You have connected your iOS device (e.g. iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) with the lightening cable and are ready to copy photos and videos that you took on your device to your Windows 10 computer. However, upon opening Windows Explorer and pasting the files to your designated location, you receive the following error:
Device is unreachable.
To solve this error when copying files from your iPhone or other device to your PC/computer running Windows 10, here are steps to follow:
- Disconnect your iPhone/iPad from your computer
- Go to Settings on your iOS device
- Open Photos and scroll to the bottom
- Under ‘Transfer to Mac or PC’, chang efrom Automatic to Keep Originals (“Automatically transfer photos and videos in a compatible format, or always transfer the original file without checking for compatibility.”)
Now connect again the device to the Windows 10 computer and copy/paste the files again; it should work fine now!
THANK YOU. THANK YOU A MILLION TIMES AGAIN. I’ve reset, reinstalled, settings after settings after settings. I was about to bite the bullet and just purchase flash drives of my own pictures in mass from a photo site. So again, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!
Bro!!! Thank you for taking the time to publish a solution to a problem that I have had to deal with for way too long.
Thanks again! You have my gratitude – :)
This really worked!
Thanks a lot
Thank you so much! Other sites wanted you to download their software. I didn’t want to do that. I’m so glad to have come across this. It worked fast and easy, and just by changing a simple setting on my iPhone!
Hi Tina
thanks for you reaction!
Indeed, this issue is sometimes exploited by companies unfortunately.
Best regards, Thomas
WOW! Thank you bro. it’s been struggling of doing until I found this and it works like a charm!
Happy this little trick worked for you, Jimmy!
Thanks mate!
This Finally works! Tried different apps, but they all scale down the quality :(
I followed the directions and when transferring the pictures, all the .jpg files were changed to .HEIC files which my computer can’t seem to open.
Following further prompts landed me on a Microsoft page where they wanted to sell me some kind of software that I didn’t recognize.
same here, how to convert .heic to jpg ??
Hello Irene and c
You can use any online converter to make the heic file a jp(e)g file.
Let me know if you need any recommendations for online conversation websites.
Try the links here for FREE Microsoft store links to get them to work on Windows 10
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/heif-image-extensions/9pmmsr1cgpwg
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/hevc-video-extensions-from-device-manufacturer/9n4wgh0z6vhq
Yes!!! MY GUY THOMAS!! thanks so much for the help! been trying to figure this out for weeks
Hey Jorden
Great this works for you! Thanks for your comment.
Best
Thomas
Yessssssssss!!! It worked! Thank you for saving me headaches and heartache. :)
Worked, but now none of my photos and vidoes are rotated properly in Windows 10 :(
Thanks a million!!. Every week I was spending hours to transfer some video files from my iPhone to my PC.Today I did it in 5 minutes. Thanks again!!
Hi Ken
Thanks for sharing your feedback. Great to hear my little trick is saving you tons of time!
Best regards
Thomas
Thank you!!!!
YES! Thanks a million! Why do they make it so stupidly difficult!
Hi Brad
You’re welcome, glad this did the trick for you.
Best regards
Thomas
Thanks a million!!
WOW! Thank you for this simple fix, I have been pulling my hair out trying to remove the photos from my phone to back up on my NAS. I even brought a portable hard drive and my iPhone to work to try on my work computer and had no success until I found your site. Thank you so much!
When doing this and transferring videos it only transfers the audio and no video. Any idea on troubleshooting that? I deleted a few thinking they transferred and in playing back it was only audio! Ugghh!
Yes, it works, but, system will transfer the “raw” format HEIC for photos and HEVC/HVC1 (.3GP) that is not supported by Windows by default. Now you must convert those files to JPG or MOV or install some kind of CODEC or player to handle it. For me both conditions suck…. Still angry with Apple….
Thank you!! That was super simple and helpful!
I was started to get really frustrated, but this worked like a charm! Thank you!!!
Did not work for me. My DCIM folder sometimes shows up and sometimes does not. So annoying.
YAASSS!!!! Bunch of my son’s game videos SAVED and BACKED UP! Thank you!
merci beaucoup!! it works
Thank you, worked within seconds!!
It worked. Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this helpfull tip.
Man!!! you are my hero
THANK YOU! I thought I was losing my mind over this.
Thanks bro, works fine now.
Many-many thanks. it works!
Hi, I work with technical support and used this step-by-step to help an user, and it works, thanks for share the information :)
ok ive done that. i still have 700 or so that will not transfer to computer. got any other tips?
i had done a few things, including this, to get the first several thousand to work.. and then it just wouldnt work anymore for the last 700ish.
thank you. its works
THANKS, WORKS Perfect
Worked for me. Iphone xr. Saved me a lot of extra work!!! Great advice. I did have trouble with not finding the dcim folders after plugging back in. But it finally showed up and no hitches after that on 2 dcim folders of 2 GB each. copied from iphone to a external drive connected to usb on my W10 PC.
A solution but still have to get a codec now for windows to view videos.
THANK YOU.
Great stuff and a million thanks!! Search all over to find a solution. Apple should be embarrassed.
It solves the issue – but if you are using iPhone 11 you’ll then get all photos in HEIC format. It must be set to Automatic to get the photos in JPG format.
Great stuff and a million thanks!! Search all over to find a solution.
Worked on this for more than a week to find work around. Changed computers, Tried smaller files copy. Nothing worked except your great solution
Thanks a lot!!!
Thank You a million times. Worked great for me as well!!!
Years. Literal YEARS I have dealt with this problem. I cannot tell you the hours I have wasted the money I have spent on other programs (that still never gave me the best possible file)… I changed settings, I cried. I reinstalled. I bought A NEW IPHONE. I BOUGHT A NEW PC. Nothing mattered. I would have to arrange all of my videos from smallest to largest and piece meal them together. It would take me an entire day to do this and as a documentarian this was just a nightmare.
I could write a book on everything I’ve been through and this ONE, TINY, CHECKMARK fixed it.
how the hell?
THANK YOY MORE THAN YOU CAN POSSIBLY KNOW
Thank you so much. Saved my life.
Thank you!
Thanks. Unfortunately the problem moves forward in the pipeline. The “originals” are not easy to view in a Windows 10 – needs plugin – and “the orginals” totally messes up Adobe Premiere and can not even be viewed in Corel Videostudio. It vould be nice to know where to adjust the timeout in USB-transfers in windows. I guess the transfer timeouts when waiting for iPhone to convert its “originals” to something that non mac people can use.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ive tried this a bunch of times and it still says unreachable. I have updated everything…. please help
Thank you, this was so frustrating and the whole of google did not know what to do with it, until you published this :-)
Thank you!
I am gonna nominate you for a Nobel Prize.
Finnaly something that works and gets my photo’s and video’s from my iphone. Greatest thanks!
Thank you!!!
Doesn’t seem to work on iOS 13.3 for iPhone 8
Thank you!!!!!!!!! I thought I would smash the IPhone today! Troubleshooted for some time, never had the time to finally crack it and unable to properly transfer photos until now, took me minutes, very grateful.