PhotoHow to copy documents from the iPhone Files app to a Windows PC
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Quick answer: first check where the files are. In the Files app, tap Browse: files under iCloud Drive are in Apple's cloud and download from icloud.com or iCloud for Windows. Files under On My iPhone exist only on the phone; Windows can't see them over USB, so share them off one by one or use an app that copies the whole folder.
On My iPhone or iCloud Drive?
Downloads, PDFs, résumés and documents can live in two places, and it matters which:
- iCloud Drive: stored in Apple's cloud (the iPhone may only keep a placeholder). Safari saves downloads here by default when iCloud Drive is on.
- On My iPhone: stored only on the phone. If the phone is lost or reset without a backup, these files are gone.
Free: iCloud Drive files
On the PC, go to icloud.com › iCloud Drive and download what you need, or install iCloud for Windows and turn on iCloud Drive to get a synced folder in File Explorer.
Free: “On My iPhone” files, one at a time
- In the Files app, press and hold a file and tap Share.
- Send it to yourself by email, or Save to Files in iCloud Drive and then download it on the PC.
Fine for a few files; tedious for a folder full of them, and folders aren't kept.
Copy everything with PhotoFroggy
PhotoFroggy copies the whole of On My iPhone to your PC over USB, with its folders:
- Connect the iPhone with a USB cable, unlock it and tap Trust.
- In PhotoFroggy, open Files and click Read messages, contacts and files (about 3–5 minutes; keep the iPhone unlocked).
- Your files appear with their folder names. Tick what you want, choose a folder and click Export.
Items in Recently Deleted are left out. Some apps also keep their own documents outside the Files app; those are listed under Documents inside apps on the same screen.