Save Pictures Onto Your PC

Today you can take digital photographs not only with a digital camera, but also with mobile devices. Retrieve images from your phone, camera, or an external drive and save them onto your PC using a number of methods. You may also save images from a CD, DVD, website, or email to a PC running Microsoft Windows 7, 8, or Vista.

Steps

Importing From a Phone, Camera, or External Drive

  1. Connect your device. Use the data cable that comes with your phone, camera, or external drive to attach it to your computer. Apple iPhones will use a lightning connector while other phones will use a mini-USB cable. Use the cable to plug into the USB port of your computer.[1]
    • Your operating system should recognize your phone as a digital camera. The Digital Camera Images (DCIM) folder should appear once your camera is plugged in. This folder is the default folder in your phone that stores all your photos. Your computer will also recognize this folder on an actual digital camera. You may have to search for available folders when plugging in an external drive. Be sure you know what folder you have saved your pictures to.
    • Make sure that iTunes software is off on your desktop if you’re using an iPhone.
  2. Open “My Computer”. Click on the DCIM folder or image folder to see all your images on your computer. Even if you’re not running your regular photo app or software, you can still view your photos from this folder.[1]
  3. Right click on the images you want to save. Use your mouse and highlight all the images you want to save. Right click with your mouse for the drop down menu and left click import. Your images will save in your Pictures folder on your computer in a subfolder that you can title to your preference.[2]
    • If you’re looking at a single picture in full screen view, Import may not be available upon right click. Search your PC for the device. You may also select all the photos in the DCIM folder by clicking Select All from the drop down menu after you have right-clicked into the the folder.
  4. Use an SD or micro SD card. Some cameras or phones use a microSD or SD card for storage. These act like a regular flash drive once inserted into your computer. Simply remove it from your device and insert it into the appropriate slot of your computer. The Device will appear on your desktop once inserted. Open the correct image folder and right-click on the images you want to save onto your computer.[1]
    • While the iPhone does not use an SD or micro SD card, phones like the Samsung Galaxy S5, Samsung Note 4, and Sony Xperia do. You may need to purchase a microSD reader for your computer if it does not have the correct slot. Most computers will have an SD slot, but you may still need to buy a microSD-toSD card adapter to make the tiny card fit.
  5. Drag and drop. When you plug in a storage device, like a flash drive, phone, or camera, you may also simply drag and drop image files from the SD or microSD folder, DCIM folder, or storage folder onto the desktop of your computer. Simply use your mouse to click on the image and drag it from the folder onto your desktop and the image will save.[1]
  6. Use backup and sync services. Choose from several backup/sync services and apps online including Microsoft OneDrive for Windows phones, iOS phones, or Android phones. Enter settings in your phone and turn on Camera Backup. The app will automatically upload images you save on your phone to your OneDrive account. You will then be able to access your pictures from your computer via wifi or internet connection.[1]
    • Other apps and services include Dropbox and Carousel. You may have to download an app, as is the case with Dropbox, to access your photos. You may also have to pay to increase the amount of images you can store.[1]
    • Flickr, Google Photos, and iCloud Photo library also offer online-only storage. They vary in price and functionality depending on your storage needs. Research what storage option is best for your needs[1]

Importing from a DVD or CD

  1. Insert the disc. Locate the DVD drive on your computer and insert your disk. Make sure the disk is facing right side up. You may have to press a button to open and close the drive or it may simply be a slot you can place the DVD or CD into.[2]
  2. Search for the proper folder. On the right side of the screen click search. You may also right-click the upper right corner of your screen with your mouse and hit Search.[2]
  3. Click File Explorer. Click File Explorer from the drop down menu or enter File Explorer into the search bar and hit enter.[2]
  4. Find your photos. On the left side, expand your list of folders and devices by clicking on This PC. Click on the drive with your photos. Choose the photos that you want to save by either highlighting them with your mouse or clicking on them.[2]
  5. Save your pictures. Right click on your photos and hit Import to save them onto your pc. They will be saved into your Pictures folder or in OneDrive if you have it setup. Remember to label your saved photos so that they will be easily searchable.[2]

Saving Pictures From the Web

  1. Open Internet Explorer or your prefered browser. Click on the Start button and click on your prefered browser. You may have Internet Explorer or another browser as a shortcut on your desktop. You can also click on those icons.[3]
  2. Find a picture that you want to save. Browse the web and find a picture or pictures that you want to save. You may keep several search tabs open until you decide on what exactly you want to save.[3]
  3. Right-click the picture. Once you have found an image that you want to save, right-click on it. On the drop down menu, select Save Picture As.[3]
  4. Save your picture. In the dialog box that pops up when you hit Save Picture as, browse your folders and select where you want to save your picture to. Title the image with a name that you will easily remember and click Save.[3]
  5. Save from social media. Open your social media account and find the images that you want to save. Right-click the image and select Save As. Select the folder that you want to save your image to and label the image.
    • Social media images may rescale the image so that it appears in poor quality once saved onto your PC. When opening an image, make sure that it is actual size and in full quality. Play with your image settings when the Save As menu appears to make sure you have the best image quality. [1]

Saving a Picture from Email

  1. Login to your email account. Open your prefered internet browser and go to your email site. Open your email account by entering your username and password. You may already have your email set up in your Favourites toolbar and your password and username may already be entered automatically depending on your settings and preferences.[4]
  2. Right-click the image. Click Save Picture As, Save Image As, or Save Image. Locate the folder where you want to save your image to and change the filename to something appropriate.[4]
    • Gmail, hotmail, Live Mail, and Yahoo! Mail all have similar functionality. You may just have to click the attachment and the drop down menu will appear asking if you want to Save the Image or open it.
    • If you cannot open the image or the email, contact the sender or save the message onto your computer. The steps to do so may vary depending on your email provider.[4]
  3. Right-click on the file attachment. If the image appears as an attachment and not in the body of the email, right-click on the attachment and select Save As. Save the image in your chosen folder with your prefered filename.[4]

Troubleshooting if Your PC Can’t Find Your Device

  1. Reconnect your device. There are many possibilities as to why your PC cannot find your device. Your cable may not be working or inserted correctly. Disconnect your device and reconnect it. Be sure that your camera or phone is unlocked and on.[2]
  2. Open File explorer. If your device doesn’t immediately prompt a new menu open or open your Photo app, open File Explorer. Search under This PC for your device. If you find it, copy the folder onto your pc by either dragging and dropping onto your desktop with your mouse or right-clicking and selecting Save As.[2]
  3. Update your drivers and check forums. There may be a known problem with your hardware as there are always updates to software and products. Install driver updates from the manufacturer by entering the device manager by clicking on the lower-right corner of the screen and hitting search. Enter Device Manager and select Settings, right click the device that’s having problems, and click Update Driver software.[2]
    • Click Search Automatically for updates. If there are updates, follow the prompts that may including restarting your computer.
  4. Check forums. Check Windows forum, the Microsoft community, or the manufacturer’s forums to see if others have encountered similar problems. There may be suggestions to fix specific problems especially for hardware problems or messages stating error.[2]

Tips

  • It's not all digital these days. Photographers who use film can scan their prints and slides onto their computer and burn to a CD or DVD. Seek your local photographic center for more information.

Warnings

  • Do NOT delete any of the "source" image files from your external device that you intended to copy to your Windows PC, until you have:
    • Verified that all copies were successful, and
    • Backed up all copies somewhere else from the location on your Windows PC where they were copied.
  • Remember, once you delete a "source" image file from your external device, it is GONE FOR GOOD!

Things You'll Need

  • PC (Personal Computer) running Microsoft Windows
  • External Device:
    • Digital Camera
    • Android Device (Smart-Phone, Tablet)
    • iOS(Apple) Device (iPhone, iPod, iPad)
  • USB Adaptor Cord for the External Device
  • Memory Card Reader (only for certain Digital Cameras)

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2348830,00.asp
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/import-photos-videos
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/save-a-picture-from-a-webpage
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000836.htm
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