ChromeOS and iOS don’t play well with each other, which makes it a bit difficult for anyone using a Chromebook instead of a MacBook to pair with their iPhone. Fortunately, there are several ways to transfer your Apple photos and videos from your iPhone to your Chromebook. We’ll go through the list so you can choose the one that suits you best.
From uploading your photos to the cloud to connecting your iPhone directly to your Chromebook, here’s how to transfer iPhone photos to a Chromebook.
Option 1: iCloud
If you back up your Apple Photos to iCloud, you can easily access them on your Chromebook through your browser, without having to rely on other apps. If you are not already using it, see steps 1-4; otherwise, go to step 5.
1. On your iPhone, go to Settings and select your name at the top (iCloud should be below).
2. Press iCloud.
3. Under Apps using iCloudselect Photos, then Sync this iPhone.
4. If your photos are taking up too much space, select Manage account storage > Change storage plan and choose one with more storage. This option will cost you a dollar, but you can cancel once the transfer is complete.
5. On your Chromebook, go to icloud.com (opens in a new tab) and sign in to your Apple ID account.
6. Open the Photo app.
7. Strike CTRL+Athen the cloud icon with down arrow at the top right to upload your entire photo library.
We’ll also note that you can do something similar with other popular cloud storage services like Microsoft OneDrive, as they usually offer a web portal that will allow bulk downloading to your Chromebook.
Option 2: Google Photos
If you don’t use or don’t want to pay for iCloud, Google Photos is the easiest and most seamless option because (A) you can automatically sync Apple Photos with Google Photos, so you don’t have to keep manually transfer files, and (B) you should be able to access Google Photos natively on any Chromebook with the latest update.
1. Download the Google Photos app if you don’t already have it, then open it and sign in to the Google account associated with your Chromebook.
2. New users are usually prompted to set up automatic backup, but if you don’t see this option, tap your profile icon top right.
3. Press Google Photos Settings > Backup and switch Backup to.
4. Select whether you want to save full size photos (original quality) or reduced quality photos (Storage Saver).
Once your library is synced, just click on your Chromebook’s launcher and open Google Photos – or download the app from the Play Store if it’s not installed – and you’ll have access to everything and can choose what you want to download .
Option 3: Connect your iPhone directly
This option is designed for people who only want to transfer a few photos or transfer to a Chromebook that is not associated with your Google account. It only takes a few seconds, but it’s better suited for quick transfers than massive library downloads.
1. The more your iPhone charging cable in your Chromebook and iPhone. If your Chromebook doesn’t have a USB-A port, you’ll need a USB-C adapter.
2. On your iPhone, tap To permit to “Allow this device to access photos and videos”.
3. On your Chromebook, a pop-up window should appear showing folders of photos and videos organized by month. Open a folder and sort by file type, which will push all non-media files to the top. Or, if you are looking for a specific file, Sort by date instead.
4. Shift-select all files, then upload to your local files or share and upload to Google Photos.
iPhones and Chromebooks don’t play well
Once you know how to transfer photos from iPhone to Chromebook consistently, luckily it’s not hard to replicate, especially if you rely on Google Photos. You’ll also want to use Google Drive consistently, as any files you upload to the iOS app will appear natively on the ChromeOS launcher. You can even use iMessage on Chromebooks, though this requires extensive workarounds.
Outside of Google’s apps and hacks, though, an iPhone might not be the best choice if you’re planning on using one of the best Chromebooks as a daily device – or the best option for your child if he has a Chromebook aimed at students.
If you have an Android phone, you can use Phone Hub on Chromebooks to automatically sync your phone’s data to your Chromebook, including photos. So be sure to check out our guide on switching from iPhone to Android if you decide to sync your tech devices more closely with each other.
But if you plan to stick with your iPhone, you can at least access your favorite memories on your Chromebook with Google Photos, then set those photos as your ChromeOS wallpaper.
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