How to Fix: iPhone Photos Not Showing Up in iPhoto/on Mac

Camera roll is about 4.4GB, and I want to save my pictures to the MacBook Pro. I connect my iPhone to MacBook Pro and iPhoto shows iPhone 8 plus yet displays the loading message. iPhone photos not showing up on Mac. I have just updated my iPhone to iOS 14, is that the problem?

iPhoto or the upgraded Photos app on Yosemite and later is the default app on Mac to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac. However, some users have met the same problem as the above user asked about – photos on iPhone will not show up on Mac in iPhoto/Photos when connected with the iPhone.

But don’t worry, in this guide, we will show you some easy tips to fix the iPhone photos not showing up on the Mac issue. Also, you can import photos from iPhone to Mac without iPhone or Photos by using an alternative – AnyTrans. Let’s dive in!

Upload iPhone Photos to Mac without iPhoto/Photos

When you’re facing problems like iPhone photos not showing up on Mac, iPhoto won’t open, or iPhoto not working at all, how can you sync or edit iPhone photos on Mac? Another way is trying a Photos/iPhoto alternative tool – AnyTrans – iPhone Data Manager. As its name suggested, AnyTrans is a professional tool that can manage your iPhone for you.

More specifically, you can use it to transfer data like photos, videos, messages, contacts, etc. across iDevices with one click. And you don’t have to worry about the failure caused by system issues. Also, you can use it to backup your iPhone without iTunes, restore the backup to a new phone, manage apps on your phone, etc. Check its main features as below:

To transfer iPhone photos to Mac, follow the steps below:

Step 1. Free Download AnyTrans on your Mac > Open AnyTrans > Connect your iPhone to the computer using a digital cable > Choose “Device Manager” mode > Click on the “Photos” option.

Step 2. Select the photos you want to see on your computer > Click the “To Mac” button at the top-right corner to start the process. After it completes, the selected photos will be successfully exported from iPhone now.

9 Fixes to Photos Not Showing up in iPhoto or Photos on Mac

Here we collect some common quick solutions that once worked for some users to fix the iPhone photos not showing up on Mac in iPhoto or Photos.

Fix 1. Check and Update your Devices

Update your Mac and your iPhone system to the latest version. If possible update iPhoto to Photos (for Mac OS X Yosemite and later).

Fix 2. Restart iPhoto/Photos

Unplug your iPhone, and quit iPhoto/Photos as well as iTunes. Then plug the iPhone back and restart iPhoto/Photos.

Fix 3. Try an Alternative Way

Try to move iPhone photos to your Mac more easily and quickly without iPhoto. AnyTrans is one of the best tools to import photos from iPhone to Mac.

Fix 4. Restart your Devices

Turn off your Mac and restart again, also restart your iPhone.

Fix 5. Trust This Computer

Unlock your iPhone, and when you plug in with it a pop-up will show on your iPhone and ask whether to Trust or Don’t Trust this computer. Tap on Trust.

Fix 6. Close Other Photo App

If you use any other photo storage device on your Mac like DropBox, which can be conflicting with iPhoto. You should close DropBox or just remove it.

Fix 7. Enabled iCloud Photo Library

• For iPhone/iPad: >Go to Setting on devices > Tap on[Your Name] > Click iCloud > Click Photos under Manage Storage > Toggle on iCloud Photos.
• For Mac: Go to System Preferences > Click iCloud > Click Options by the side of Photos > Check iCloud Photos.

Fix 8. Reset iPhone Location & Privacy

Disconnect your iPhone from your Mac. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Location & Privacy > Reconnect to your Mac and select Trust when your iPhone asks > Import iPhone photos to Mac.

Fix 9. Use the Photos Repair Tool

Make sure that you backed up your main Photos library > Quit Photos > Press and hold the Option and Command keys as you open Photos again. You will see the Repair Library dialog appears > Click Repair, and then enter an administrator password to begin running the Photos repair tool.

Other iPhone Photos Related FAQs

You may have some other iPhone photos-related questions and we’ve prepared some guides to give you answers.

1. Where are photos stored on mac and how to view my photos on Mac?

After you import your iPhone photos to Mac with the Photos app, you can view them in the Photos app directly or view photos on Mac in the Photos library folder.

On your Mac, Go to Finder > Choose Pictures > Right Click Photo Library > Choose Show Package Contents > In a folder named Masters, you will find photos in different folders.

2. How can I import photos from iPhone to Mac in more ways?

To transfer photos from iPhone to Mac, besides using Photos or iPhoto, you can also try AirDrop, Image Capture,  iCloud, etc. Read this guide to learn 6 ways to import photos from iPhone to Mac >

3. What to do when the iPhone not showing up on PC?

If you are using a Windows PC and your iPhone won’t show up, here some fixes you can try. To get more info you can refer to How to Fix iPhone Not Showing up on PC , or you can try the following quick fixes:

• Restart your iPhone and your Windows PC.
• Make sure the iPhone is NOT locked and it is showing the home screen when you plug it in.
• Try a different USB port if you have one.
• Try enabling Windows AutoPlay.

Bonus Tip: How to Convert HEIC Photos

After the release of iOS 11, all Apple devices would use HEIC photos by default. This new file format is intended to save your iOS device storage space, but it is not yet widely compatible.

As a result, sometimes users would have trouble opening HEIC files. Here we recommend a free tool – iMobie HEIC Converter, to help you convert HEIC files to any formats you want, such as JPG, JPEG, PNG, etc.

Don’t miss: How to Change a HEIC File to JPEG on Mac/PC >

The Bottom Line

If photos from iPhone not showing up on mac in iPhoto or Photos app, or iPhoto not working, then you can try AnyTrans to import iPhone photos to Mac. It enables you to view and upload all iPhone photos when you connect to the computer. If you have any problems with this guide, feel free to leave your comment below or contact our support team via email.