How to Transfer Photos from Android to Mac: 6 Decisions

The incompatibility between Android and iOS or macOS is not a novelty. Users that tried simple operations such as the one to transfer photos from Android to Mac have a much better understanding of the underlying issue. Doing it the other way around is not at all easier as well.

In this article, we have focused on third-party apps as they offer benefits such as convenience, speed, and reliability. Additionally, they are constantly updated and improving, so the problem of incompatibility between Android and Mac is fading away. Read on to learn how to transfer photos from Android to Mac using the best solutions available!

How to Transfer Photos from Android to Mac

If you connect your Android phone to Macbook via USB cable, you will see that nothing happens. Macbook, unlike Windows PC won’t recognize your connected device. Of course, this can be a workaround, for example by using Bluetooth, but this method will not provide you with a fast and smooth transfer unlike third-party apps. Let’s take a look at the most popular ones.

Decision 1. MacDroid

We’re getting right to it on how to transfer photos from Android to Mac by presenting you the best solution out there – MacDroid. Using this lightweight but very efficient app, you will be able to handle all your data transfers between an Android device and a Mac computer.

Besides photos, MacDroid supports transferring videos, music, and entire folders between the two devices and you will only need a USB cable or internet connection besides the app installed on your Mac.

MacDroid allows Mac users to mount the Android device as a disk on Mac, thus ensuring a fast and efficient transfer for any type of data. You can transfer your photos using the ADB, MTP, or Wi-Fi modes modes offered by MacDroid and you will be able to use Finder to rapidly navigate the device once it’s connected.

How to import photos from Android to MacBook with MacDroid:

Step 1. Download and install MacDroid from official website.

Step 2. Use the USB cable that came with the Android phone to connect it to your Mac computer.

Step 3. Go to “Devices” and you will see the phone already connected.

Step 4. Give Mac access to your Android device – choose ADB when prompted on the smartphone and allow the Mac to access your data.

Step 5. You will see the Android device as a physical disk on Mac and you can start transferring images or any other files you want.

Ready to forgo the cable? Here’s how to set up a wireless connection between your Android and Mac via Macdroid:

Download: MacDroid on the Mac App Store

Decision 2. Android File Transfer

If you’re not a big fan of using third-party apps developed by other companies than Apple or Android, you can turn to Android’s native file transfer tool. Called Android File Transfer, this tool also requires a working USB cable to get the job done, and, compared to MacDroid, it has a series of disadvantages that we will explain below.

How to transfer photos with Android File Transfer:

Step 1. Download Android File Transfer.

Step 2. Open the AndroidFileTransfer.dmg file to run the installation process.

Step 3. Drag Android File Transfer to “Applications”.

Step 4. Connect your Android phone using the USB cable that came with it.

Step 5. Run Android File Transfer.

Step 6. Browse the folders and copy the photos you need.

Download: Android File Transfer

Decision 3. SyncMate

So far we’ve presented you option on how to transfer photos from Android to Mac using USB cables. However, if you don’t want to use any cables and take care of the operation using your Wi-Fi connection only, SyncMate is the app you’re looking for. Not only does that it will allow you to import pictures from your phone to your computer  wirelessly, but it also doubles as a sync tool to make sure you have all the files on both devices at all times.

Furthermore, SyncMate helps you sync Android and Macbook but also does a great job and syncing MTP devices mounted disks and other Macs as well. In other words, you’re looking at all-in-one sync and transfer tool that can even handle cloud storage accounts and various Microsoft services. You can even use it to transfer music from Mac to Android.

Transfer photos from Android on Mac with SyncMate:

Step 1. Start by uploading and installing SyncMate on your Mac.

Step 2. Run the app and make sure that both the Android device and your Mac are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

Step 3. On the left side of SyncMate, under “Connections” click on “Add new”.

Step 4. Choose Android device from the list of available options.

Step 5. Once the connection is established, choose what data you want to be synced (pictures, in this case).

Step 6. Once you’re done with all the prefered settings for photo syncing, press “Sync” to get start the process.

Download: SyncMate 

Decision 4. AirDroid

We’ve already given you some top answers to how to move photos from Android to Mac. However, we want to make sure that our readers get exhaustive information and that’s why we’re listing a couple more alternatives. They will help you with other tasks – to transfer videos from Android to computer, for example.

AirDroid is a free Android app that helps you manage the data on your smartphone or tablet from any web browser. You guessed it, even from Safari on the Mac you want to transfer your photos to. You won’t need a USB cable for this one, and impressively, you won’t even need to have the two devices connected to the same Wi-Fi.

How do I transfer photos via AirDroid:

Step 1. Visit web.airdroid.com and scan the QR code on screen from your Android device.

Step 2. Once the connection is established, you will be able to navigate your Android phone content in browser from Mac.

Step 3. Copy and paste (or drag and drop) the photos and other files you want to move from your phone to Mac or vice versa.

Step 4. For larger files (over 100MB), you will have to upgrade to AirDroid Premium.

Download: AirDroid

Decision 5. AnyDroid

AnyDroid (formerly AnyTrans for Android) is an Android file manager designed for easy and convenient data management. It does not require any cables and allows you to manage your phone’s content on your computer via Wi-Fi.

Transferring photos from Android to Mac  and vice versa is extremely easy with AnyDroid: scan the QR code, select the items you want to transfer, and you’re done! You can export messages, images, videos, contacts and any other data.

How to import photos with AnyDroid:

Step 1. Install and launch AnyDroid on your Mac.

Step 2. Connect your devices via Wi-Fi by scanning the QR code with the AnyDroid app. Make sure your phone and Mac are connected to the same Wi-Fi.

Step 3. Click on the “Photos” category and select the ones you want to transfer.

Step 4. Once selected, click on “To Computer” icon. Wait for the transfer process to complete.

Download: AnyDroid

Decision 6. Google Photos

The final solution we’re presenting you on how to transfer data from Android to Mac, photos, images, videos, documents, and more involves Google Photos. To be able to use this method you will need a Google account.

However, most of us are using Gmail already so if you’re doing this too, you already have a Google account. Using Google Photos is a great way to sync  pictures between your Android phone and other devices.

Here’s how it goes:

Step 1. On your Android phone, open the Google Photos app.

Step 2. If you want to move a specific album, go to the “Albums” tab on the bottom of the app. Otherwise, just select the pictures you want to move to get the process started.

Step 3. Once you’re done selecting, tap “Share”.

Step 4. Insert the email address where you want to send those photos and you’re done.

A simpler way of using Google Photos to move files between Android and Mac is activating the sync feature. So, when you open Google Photos in your browser on Mac, you can just select the photos you want and download them.

Conclusion

Now that you’ve seen all the relevant ways to transfer photos from Android to Mac, it’s up to you to decide on which one is the best fit for your needs. Usually, backing up photos from your phone is a recurrent task so you’ll benefit from installing a third-party app to get the job done.

Choose according to your tasks and habits: wired, wireless connection. Perhaps you want to use the usual Google Photos service, or maybe try MacDroid, appreciating the convenience and intuitive design.

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