder.
Move iPhone 13 videos to Mac via USB cable
While AirDrop is convenient, a physical cable connection remains superior when transferring massive video files from your iPhone 13 to the Mac, such as 4K video clips over several gigabytes. The common apps for importing iPhone videos to the computer is macOS Photos app and Image Capture, bypassing the need to go through the compatibility issue.
Option 1: macOS Photos app
You can either transfer entire media library or just the selected videos from your iPhone 13 to the Mac's Photos Library.
- Connect iPhone to Mac using a Lightning cable.
- Run the Photos app on Mac.
- Under Devices on the sidebar, select [your iPhone]. The app will load all of your photos and videos on your iPhone 13.
- Choose videos you want to import.
- Click Import Selected button to get your iPhone 13 videos to your computer with no quality loss.
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Option 2: Image Capture
Image Capture is another wired method for Mac to copy the videos from iPhone 13 over to the computer's local drive or an external drive. Unlike macOS Photos app that can only save the imported video files into its Library, Image Capture allows users to transfer the raw videos to any folder.
To offload iPhone 13 videos to a computer that's running macOS via a cable, do the following:
- Connect your iPhone 13 to your Mac using a Lightning cable. Unlock your device and tap Trust.
- Open Image Capture.
- Select [your iPhone] under the Devices section in the left column.
- From the "Import To" drop-down menu at the bottom, choose a destination folder (e.g., Downloads or a desktop folder).
- Select the individual videos you want to move.
- Click Download button.
Depending on the size and number of the video files you choose to import, the process could take for a while.
Sync videos across devices via iCloud Photos (PC & Mac)
For hands-off, automated transfers, iCloud Photos keeps your entire media library synced across your iPhone, Mac, and Windows PC. This allows for a wireless transfer without a cable.
Note on Storage: iCloud provides 5GB of free cloud storage. Because 4K videos fill 5GB rapidly, you will likely need an iCloud+ subscription (50GB, 200GB, or 2TB tier) to use this cable-free method for transferring large video libraries from an iPhone 13 to a computer through Wi-Fi connection.
Step 1- Setting up iCloud Photos on iPhone 13
- In Settings, tap your Apple ID at the top
- Tap iCloud > Photos.
- Toggle on Sync this iPhone.
Once enabled, you can download your iPhone 13 videos to the computer wirelessly.
Step 2- Syncing videos from iPhone 13 to a computer
Syncing and accessing videos on a Mac
Once enabled, any video recorded on your iPhone 13, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max or 13 Mini automatically syncs to the native Photos app on your Mac whenever connected to Wi-Fi.
Syncing and accessing videos on a Windows PC
There are two ways you can wireless download videos from iPhone 13 to the computer on Windows system.
Way 1. Via the iCloud for Windows app
- Download and install iCloud for Windows from the Microsoft Store.
- Sign in with your Apple Account that's linked to your iPhone 13.
- Check the box next to Photos, and ensure iCloud Photos is enabled to start the synchronization for your media library.
- Open File Explorer.
- Click iCloud Photos in the navigation pane to view and download your videos.
Way 2. Via iCloud.com web browser for manual downloading
- Open any web browser on your PC or Mac and navigate to iCloud.com.
- Sign in with your Apple ID.
- Click the Photos icon.
- Select the desired videos to be copied to the desktop computer.
- Hit the Download icon in the top toolbar to put the iPhone 13 videos onto your computer's hard drive for offline viewing, rather than syncing entire library.
If you prefer non-Apple cloud ecosystems or need to share videos from om an iPhone 13 to a computer without installing iCloud, third-party cloud services like Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox, etc. provide an effective alternative. Ensure that there's enough cloud storage to upload your iPhone videos for downloading onto the computer locally.
After you've transferred your videos from your iPhone 13 to your computer (PC & Mac), you can drag and drop the files to an external drive for a secure backup.
Related: How to transfer photos from iPhone to USB drive
Final Thoughts
Transferring videos or movies from iPhone 13 to a computer does not require complicated software. For occasional transfers, built-in tools like Windows Photos, File Explorer, Mac Photos, Image Capture, AirDrop, and iCloud Photos are enough to have all your short or long videos moved to your computer.
However, if you regularly move large numbers of videos or need more control over file selection and management, a file transfer tool like Appgeeker iPhone Data Transfer can save time and simplify the video importing process.
Whether you use a Windows PC or a Mac, choosing the right transfer method (wired or wireless) helps you keep your valuable iPhone 13 videos safe, accessible, and ready for editing or backup.
