How to transfer photos from Android to Mac

Nowadays, almost every person is using a smartphone having good camera quality. People always love to click photos of their own, family members, friends, and whatever they find interesting to keep their movement memorable. But we know that phones have limited storage space even we use expendable memory with them, and they get filled with photos and different files.

In such a case, you may want to move your photos from an Android to a Mac device for various reasons. It may include creating a backup of your photos on your Mac, editing photos in advance photo editor tools, etc. But getting photos from your Android phone to your Mac is not a straightforward task, especially when you don't know from where to start.

Mac operating system is the product of Apple Company, and it smoothly works with its own iOS devices (iPhone). But you might face some complications to access Android phone and Mac device together for transferring photos or other documents. However, in this guide, you will know the different possible methods to transfer photos from Android phones and tablets to Mac devices.

Transfer photos from Android device to Mac: using Android File Transfer app

Android File Transfer is a third-party application designed to transfer files and photos from Android phones to Mac computers and vice-versa. Using the Android File Transfer app, photo transferring is quite easy. As per Android guidelines, your Mac computer must be running on macOS 10.7 and above to support the Android File Transfer app for photos transfer.

To transfer photos from your Android to Mac device using the Android File Transfer app, go through with following given steps:

1. If you haven't set up it earlier then download and install the Android File Transfer app on your Mac device.
2. Unlock your Android phone and connect it with your Mac device with the help of a USB cable.
3. Launch the Android File Transfer app and wait for a moment to recognize your devices. Next time whenever you connect your Android phone, it opens automatically.
4. On your Android device, use the "Charging this device via USB" notification option.
5. Choose the File Transfer option under the section "Use USB for".
6. On your Mac device, an Android File Transfer screen will open. Use this window and drag photos here to move from Android to Mac devices.
7. When photos (or files) transfer get done, unplug the USB cable.

Transfer photos from Android phone to Mac device: using USB Cable and Image Capture Tool

The Image Capture tool is the preferred option to transfer photos from almost any digital device to Mac. Moving pictures using Image Capture in Mac is efficient, fast, and gives thumbnail preview. Using this tool with a USB cable for moving pictures from Android phone to Mac is not the frills, and it also gets the job done quickly.

To transfer photos from Android to Mac using a USB cable and Image Capture tool, the Mac must be running on Mac OS X 10.5 and above. Here are the steps to transfer photos from an Android phone to your Mac device with this application:

From the Android phone

1. Connect your Android phone with your Mac computer using an original USB cable.
2. On your Android phone, swipe down from the top of the screen (status bar) to visit at notification center.
3. Tap on the USB Notification at the bottom of your notifications.
   
4. Tap the expanded USB Notification for more options.
   
5. Select Transfer Photos (PTP) option (or File Transfer on some device).
   

From the Mac computer

1. Click on the search icon and type the Image Capture in the search bar (or you can directly launch it from Applications/folder.
   
2. Select your Android phone under the "Devices" list at the left column in the Image Capture navigation pane.
   
3. Select the destination folder for photos in your Mac.
4. Choose the photos you want to import from Android storage to your Mac device.
5. Click on the "Import" button to transfer your selected photos.

If you want to move all your photos from your Android to Mac, Image Capture allows you to choose "Import All" rather than the Import button.

However, some Android devices face issues with the Image Capture application, and if you face any problems, you can go with the Android File Transfer application.

Troubleshoot transferring photos from Android to Mac by USB

Troubleshoot your Mac computer

• Make sure that your Mac device runs on Mac OS X 10.5 and higher.
• Restart your Mac device.

Troubleshoot your Android phone

• Update your Android OS version.
• Restart your phone. On most Android phones, long-press the Power button until a popup screen appears. Now tap on the Restart option.

Troubleshoot your USB connections

• Use a different (original) USB cable to connect devices. But remember that not all USB cables support files to transfer.
• Test the USB port of your phone by connecting it with a different PC.
• Test the USB port of your Mac device by connecting it with a different Android or other devices.

How to Transfer Photos from Android to Mac: with MacDroid tool

MacDroid is an excellent tool that connects Mac and Android devices. Using this tool, you can effectively transfer photos from an Android phone to a Mac device in a very short period. MacDroid lets you transfer efficient and problem-free photos and other files (including videos and audio). The process to transfer photos from Android to Mac with MacDroid is a direct way, and you only need a USB cable for it.

1. Download and install the MacDroid tool on your macOS.
2. Launch the MacDroid application on your Mac OS.
3. Connect both devices using a USB cable.
4. Choose one from the available connection modes - ADM or MTP (in our case MTP).
5. Select your Android device from the device list at the left panel and mount it. Now it becomes easy to transfer photos (or other files) from your Android to Mac OS.
6. You need to copy and paste (or drag and drop) files from your Android phone to your Mac device.

How to Upload Photos from Android to Mac with SyncMate

SyncMate is another great application that lets you transfer photos and other data between Android and Mac devices. The tool supports different types of file transfer, including photos, music, videos, and folders. One of the advantages of using this app is that it syncs data between apps on your Android device and Mac OS. Using the SyncMate tool, file transfer becomes straightforward and fast, especially in wireless mode. Following are the steps to use the SyncMate application for file transfer.

1. Download and install the SyncMate application on your Mac OS.
2. Ensure that the Incoming connection is check-marked under the Summary tab.
   
3. Now, open the SyncMate application on a Mac device and connect your Android phone to Mac OS by clicking on "Add New" and choosing your Android phone.
   
4. Choose the connection type USB, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth (in our case, Wi-Fi).
   
5. Now install the SyncMate module on your Android phone.
   
6. Please open it after installing the module and ensure that AutoSync is check-marked under the Summary
   
7. Now, go to Finder, here you will see your Android phone appears in the Mac disk. Select the photos you want to transfer from Android to Mac device.
   

Transfer Photos from Android device to Mac OS with Google Photos app

Google Photos application is another alternate way to transfer photos from Android devices to Mac OS. To be able to use Google Photos' features, you must have a Google Account. However, most people are already using Gmail, and if you are also one, you have a Google account already. Follow the below-mentioned steps to move photos from Android to Mac via Google Photos.

1. Install the Google Photos application on your Mac OS.
2. Launch the Google Photos app (it is pre-installed on most devices) on an Android phone.
3. Choose the photos from Android you want to move, and then tap on the Share You can also move photos by creating an album of photos.
4. Now, choose the medium of sharing your photos (Gmail) and enter the Gmail address where you want to send them.
5. Open the same Google account on your Mac OS browser where you send your photos. Access the Google Photos and download the images from here.

The easiest way to transfer photos via Google Photos between Android and Mac OS is by activating the sync feature.

Transfer Photos from Android to Mac with AirDroid

You can also use the AirDroid application for file sharing between Android phones and Mac OS. It is a free Android app that helps you control your Android phone from any browser on Mac. You don't need to use a USB cable to move files between devices. You can establish a connection between an Android device and Mac by scanning the QR code on the AirDroid web. Here are the steps to transfer images from Android device to Mac OS using the AirDroid application:

1. Download and install the AirDroid app on your Android phone.
2. Visit airdroid.com on your Mac device.
   
3. Open the app, tap on the "AirDroid Web," and scan the QR code to establish a connection between both devices.
   
4. Once the connection gets successful, you will be able to access your Android phone data from Mac on the web.
5. Now copy the photos from Android, which you want to move, and paste them into your Mac device. You can also use the drag and drop function to move your photos from Android to Mac.
6. To transfer larger files having more than 100MB size, you have to use AirDroid to its Premium version.