Import photos and videos
You can import photos and videos you have stored on a camera’s SD card, a USB drive, a phone, or on another device. Here's how:
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Use a USB cable to connect your device to the PC.
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In the search box on the taskbar, type photos and then select the Photos app from the results.
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Select Import from the app bar.
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Your devices will automatically show under Import.
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Choose your device from the list of connected devices.
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Wait for the content to load from your device.
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Select the photos and videos you would like to import.
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Choose the location of the destination folder for import.
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Select Confirm to move the photos and videos.
Note for iPhone: If you are having trouble with your iPhone import, make sure your device is unlocked and you’ve accepted the permissions.
Note for Android and other devices: If you’re using an Android phone or other device and import isn’t working, you might need to change your phone’s USB settings from Charging over USB to Transfer Files or Transfer Photos.
First, connect your phone to a PC with a USB cable that can transfer files.
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Turn your phone on and unlock it. Your PC can’t find the device if the device is locked.
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On your PC, select the Start button and then select Photos to open the Photos app.
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Select Import > From a connected device, then follow the instructions. You can pick the items you want to import and select where to save them. Allow a few moments for detection and transfer.
Make sure the photos you want to import are actually on the device rather than in the cloud.
For any general information related to photos and videos in Windows 8.1, see how to manage photos and videos in Windows 8.1.
Following are several ways to import photos and videos from your phone, camera, other device, or disc.
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Connect a phone, camera, storage card from your camera, or external drive to your PC.
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Open the Photos app.
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Swipe in from the bottom edge to see the app commands.
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(If you're using a mouse, right-click within the app.)
Note: Import isn't available if you're looking at a single picture in full screen view.
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Select Import.
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Select the device you want to import from.
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The app automatically searches for all photos and videos that it hasn’t imported before and selects them. You can also swipe down on or click each photo and video you want to import or select Select all.
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Select Import.
The photos and videos are saved in the Pictures folder in a subfolder named with the date (for example, 2013-09-10).
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Insert the disc into the drive.
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Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Search.
(If you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, and then click Search.) -
Enter File Explorer in the search box, and then select File Explorer.
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In the left pane, click This PC to expand the list of folders and devices.
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Select the drive with your photos and videos.
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Find the photos you want to import, select them, and then copy them to a new folder. If you’d like to see them in the Photos app, copy them into the Pictures folder on your PC or in OneDrive.
You can use AutoPlay to determine what happens when you connect a device to your PC. For example, set it so that every time you plug in a storage card, the Photos app opens and you select which photos and videos to import. You might need to turn on your device's multimedia transport control before AutoPlay can find it.
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To set basic options: open PC settings, select PC and devices, and then select AutoPlay.
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To set advanced options: open Control Panel, select Hardware and Sound, and then select AutoPlay.
Get more help importing photos and videos from a phone to PC
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