30 GB of videos from iPhone to PC, no cable.
For 30 GB, a cable is still the safest option: nothing depends on the network. Without one, go through your Wi-Fi with a local transfer app such as GreySpace or LocalSend: the videos go straight from the iPhone to the PC, with no internet and no cloud. One condition, whatever the app: keep the iPhone unlocked and the app open until the end. iCloud needs a paid plan beyond 5 GB.
On the iPhoneYour device
Scan this code with your iPhone’s camera.
On the Windows PCYour device
Download for WindowsInstalled by the Microsoft Store: no warnings, automatic updates.
By email or message, to open it on your computer.
Free up to 10 GB of sending a month, no account.
Five ways, side by side.
| USB cable | iCloud Photos | Phone Link | LocalSend | GreySpace | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internet | No | Yes: everything goes up to Apple, then back down | Not stated | No | No |
| To install | Apple Devices on the PC, plus the cable | iCloud for Windows on the PC | Link to Windows on the iPhone; file sharing announced to Windows Insiders | The app on both, or a browser | The app on both, or a browser |
| Free for 30 GB | Yes | No: 5 GB free, then an iCloud+ plan | Yes | Yes, no limit | No: 10 GB of sending a month on the free plan, Pro beyond |
| If the connection drops | No network to drop | Not stated | Not stated | Retry by hand, file by file; the interrupted file stays half written, under its real name | The interrupted file keeps a temporary .gspart name: never a truncated video under its real name. Wi-Fi drops for a few seconds? The transfer picks up on its own, right where it stopped. |
| File checked on arrival | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Yes, since version 1.18.0 | Yes, before it shows up |
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USB cable
- Internet
- No
- To install
- Apple Devices on the PC, plus the cable
- Free for 30 GB
- Yes
- If the connection drops
- No network to drop
- File checked on arrival
- Not stated
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iCloud Photos
- Internet
- Yes: everything goes up to Apple, then back down
- To install
- iCloud for Windows on the PC
- Free for 30 GB
- No: 5 GB free, then an iCloud+ plan
- If the connection drops
- Not stated
- File checked on arrival
- Not stated
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Phone Link
- Internet
- Not stated
- To install
- Link to Windows on the iPhone; file sharing announced to Windows Insiders
- Free for 30 GB
- Yes
- If the connection drops
- Not stated
- File checked on arrival
- Not stated
-
LocalSend
- Internet
- No
- To install
- The app on both, or a browser
- Free for 30 GB
- Yes, no limit
- If the connection drops
- Retry by hand, file by file; the interrupted file stays half written, under its real name
- File checked on arrival
- Yes, since version 1.18.0
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GreySpace
- Internet
- No
- To install
- The app on both, or a browser
- Free for 30 GB
- No: 10 GB of sending a month on the free plan, Pro beyond
- If the connection drops
- The interrupted file keeps a temporary .gspart name: never a truncated video under its real name. Wi-Fi drops for a few seconds? The transfer picks up on its own, right where it stopped.
- File checked on arrival
- Yes, before it shows up
Checked on 19 September 2026: Apple’s help pages (importing to a PC, iCloud Photos), apple.com/icloud, the Windows Insider Blog of 11 December 2024, and LocalSend’s website, code and changelog (version 1.18.2). “Not stated”: the official source says nothing about it.
Before you send 30 GB.
Four checks, whichever wireless method you use.
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Videos on the iPhone, not just in iCloud
With iCloud Photos and “Optimize iPhone Storage”, the iPhone only keeps a lighter version of some videos. Apple asks you to download the originals before importing to a PC: Settings, your name, iCloud, Photos, then “Download and Keep Originals”, if the iPhone has room.
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Room on the PC
30 GB, plus some headroom, on the drive the videos land on.
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iPhone on its charger, near the router
30 GB takes a while. Plug the iPhone in, pick your router’s 5 GHz Wi-Fi if it has one, and keep both devices reasonably close to it.
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iPhone unlocked, app open
iOS pauses an app that goes to the background: locking the iPhone, or switching to another app, stops the transfer. With GreySpace, the screen stays on by itself during a transfer.
With GreySpace, step by step.
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Install the app on both
On the iPhone from the App Store, on the PC from the Microsoft Store. No account.
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Same Wi-Fi
Connect the iPhone and the PC to the same network, and not to the router’s guest network, which often keeps devices apart.
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Pick the videos, tap the PC
In GreySpace on the iPhone, pick your videos from the photo library, then tap the PC’s name.
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Keep the app open until the end
On the PC, your videos land in your Downloads folder, one folder per send. Each one only shows up there once complete and checked: never a truncated video that looks fine.
With a cable, Apple’s way.
The method Apple describes for Windows. No network involved: if you have the cable at hand, it is the safest way to move 30 GB.
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Install Apple Devices
Apple’s app for Windows, from the Microsoft Store.
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Plug in, then “Trust”
Connect the iPhone to the PC, unlock it, and tap “Trust” if it asks.
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Import with the Photos app
Open the Windows Photos app and start an import from the iPhone.
Sending footage every week? Pro lifts the 10 GB monthly limit: €39.99 a year, that’s €3.33 a month.
See ProPeople often ask
For anything else, email us.
Do I need to keep the iPhone unlocked during the transfer?
Yes, with a wireless app. iOS pauses an app that goes to the background: if you lock the iPhone or switch apps, the transfer stops. GreySpace keeps the screen on during a transfer, so leave the app open until the end.
With a cable and the Windows Photos app, the PC does the importing, so it is a different story.
GreySpace or LocalSend?
LocalSend is free, open source and unlimited, and since version 1.18.0 it checks every file too. For a few videos now and then, stick with it.
The difference shows when the connection drops. With LocalSend, an interrupted file stays in the folder, half written, under its real name, and you retry by hand, file by file. With GreySpace, a video only shows up on the PC once complete and checked. GreySpace is free up to 10 GB of sending a month; beyond that you need Pro. The full comparison.
Why not iCloud?
iCloud uploads every video to Apple, then downloads it again to the PC: you need internet, you wait twice (upload, then download), and you need room in your iCloud storage. Apple gives you 5 GB; 30 GB needs a paid iCloud+ plan.
My videos are in iCloud, not on the iPhone. Will it still work?
Bring them back to the iPhone first: Apple asks for it before a cable import, and it is the safest route whatever the method. Settings, your name, iCloud, Photos, then “Download and Keep Originals”. The iPhone then needs room for the 30 GB.
iPhone, iCloud and Apple Devices are trademarks of Apple Inc. Windows and Phone Link are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. LocalSend belongs to its authors. GreySpace is not affiliated with any of them.
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