A standard photo captured on an iPhone with default camera settings can take about 3 MB. Likewise, the size of a 4k video file can be around 200 MB. So, depending on how often you take photos and videos on your iPhone, even an iPhone with storage can fill up quite fast.
Multiple cloud storage apps, such as iCloud, Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox, can back up your iPhone photos to the cloud, but they are not free. While some users upload photos and other files to iCloud, not all users prefer it due to the cost. As you know, the free 5 GB space is not sufficient to back up even a few thousand photos.
If your iPhone is running out of free space because of the huge number of photos and videos, you can consider backing them up to a Windows 11 PC before deleting them from your iPhone. Even if the iPhone’s storage is not full, it’s always a good idea to have an offline backup.
Backing up iPhone photos to a Windows 11 PC does not need any expensive third-party software. In fact, you do not need Apple iTunes or the Apple Devices app either. The built-in File Explorer can be used to access photos and videos on your iPhone and back them up as well.
This guide shows you how to back up iPhone photos to a Windows 11 PC via File Explorer in Windows 11.
Important: Please note that this method can be used to back up only photos and videos. If you wish to back up all data, refer to our how to back up iPhone to Windows 11 PC using Apple Devices app guide.
Use File Explorer to back up iPhone photos and videos to Windows 11 PC
Important: Once you transfer photos and videos from your iPhone to your Windows 11 PC, please ensure that all photos and videos are transferred correctly before deleting them from your iPhone to avoid data loss.
Step 1: Connect your iPhone to your Windows 11 PC with a supported cable. Needless to say, the iPhone must be turned on.
Step 2: Once connected, you should see the following prompt on your iPhone. Tap the Allow button to allow your Windows 11 PC to access photos on the iPhone. If asked to type your device passcode, please do so.
Step 3: On your PC, open File Explorer and navigate to This PC to see the iPhone’s entry. If the iPhone is not detected, re-connect the cable and try again. If the issue persists, you can try these steps again after installing the iTunes app, as it installs the required iPhone drivers.
Step 4: Double-click the Apple iPhone entry. Next, double-click Internal Storage.
NOTE: If you see a folder called DCIM upon opening Internal Storage, please double-click on it.
Step 5: You should now see several numbered folders. These folders contain all photos and videos captured on your iPhone. If you would like to back up all photos and videos to your PC, all you need to do is copy all these folders to a drive on your PC that has enough free space.
If you would like to view photos, double-click a folder. Each folder contains videos/photos captured in the specific month of a year. For instance, the 202512 folder has all the photos and videos captured in December 2025.
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