Prevent Finder from downscaling photos synced from Mac to iPhone 17
Title: Photos synced from Mac via Finder are automatically downscaled on iPhone 17 (How to keep original resolution?)
Hello everyone,
I am facing an issue where JPEG images synced from my Mac's Photos app to my iPhone are automatically compressed and downscaled. I would appreciate any advice or workarounds.
1. Environment
- Mac: macOS Golden Gate 27.2
- iPhone: iPhone 17 (iOS 27.2, 256 GB, with over 150 GB of free space)
- Connection: USB-C cable, synced via macOS Finder
2. The Issue
My original images developed from RAW have the following specifications:
- Resolution: 4096 x 2730 pixels (~11 MP)
- File Size: Around 3 MB
I organized these images into specific folders/albums within the Mac's Photos app and synced them to my iPhone using Finder via a USB-C cable. However, when checking the transferred images on the iPhone’s Photos app, I noticed that all images have been automatically downscaled:
- Resized Resolution: 2304 x 1536 pixels (~3 MP)
- Resized File Size: Around 0.5 – 0.8 MB
3. Constraints & What I've Considered
My iPhone has more than 150 GB of available storage, so this is not due to device storage limitations. It appears to be an automatic downscaling behavior enforced by the Finder/Photos sync process.
I have ruled out the following alternative methods:
- AirDrop: Not ideal, as it does not preserve the folder/album structure from the Mac.
- iCloud Photos Sync: Not practical (note: while the total image library size is approximately 22 GB and not every single image is at the 4096-pixel max resolution, my ultimate goal is to transfer the images from the Mac's Photos app to the iPhone while preserving their original, full resolutions).
4. Question
Is there a setting, configuration, or alternative workflow to prevent Finder from downscaling photos during the sync process, allowing me to transfer and keep images at their original resolution (4096 x 2730)?
Thank you in advance for your help and insights!
