How do I transfer photos to an external hard drive without a computer?

From USB 1.0 to USB 3.2, it means that people have higher requirements on file transfer speed. Most of us usually use Android phones and hard drives for our work and study. So how to transfer photos from Android phone to external hard drive with ease? To save you time, we have listed 4 efficient approaches for photos transfer in this article. Even though you intend to back up batches of pictures to an external hard drive, you won't spend a whole day on it.

Nowadays, it is easy to connect a phone to an external hard drive on a computer to access both of them. So, what you need is this seamless Android photo manager - Samsung Messages Backup. No matter how many pictures you have on your phone, it can transfer pictures from Android to an external hard drive at once. Also, you can export photos selectively.

Key characteristics of this Android photos transfer tool:

- Help you swiftly transfer files from a phone to a hard drive.

- You can also use it to import files from your hard drive to your Android phone/tablet.

- Support photos, apps, music, documents, videos, contacts, call logs, and text messages.

- Don't alter file formats or quality after transferring your files.

- Allow you to preview your photos and other files before you move them.

- You can create new albums and move pictures to these albums.

- Widely compatible with most Android mobile devices, including Honor Magic3 Pro/Magic3/P50 Pro/P 50, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3/Z Flip3/Galaxy S21 Ultra/S21/S20/S10, ZTE Axon 30 Ultra/Axon 30 Pro/S30/nubia Z30 Pro/nubia Red Magic 6, Google, OnePlus, Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo, and more.

Download this Android file manager for free below.

Here's how to transfer photos from Samsung to the external hard drive in 1 click:

Step 1. Install the Transfer Software

After the download, please install it on your computer, and click the "Android Assistant" tab on the interface.

Step 2. Link Android to Computer

Link your Android Samsung device to the computer via a USB cable, and enable the USB debugging on Android. Then it will quickly recognize your mobile phone.

Step 3. Back Up Android Phone to an External Hard Drive

- Next, please tap the "Super Toolkit" > "Backup" option, and you can select the file types on the popup.

- After that, tap the "Browse" button to choose your hard drive. Finally, hit the "Back Up" button to save your select files to the hard drive.

Bonus:

Planning to transfer your photos from Android to PC Windows 10? Why not use these methods?

It is easy to transfer photos from Mac to Android with these methods. If you are interested in this topic, you can click it.

Part 2: How to Transfer Pictures from Android to External Hard Drive via a USB OTG Adaptor

Are you curious about how to transfer files from Android to an external hard drive without a computer? In fact, it is simple. As long as you get a USB OTG adaptor, you can directly move your pictures to the hard drive. Please note that not all the OTG adaptors are compatible with your Android device. You'd better check if the port is suitable for your device before you buy it.

Guide on how to transfer photos from a tablet to an external hard drive via a USB OTG:

Step 1. Make a Connection

Use your USB OTG connector to connect your Android tablet to the hard drive. Then your device will detect your drive. If prompted, please choose the "File Transfer" option on your phone.

Step 2. Move Pictures to the Hard Drive

- Open the File Manager, and navigate to the folder storing your photos. Then select the photos you want, and choose the "Move" or "Copy" option to transfer them to your hard drive.

- By the way, to avoid losing pictures because of transfer errors, it is recommended to copy your photos.

Read also:

With these proven tips, you can also move pictures from an SD card to a computer.

With these methods, you can easily move iPhone photos to a USB drive. Let's take a look.

Part 3: How to Transfer Photos from Samsung to External Hard Drive via Android File Transfer (on Mac)

How can you transfer photos from Samsung to an external hard drive if you are a Mac user? It's time to welcome our old friend - Android File Transfer, a necessary tool to access Android devices on Mac. With it, you can pick the desired Android files before the transmission.

Steps on how to transfer photos from Samsung to a hard drive using Android File Transfer:

Step 1. Connect Samsung Device to Mac

After installing Android File Transfer on the Mac computer, please use a data cable to connect your Samsung device to Mac. Then link your external hard drive to Mac via another available cable.

Step 2. Access Your Device

Launch Android File Transfer, and you can open your Samsung folder on Mac. Next, open the folder on your hard drive.

Step 3. Drag and Drop Photos

You can now drag and drop the photos from Samsung to your hard drive. After the transmission is over, you can disconnect them from your Mac.

Further reading: Want to copy your Android photos to Mac wirelessly? Check it out.

Part 4: How to Transfer Files from Samsung to External Hard Drive via MTP

It is much easier to transfer files from Samsung to an external hard drive on a Windows PC using the MTP extension, because you needn't install any program. However, it is slightly slow when you transfer quantities of photos, especially when your device is USB Type-C 2.0.

Here's how to transfer files from Samsung to a hard drive via MTP:

Step 1. Establish Connections

Please use USB cables to respectively connect your Samsung phone and external hard drive to your computer. Then choose the "MTP" option on your phone.

Step 2. Go to This PC

Double-click This PC icon on the desktop, and you can open folders from your mobile device and hard drive.

Step 3. Select and Transfer Files

Please select the content you plan to transfer from your Samsung phone. Then copy them to your hard drive's folder. Next, wait for the process to get completed.

Conclusion

It is useful to learn how to transfer photos from an Android phone to an external hard drive in the digital era. So, do the previous methods help you? Time is valuable so that you can use the Android photo manager - Samsung Messages Backup, to complete the file transfer with simple clicks. If needed, you can breezily manage your photos and other Android files on the computer.

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After reading this article, you will learn all the workable ways on how to transfer photos from iPhone to an external hard drive on Windows/Mac or without a computer. Apply one of the methods to back up your iPhone photos to an external hard drive within minutes.

Compared with the size of an iPhone storage, the capacity of an external hard drive is generally much larger. Common external hard drives from Seagate, Western Digital, and Toshiba range from 500GB to 2TB. In addition to the large storage capacity, external hard drives also have the advantages of an excellent read and write speed, high portability, long life, and more. Thus, it's reasonable that an external hard drive is the choice of many users when they want to back up iPhone to external hard drive or copy iPhone photos to external hard drive.

Speaking of importing photos from iPhone to an external hard drive, you can get it done either with or without a computer. Here are the details:

How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to External Hard Drive on PC

To transfer photos on your iPhone to an external hard drive on a Windows PC, you have four ways to choose from. After you learn the tips in detail, you will know which one fits your needs best. Whether you want to transfer photos from iPhone directly to an external hard drive or get photos from iPhone to an external storage device without using a USB cable, you can find the way you need from the paragraphs below.

Method 1. Back Up iPhone Photos to External Hard Drive with EaseUS MobiMover

Do you want to transfer all photos from your iPhone to the external hard drive at once? Do you want to copy other files like videos, audio files, messages, books, and more together with the pictures from your iPhone to the external drive to make a backup? If you do, the iOS data transfer software - EaseUS MobiMover will help.

EaseUS MobiMover allows you to transfer files between iPhone and Mac or PC or between two iOS devices. Thus, it also allows you to transfer files between an iOS device and an external storage device like an external hard drive, USB flash drive, SD card, and more.

Download for PC Download for Mac 

To transfer photos from iPhone to an external hard drive on Windows:

Step 1. Connect devices and launch EaseUS MobiMover. 

Connect both the iPhone and the external hard drive to the PC and make sure these devices are recognized by the computer. Afterward, launch the photo transfer tool and click "Phone to PC" > "Next."

Step 2. Select the category.

Check "Pictures" among all the supported categories. If you need to, you can also transfer other files from your iPhone to the external hard drive, together with photos. Besides, since the default destination is the desktop, you need to click the storage path to change it to your external hard drive.

Step 3. Start transferring photos from iPhone to hard drive.

Click the "Transfer" button to start importing photos from the iPhone to the external hard drive. When it has done, go to the selected folder on the hard drive to check these items.

If the photos are lost on your iPhone someday, you can use this tool to transfer photos back to your iOS device from the external hard drive. You can refer to the guide on how to transfer photos from PC to iPhone for more details.

EaseUS MobiMover also allows you to manage iPhone data from computer or convert iPhone photo to JPG. Isn't it great? Get it now and make it your good helper.

Download for PC Download for Mac 

Method 2. Import Photos from iPhone to External Hard Drive on Windows 10 with Photos

On Windows 8 and Windows 10, there is a built-in app on PC called Photos, which will help you manage the photos on the computer and import photos from a folder or a USB device to PC. Thus, it can not only help to transfer photos from iPhone to PC without iTunes but also work to transfer iPhone photos to external hard drive on Windows. 

To import photos from iPhone to an external drive on PC:

Step 1. Connect devices to PC.

Connect the external hard drive to your computer. Unlock your iPhone and connect your device to PC running Windows 10 or Windows 8. (Make sure the external storage device can be recognized by the computer.)

Step 2. Trust the computer.

When a prompt appears on your iPhone asking you for permission, click "Allow".

Step 3. Launch the Photos app.

On your PC, open the "Photos" app and click "Import" > "From a USB device" to let Photos find the items on your iPhone.

Step 4. Select photos.

After finding all the photos and videos on your iOS device, there will be a window in Photos asking to select the items you want to import. Select the photos you want to transfer.

Step 5. Change the storage path.

Then click "Import setting" > "Change the import destination", choose a location on your external hard drive, and then click "Done."

Step 6. Start importing photos.

Click "Import Selected" to start transferring photos from iPhone to the external hard drive.

Windows 10 Photos app not working? Don't worry. Follow the fixes to make it work again.

Method 3. Back Up iPhone Photos to External Hard Drive Using iCloud

The last way suitable for both Windows and Mac users is to use iCloud Photos. By enabling iCloud Photos on both your iPhone and the computer, you can transfer your iPhone photos to the computer, and then download the items to the external hard drive. If you want to transfer photos from iPhone to iPad someday, you can also apply iCloud.

To upload photos from iPhone to an external hard drive via iCloud:

Step 1. Turn on iCloud Photos on iPhone.

Turn on iCloud Photos on iPhone: Go to "Settings" > [your name] > "iCloud" > "Photos" and switch on "iCloud Photos".

Step 2. Turn on iCloud Photos on the computer.

• Download and install iCloud for Windows.
• Sign in with the Apple ID you use on the iOS device. (You need to ensure you are using the same Apple ID on the iPhone and PC.)
• Click the "Options" button next to Photos and check the "iCloud Photo Library" and the "Download new photos and videos to my PC" options. Then click "Change" under "Download new photos and videos to my PC" to change the default location as your external hard drive.
• Click "Done" > "Apply".

Step 3. Wait for the syncing process to finish.

After the syncing process, the photos on your iPhone will be transferred to the external hard drive successfully.

Method 4. Transfer Photos from iPhone to Hard Drive on Windows PC via File Explorer

Using File Explorer in Windows 10 or Windows Explorer in Windows 8/7 is an exclusive solution for Windows users. With File Explorer, you can directly copy the photos to an external hard drive without any software installation. However, you can only transfer photos in the DCIM folder by date. If you want to transfer photos by album, try EaseUS MobiMover instead. If your iPhone photos are not showing up on PC, follow the troubleshooting guide to solve the problem first.

To import photos from iPhone to external hard drive:

Step 1. Connect devices to the computer.

Unlock your iPhone and connect the iPhone and the external hard drive to your Windows PC using a USB cable. (Make sure the USB cable is a good one.)

Step 2. Allow transferring photos.

Then a prompt will pop up on your iPhone asking for your permission. Click "Allow" to continue.

Step 3. Access iPhone photos on PC.

Go to "This PC" > "Apple iPhone" > "Internal Storage" > "DCIM" > "100APPLE" and you will see all the photos in your iPhone Camera Roll.

Step 4. Copy iPhone photos to the external hard drive.

Copy the photos on your iPhone and paste them to the external hard drive. By doing so, you can back up photos from your iPhone to the external hard drive easily and quickly.

How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to External Hard Drive on Mac

If you are a Mac user, there are two more solutions besides using iPhone transfer software or iCloud. (Undoubtedly, the ways below also work to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac.)

Method 1. Import Photos from iPhone to External Hard Drive on Mac via Image Capture

Image Capture is a program on Mac that enables users to take and upload photos to Mac from digital cameras, iOS devices, and other devices that have a camera. Therefore, you can move photos and videos to an external storage device from your iPhone/iPad with the help of Image Capture.

How to back up photos from iPhone to external hard drive:

Step 1. Connect Your External Hard Drive to your Mac.

Connect the hard drive to your Mac with a USB cable and make sure it is recognized by the Mac.

Step 2. Connect Your iOS Device To Your Mac.

Connect your iPhone to the Mac with a USB cable.

Step 3. Launch Image Capture.

Open "Image Capture" on your Mac and choose your iPhone from in the "Devices" section.

Step 4. Select Destination.

Click the "Import To" pop-up menu, then choose to save the images to your external hard drive.

Step 5. Click Import.

Choose "Import All" to transfer all the items or select the photos you want to transfer and click "Import".

Method 2. Move Photos from iPhone to External Hard Drive via Photos

On Mac OS X 10.10.3 or later, there is also an app called Photos. It's the replacement of iPhoto in earlier versions. The Photos app enables you to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac using a USB cable. And thus, it will also allow you to transfer photos from iPhone to an external hard drive on Mac.

To transfer photos from iPhone to external hard drive on Mac:

Step 1. Connect devices to Mac.

Connect your iPhone and the external hard drive to the Mac.

Step 2. Launch the Photos app.

Run Photos for Mac, go to the "Devices" section and select your iOS device.

Step 3. Choose the storage path.

Click the "Import to" option and choose to save the imported photos to the external drive.

Step 4. Import photos from iPhone to the external drive.

Click "Import All New Photos" or select the photos you want to transfer to the Mac and then click "Import [number] Selected". 

For more workable solutions to import photos from iPhone to external hard drive on Mac, refer to the guide on how to transfer photos from iPhone to flash drive on Mac.

How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to External Hard Drive Without Computer

Sometimes you don't have a computer available and need to transfer photos from your iPhone to an external hard drive without a computer. Actually, with the growing trend to connect an external storage device to an iPhone or iPad directly, it's common that there will be a USB-C cable included when you purchase an external hard drive.

With that cable, you can connect the external hard drive to your iPhone or iPad without a computer and exchange data. Even if you don't have such a cable, you can use Apple's Lightning-to-USB camera adapter to help you connect these devices.

To import photos from iPhone to external hard drive without a computer:

Step 1. Connect the external hard drive to the iPhone.

Connect the external hard drive to the iPhone with a USB-C cable or via an adapter.

Step 2. Check the connection.

On the iPhone, go to "Files" > "Browse" to check whether the external hard drive is attached successfully.

Step 3. Save iPhone photos to the external hard drive.

Go to the Photos app, choose the pictures you want to move, tap the "Share" button, and then choose "Save to Files." Tap "On My iPhone" and select the external hard drive.

By doing so, you can move photos from iPhone to an external hard drive directly without a computer. Besides, you can copy files from the external drive to your iOS device if you need to.

The Bottom Line

These are the proven ways to transfer photos from iPhone to an external hard drive. Whether you want to use a computer or not, you can find the solution you need. All of the solutions can be applied to transfer photos from iPhone to computer. Command these tips to help yourself out whenever you need to perform data transfer between an iPhone/iPad/iPod and a computer/external storage device.

FAQ

1. Can the iPhone connect directly to an external hard drive?

You can connect your iPhone or iPad with a flash drive, USB hard drive, SD card, and other external storage drives, as long as you have the appropriate adapter. The choice of such adapters depends on your device model and the device you want to connect. You can find a suitable adapter from Amazon. 

2. How do I organize my iPhone photos to an external hard drive?

To organize an external hard drive, you'll need to connect it to a computer and organize it by backing up important files and deleting unneeded or duplicated items.

3. How do I transfer files from my iPhone to an external hard drive without a computer?

To do this, you will need a formatted hard drive and an adapter to help. First, connect your iPhone or iPad to the external hard drive via an adapter. Then, go to the Photos app (or you can select other apps that support file sharing) and select the photos you wish to transfer, click the Share button, tap Save to Files, choose your external hard drive, select a folder to hold your pictures, and then tap Save.