iPhone to PC, full quality
Transfer Photos From iPhone to PC Without Losing Quality
Flitdrop sends your iPhone photos at full original resolution, HEIC and metadata preserved, over your local Wi-Fi. No cable, no cloud, no re-compression, free and with no account.
The short answer: Flitdrop transfers your iPhone photos to a PC at full quality by sending the original file exactly as it is stored, with no re-compression. The HEIC file stays HEIC, EXIF metadata like date and location is preserved, and the copy that lands on your PC is byte for byte identical. It goes over your local Wi-Fi with no cable, no iTunes and no cloud, unlike WhatsApp, email or Google Photos, which shrink your images, and unlike paid tools such as iMazing or MobileTrans. Nothing installs on the phone: you scan a QR code once, and everything is end to end encrypted.
Where quality is lost
What Usually Ruins iPhone Photo Quality
Most common ways to move photos off an iPhone quietly compress them or strip their metadata. Flitdrop keeps the original file intact.
-
Messaging and email shrink
WhatsApp, Messenger and email attachments re-compress photos to save bandwidth, so what arrives on your PC is smaller and softer than the original.
-
Cloud plans downscale
Google Photos and similar services can store a compressed version unless you pay for full quality, and free tiers cap what you can keep.
-
Cables and iTunes are clunky
A USB cable can copy originals, but iTunes, drivers and HEIC that Windows will not open make it slow and fiddly. Paid tools like iMazing or MobileTrans charge for the convenience.
-
Flitdrop keeps the original
Flitdrop sends the underlying file untouched over Wi-Fi, so the HEIC, its resolution and its metadata all survive the trip to your PC.
Getting started
Transfer at Full Quality in Three Steps
Install the app on your PC once, pair your iPhone with a single scan, then send your photos over your Wi-Fi.
-
1
Install on your PC
Install the lightweight Flitdrop app once on Windows, Mac or Linux; it auto updates and there is nothing to install on the iPhone.
-
2
Scan once to pair
Scan a QR code one time to pair your iPhone; the phone simply uses its browser as a lightweight web app, with no cable and no iTunes.
-
3
Send photos over your Wi-Fi
Pick your photos and they transfer peer to peer over your local Wi-Fi, arriving on your PC at full resolution with HEIC and metadata intact.
Everything is end to end encrypted, with no account to create and privacy first by design.
Nothing lost
What Stays Intact With Flitdrop
Full resolution, HEIC untouched, metadata preserved and no cloud in the middle, all for free on your own network.
-
Full original resolution
Photos and videos arrive at their full original resolution, with no re-compression and no downscaling by a cloud plan.
-
HEIC and Live Photos
The original HEIC file transfers untouched, and because Flitdrop moves the underlying files, Live Photo components come across as they are stored.
-
Metadata preserved
EXIF metadata such as date taken, location and camera settings stays with the file, so your library keeps its dates and geotags.
-
Free and no cloud
It is free on your own network, with no subscription, and nothing is uploaded to a server, unlike paid tools such as iMazing or MobileTrans.
Private by design
Your Photos Stay on Your Wi-Fi
Flitdrop is not an internet or cloud service. Your photos travel directly from your iPhone to your PC over your local Wi-Fi, everything is end to end encrypted, and there is no account, so nothing is ever uploaded to a server.
It is source available, so anyone can inspect how the transfer works, and it stays free for local transfers on your own network.
Frequently asked
How do I transfer iPhone photos to PC without losing quality?
Install Flitdrop on your PC, scan the QR code once with your iPhone to pair, and send your photos over your local Wi-Fi. They arrive at full original resolution with no re-compression, so the file that lands on your PC is a byte for byte copy of the one on your iPhone.
Does Flitdrop compress my photos?
No. Flitdrop sends the original file exactly as it is stored on your iPhone, with no re-encoding and no downscaling. Unlike WhatsApp, email or Google Photos, which often shrink images to save space, Flitdrop transfers a byte for byte copy.
Does it keep HEIC and Live Photos?
Yes. Flitdrop sends the original HEIC file untouched and preserves its EXIF metadata such as date, location and camera settings. Because it moves the underlying files, the paired components of a Live Photo transfer as they are stored on your iPhone.
Do I need a cable or iTunes?
No. There is no cable, no iTunes and no driver to install. You pair your iPhone by scanning a QR code once, then transfer wirelessly over your local Wi-Fi, with nothing to install on the phone.
Is Flitdrop free?
Yes. Flitdrop is free on your own network, with no subscription and no server cost for local transfers, unlike paid tools such as iMazing or MobileTrans. You can download it from the official GitHub releases page.
Does it work over Wi-Fi without internet?
Yes. Flitdrop transfers over your local Wi-Fi, so as long as your iPhone and PC are on the same network the transfer works even when the internet connection is down, and nothing is routed through the cloud.
Ready to keep every pixel?
Install Flitdrop on your computer, keep your iPhone exactly as it is.
Windows, Mac and Linux