iTunes does not find my photos on the PC

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Spartan2000 Author

Level 1

4 points

iTunes does not find my photos on the PC

Currently using an iPhone 4 but going to upgrade to an iPhone 8. Running iTunes v12.9.0.167 on a up-to-date Windows 7 Pro computer. Downloaded the photos on my iPhone 4 to the computer with the Import Pictures and Videos using Windows option, and checked they were in the default location. So far, so good...

Since I will want to upload my pictures to the iPhone 8, I thought iTunes would enable this through syncing somehow. However, iTunes doesn't seem to recognise my photos, ANYWHERE. Under DEVICES, My iPhone, there is no library of photos, neither does it appear under the main LIBRARY heading.

I tried to 'fool' it into thinking it needed to re-sync, by placing a new photo along with the ones I'd downloaded onto the PC, but despite disconnecting, restarting iTunes, and reconnecting the old iPhone 4, it wouldn't copy over the new picture. I took this to be the fact that iTunes cannot 'see' the photos in the computer.

How am I supposed to copy my photos to the new (to me) iPhone?

iPhone 4, iOS 6.1.3

Posted on Oct 7, 2018 7:44 AM

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Answer 1

MoonJ.

Community Specialist

Oct 8, 2018 2:22 PM in response to Spartan2000

Hello Spartan2000,

I understand that you are having an issue transferring pictures to your iPhone. I use my device a lot and know how important it is to have it set up correctly, and I'm here to help.

Here is a resource that can assist you:

Transfer photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

Specifically:

Get photos from your computer to your iOS device

You can choose among several options for transferring photos and videos from your computer to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch:

Use iCloud Photos with Photos for macOS or iCloud for Windows to keep your photos safely stored and up-to-date on all your devices.

Use AirDrop to wirelessly send photos and videos from your Mac to your iOS device. This is a quick and easy Mac-only option for sending a few items. When you send photos and videos to an iOS device via AirDrop, they appear in the device's Photos app.

Sync your photos manually with iTunes. Each time that you sync your iOS device with iTunes, the photos and videos on your iOS device update to match the albums on your computer.

Please let me know if you still have questions after reviewing the link.

Have a great day!

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Answer 2

turingtest2

Level 10

272,783 points

Oct 9, 2018 10:18 AM in response to Spartan2000

You may need to click this device icon first, before you can see the section where you can select photos to sync to your device.

The key word you omitted when quoting from my post was either. Either you do everything through iCloud Photo Library or you use Explorer or some other tool for copying from the device, and iTunes to copy to it.

tt2

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Answer 3

turingtest2

Level 10

272,783 points

Oct 9, 2018 8:49 AM in response to Spartan2000

iTunes doesn't sync images from your device to your computer. This can either be achieved using iCloud and iCloud Photo Library (aka iCloud Photos) or by manually copying off the contents of the camera roll. If you unlock your device, there is at least one image in the camera roll, and you respond positively to any request to trust the computer, then the device should appear in Windows Explorer, with the contents of the camera roll shown in a DCIM folder inside. You can copy these out with Windows Explorer. You can also use this view to remove images once you have made copies on your computer, however don't remove anything that might be used in a project, such as iMovie for iOS, or you will break that project.

To copy images to your device use the advice in the Sync your photos manually with iTunes section of Keep your photos safely stored and up to date on all of your devices - Apple Support. You will need to scroll down.

tt2

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Answer 4

Spartan2000 Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 9, 2018 6:18 AM in response to MoonJ.

Thank you for your reply.

I have reviewed the link that you kindly included, but regrettably it doesn't help me.

One of the bullet points in the link states, 'Sync your photos manually with iTunes.' The iTunes software i have on my PC does have a manual 'sync' command although it doesn't specifically say it syncs photos. As a test, I took a photo on my iPhone, uploaded it to Windows (as per my original post), then 'accidentally' deleted it on my iPhone. Reconnected the iPhone to the PC, restarted iTunes and waited for syncing to take place. I assumed that syncing would discover the missing photo on my iPhone when comparing it to that on the PC, and replace it. It didn't.

That's the crux of the problem.

Can you help please?

The iTunes software goes through 5 stages of 'syncing' although frankly I cannot verify what it's syncing and where it's putting it on my PC!

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Answer 5

Spartan2000 Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 9, 2018 9:50 AM in response to turingtest2

TT2 thanks for your message.

I find the images in the link you kindly provided don't match what I see on my WINDOWS PC screen when in iTunes. I have the latest version as far as I'm aware, e.g. v12.9.0.167. Namely, under 'John's phone' it shows amongst others 'PHOTOS' ! My version of iTunes does NOT show this!

Your message starts off saying "...This can be achieved using iCloud and iCloud Photo Library...". Then further down you write, "...To copy images to your device use the advice in the Sync your photos manually with iTunes...". I'm confused!? Either I have to use iCloud or iTunes to do what I want. Which is it?

Whilst iCloud is not a bank-breaking cost to use, I'm irritated that I can't use my perfectly good Windows computer to transfer images (photos) to my iPhone. I have already successfully downloaded the photos to the Windows PC using Windows Explorer, but perhaps Apple has deliberately made the upload process impossible!

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Answer 6

Spartan2000 Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 9, 2018 10:18 AM in response to turingtest2

TT2 ok, apologies for my omission.

After hitting that device icon, PHOTOS now appears. I ticked the right boxes, and a test photo was successsfully uploaded to the iPhone! Thank you.

I think the different iTunes screen I see relates to the fact I'm using Windows, whereas perhaps what is shown on the webpage is on a Mac.

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Answer 7

turingtest2

Level 10

272,783 points

Oct 9, 2018 10:26 AM in response to Spartan2000

You're welcome. 🙂

The Mac version of iTunes will attempt to integrate with the Photos app, and has its menu bar at the top of the screen rather than as part of the iTunes window, but otherwise they are pretty much the same.

tt2

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iTunes does not find my photos on the PC

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