Running out of iPhone storage? Learn 5 free ways to transfer large videos to your PC – using USB or wireless – and free up space quickly.
We rely on our iPhones to capture life’s most precious moments, from family gatherings to breathtaking landscapes. But there’s a catch: high-quality footage comes with a hefty file size. A single minute of 4K video shot on an iPhone can easily reach 400MB or more. Before you know it, that "Storage Almost Full" warning pops up, forcing you to decide which memories to keep and which to delete.
The obvious workarounds often fall short. iCloud’s free tier gives you only 5GB—barely enough for a few short clips. Emailing the video to yourself? Most email providers cap attachments at 25MB, so you’ll likely see a prompt asking you to trim or compress the file, which degrades quality.
Fortunately, you don’t have to compromise. There are several effective ways to transfer large video from iPhone to PC, both wired and wireless, and we’ll walk you through each one step by step.
The quickest and most user-friendly solution is AOMEI FoneBackup, a dedicated free tool designed specifically for moving bulky media between iOS devices and Windows computers. It supports Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7, and it handles unlimited file transfers without compressing or altering your original videos—perfect for preserving that 4K clarity.
Here’s how to transfer large video files from iPhone to PC using this tool:
Step 1. Download and install AOMEI FoneBackup on your PC. Then connect your iPhone to the computer using a USB cable. On your iPhone, enter the device passcode and tap Trust to grant the computer access.
Step 2. Launch the software. On the main interface, click Phone Transfer, then select iPhone to PC. Click Get Started to proceed.
Step 3. Click the Videos icon. In the pop-up window, choose the videos you wish to export and click OK.
💡 Notes:
Step 4. Choose a destination folder on your PC under Transfer Settings, then click Start Transfer. The software will begin copying your selected videos to the computer immediately.
If you prefer not to install additional software, Windows Explorer offers a native method that treats your iPhone as a digital camera. This approach works on all Windows versions and requires no extra setup. Learn how to get a large video from iPhone to computer in detail below:
Step 1. Connect your iPhone to the PC via USB. When prompted on your iPhone, tap Trust to establish a secure connection.
Step 2. Open File Explorer > This PC.
Step 3. Under Devices and drives, you should see your iPhone listed as a portable device. Double-click it, then go to Internal Storage > DCIM.
Step 4. Inside, you’ll find subfolders containing all the photos and videos from your Camera Roll. Select the large videos you want, then copy and paste them to your preferred location on your PC.
For Windows 10 and 8/8.1 users, the built-in Photos app provides another reliable USB-based option. It offers a straightforward import wizard that lets you manage which files to copy and even choose whether to delete them from your iPhone afterward.
Step 1. Launch the Photos app on your PC and connect your iPhone using a USB cable.
Step 2. Unlock your iPhone and tap Trust if the prompt appears.
Step 3. In the Photos app, click Import in the top-right corner, then select Apple iPhone. The app will scan your iPhone and display all importable media.
Step 4. Select the large videos you want to keep and click the blue button Add xx items (xx stands for the number of selected videos).
Step 5. Confirm the destination folder (C:\Users\Username\Pictures). Then click Import to begin free iPhone video transfer to PC.
When you need a wireless solution or want to access your videos from multiple devices, cloud storage is a great choice. Google Drive offers 15GB of free space, and you can upload videos directly from your iPhone, then download them on your PC.
Step 1. Download the Google Drive app from the App Store on your iPhone and sign in with your Google account.
Step 2. Tap the “+” icon at the bottom-right corner, then select Upload file. Choose Photos and Videos from the menu.
Step 3. Browse your iPhone’s library and select the large video(s) you want to upload. The app will start the upload process—this may take a while depending on your internet speed and file size.
Step 4. Once the upload completes, open a browser on your computer, go to drive.google.com, and download the video(s) directly.
For a completely wireless, no-account-required transfer, Snapdrop is an excellent AirDrop alternative that works across platforms. It uses your local network to establish a peer-to-peer connection between your iPhone and PC. Learn how to send large video files from iPhone to computer as follows:
Step 1. On both your iPhone and PC, open a web browser and go to snapdrop.net.
Step 2. The webpage will automatically detect nearby devices on the same Wi-Fi network. Your iPhone should appear on the PC screen, and vice versa.
Step 3. On your iPhone, tap the device icon representing your PC. You’ll see three options: Take Photo or Video, Photo Library, or Browse. Choose Photo Library to select the large video you want to send.
Step 4. After selecting the video, the transfer will begin instantly. Once completed, your PC browser will prompt you to click Save File to save the video to your local storage.
Issue 1: iPhone not showing up in Windows Explorer
Issue 2: Transfer stops midway or fails
Issue 3: Videos appear as .HEIC or unsupported formats
Freeing up storage on your iPhone doesn’t have to mean losing your cherished 4K memories. Whether you choose the fast, feature-rich AOMEI FoneBackup, the built-in Windows Explorer and Photos app, or wireless options like Google Drive and Snapdrop, each method offers a reliable way to transfer large video from iPhone to PC.
Among them, AOMEI FoneBackup stands out for its speed, ease of use, and ability to handle massive files without compression. It’s also a versatile tool that supports backing up iPhone to Synology. Don’t hesitate to try it out!