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Got some precious home videos or memorable clips stored on your PC that you want to enjoy on your iPhone? With Apple retiring iTunes, you might be wondering what‘s the best way to get videos from your computer onto your iOS device.
Don‘t worry, you have several options! In this guide, I‘ll walk you through 4 easy methods to transfer videos from a Windows PC to your iPhone without using iTunes at all. Whether you have just a couple short clips or a huge library of movies, we‘ve got you covered.
Here‘s what we‘ll cover in this article:
- Why You Might Want to Avoid iTunes for Video Transfers
- Transfer Videos to iPhone via iCloud
- Use Cloud Storage Services Like Dropbox or Google Drive
- Try iPhone Transfer Software Like dr.fone
- Manually Transfer Videos Using Windows File Explorer
I‘ll provide detailed step-by-step instructions for each method, explain the pros and cons, and help you choose the best approach for your needs. Let‘s dive in!
Why Avoid iTunes for Transferring Videos to Your iPhone?
For many years, iTunes was the go-to method for syncing content between your iPhone and computer. However, there are a few reasons you might want to avoid iTunes when transferring videos in particular:
- Apple officially discontinued iTunes with the release of macOS Catalina in 2019. The functions of iTunes are now split between the Music, TV, and Finder apps. Windows users can still install iTunes, but it feels clunky and outdated.
- Syncing videos with iTunes can be unreliable, especially with large files or many videos. The syncing process may freeze up or encounter errors.
- iTunes doesn‘t provide much control over specific videos transferred. It‘s an all-or-nothing approach.
- Using iTunes often requires erasing your entire iPhone library and starting over from scratch, which is a hassle if you just want to transfer a few clips.
The good news is you have several iTunes-free methods to transfer videos from a Windows PC to your iPhone. I‘ll explain four different options, starting with the easiest approach – using iCloud.
Method 1: Transfer Videos to iPhone Using iCloud
If you have iCloud Photos enabled on your iPhone, you can use the iCloud for Windows app to wirelessly sync videos from your PC. The upside is you don‘t need any cables and the videos will automatically appear in your iPhone‘s Photos app. The downside is it requires sufficient iCloud storage space to upload your videos.
Here‘s how to transfer videos from PC to iPhone using iCloud:
- Make sure you‘re signed in with the same Apple ID on both your PC and iPhone.
- On your PC, download and install the iCloud for Windows app.
- Open the iCloud app and sign in with your Apple ID if prompted.
- In the iCloud window, click the Options button next to Photos.
- Check the box for "iCloud Photos". Also make sure "Upload new photos and videos from my PC" is enabled.
- Click Done, then Apply.
- In Windows File Explorer, navigate to the location of the videos you want to transfer.
- Drag and drop the video files into the "Uploads" folder inside your iCloud Photos directory.
- iCloud will automatically upload the videos and sync them to your iPhone. Depending on the file size and your internet speed, this may take several minutes.
- On your iPhone, open the Photos app and you should see the videos synced from your PC.
That‘s it! Your videos should now be accessible in the Photos app on your iPhone. Remember, the videos will take up space in your iCloud account, so make sure you have room or consider upgrading your storage plan if needed.
Method 2: Use Cloud Storage Services Like Dropbox or Google Drive
Another wireless option for transferring videos to your iPhone is to use a third-party cloud storage service like Dropbox, Google Drive, or Microsoft OneDrive. This can be a good choice if you already use one of these services and have the app installed on your iPhone.
The general process works like this:
- Upload the videos you want to transfer to your cloud storage account from your PC.
- On your iPhone, open the corresponding cloud storage app (Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.)
- Locate the uploaded video files in the app.
- Tap the Share button and choose "Save Video" to save the clips to your iPhone‘s local storage.
One advantage of this method is it doesn‘t require any wires or additional software. You can access your videos from anywhere with an internet connection.
However, there are a few limitations to keep in mind:
- You‘ll need to download the cloud storage app on your iPhone and sign in to your account.
- Depending on your cloud storage plan, you may have limited space for video uploads.
- Uploading and downloading videos requires a stable internet connection and may take a while for larger files.
- Some cloud storage apps compress video quality to save space, although this may be adjustable in settings.
But if you‘re already comfortable using cloud storage services, this can be a convenient way to get videos from your PC to your iPhone without messing with iTunes.
Method 3: Try iPhone Transfer Software Like dr.fone
For more advanced management of videos between your computer and iOS device, you might want to try a third-party iPhone transfer program like dr.fone or iMazing. These apps provide a desktop interface for browsing your iPhone‘s storage and transferring files in either direction.
I‘ll use dr.fone as an example. Here‘s how it works:
- Download and install dr.fone on your PC from the official website.
- Launch dr.fone and connect your iPhone to the PC with a USB cable. Tap "Trust" on your iPhone if prompted.
- In dr.fone, click the "Phone Manager" tab, then choose "Videos".
- You‘ll see a list of videos currently on your iPhone. To add new videos from your computer, click the "Add" button at the top.
- Browse to the location of the video files on your PC that you want to transfer. Select the files and click "Open".
- dr.fone will transfer the selected videos to your iPhone. Once complete, you‘ll see the videos listed in the app and they‘ll be accessible from the Photos app on your device.
iPhone transfer software like dr.fone offers more flexibility and control compared to other methods. You can easily browse the videos on your iPhone and transfer files to and from the device. No cloud storage or internet connection is required.
The main downside is these apps are paid software, although most offer free trials. Prices for dr.fone start at $29.95 for a 1-year license. Also, these programs may not be able to transfer video files that are DRM-protected or in proprietary formats.
But if you frequently transfer videos, music, and other files between your computer and iPhone, a dedicated transfer app could be worth the investment. They provide the most robust, iTunes-like experience for managing your iPhone media.
Method 4: Manually Transfer Videos Using Windows File Explorer
Finally, you can manually transfer videos from a PC to an iPhone using just a USB cable and Windows File Explorer – no extra software needed. This method works best if you have just a few video files to transfer.
Here‘s the step-by-step process:
- Connect your iPhone to the PC with a USB cable. Tap "Trust This Computer" on your device if prompted.
- On your PC, open Windows File Explorer and navigate to "This PC". You should see your iPhone appear as a new drive under "Devices and drives".
- Double-click your iPhone icon, then open the "DCIM" folder. You may see multiple subfolders like "100APPLE", "101APPLE", etc.
- Choose one of the subfolders and open it. This is where your iPhone stores photos and videos.
- Now, open a new File Explorer window and browse to the location on your PC where you have the videos you want to transfer.
- Select the video files, then drag and drop them into the iPhone DCIM subfolder window.
- Wait for the transfer to finish – the progress will be shown in the File Explorer window.
- Once complete, you can disconnect your iPhone. The transferred videos will be visible in the Photos app on your device.
It‘s a fairly simple process, although it‘s a bit fiddly and only practical for transferring a small number of files. There are a couple other caveats to note:
- Your iPhone may not be recognized properly in File Explorer if you have any network connectivity issues or if your USB cable is low-quality or damaged. Make sure you‘re using an MFi-certified lightning cable.
- You may not be able to play videos transferred this way in the iPhone‘s TV app. They‘ll only be accessible in the Photos app.
- Certain video file formats may not be supported. Generally, iPhone-friendly formats like .MP4, .MOV, and .M4V will work best.
But overall, this method provides a quick and dirty way to get videos from your PC to your iPhone without any extra software. Just make sure you‘re comfortable poking around in your iPhone‘s file system.
The Bottom Line
So what‘s the best way to transfer videos from a PC to an iPhone? It really depends on your needs and preferences.
If you only have a few short video clips to move over, using iCloud or manual transfer with a USB cable provides the simplest solution. For transferring many large video files at once, a dedicated program like dr.fone will give you the most control and reliability.
Cloud storage services like Dropbox offer a good middle ground, although you‘ll need to make sure you have enough cloud space to handle your video collection.
Whichever method you choose, you can now enjoy your videos on the go without being tethered to iTunes. Just follow the steps outlined above and you‘ll have your favorite clips playing on your iPhone in no time!
Notes: The information provided in this article is current as of August 2023. Software options and compatibility may change over time. Always make sure you have the latest version of any apps mentioned and that your iPhone is running the most current version of iOS.