How to connect iphone to mac computer

  • You can mirror your iPhone screen to a Mac with QuickTime and a Lightning to USB cable.
  • You can also mirror your iPhone’s screen to a Mac wirelessly with AirPlay.
  • When using AirPlay, both the iPhone and Mac need to be on the same W-Fi network.

One of the iPhone's greatest assets is its connectivity. Built into Apple products are several ways to share what you're viewing or working on from your iPhone to a Mac.

This can be useful if you want to display a photo album or app on your computer, stream music from Apple Music or Spotify from an iPhone to your Mac, or play video content directly from iPhone apps like Hulu. You can even record whatever you're doing on your phone when you're screen mirroring from iPhone to Mac.

There are various ways to mirror your iPhone to your Mac, however, the easiest way is to either use the QuickTime app on your Mac or the Screen Mirroring feature on your iPhone, which uses AirPlay.  

Here's how to do both.

How to mirror your iPhone to a Mac with QuickTime

1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac using a Lightning to USB cable.

2. Open QuickTime on your Mac.

3. Click on File in the menu bar at the top of the screen.

4. Click New Movie Recording.

Under "File," click "New Movie Recording." Stefan Ionescu/Insider

5. Next to the red record button (bottom middle), click on the down arrow. 

6. Select your iPhone from the list of available devices. If it's not there, try disconnecting and reconnecting your iPhone.

Select your iPhone from the dropdown menu to connect to it. Stefan Ionescu/Insider

7. Your phone should now be fully mirrored on your computer, in the exact shape of your iPhone screen.

How to mirror your iPhone to a Mac with AirPlay 

AirPlay is an Apple feature that lets you wirelessly stream content from one device to another. It's designed for streaming from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac to an Apple TV or AirPlay-compatible smart TV.

You can either AirPlay content directly from an app that allows for AirPlay like Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, or the NFL app. Or, you can AirPlay your entire iPhone screen by opening the Control Center.

1. If you're AirPlaying from within an app, start playing content, like a show or movie, and hit the AirPlay symbol (it's a rectangle with a solid triangle at the bottom) in the upper-right corner of the video.

When playing content within some apps, like YouTube, you have the option to AirPlay the video. Stefan Ionescu/Insider

If you're AirPlaying from the Control Center, tap the Screen Mirroring tile.

Tap "Screen Mirroring" in the Control Center on your iPhone. Stefan Ionescu/Insider

2. Once you've selected either the AirPlay symbol from within an app or Screen Mirroring from the Control Center, a pop-up will ask you to select a device — tap the name of your Mac.

Your iPhone content will now show up on your Mac computer's screen.

Ryan Ariano grew up in Baltimore when the Macintosh was cutting edge, lived in Los Angeles as Blackberries gave way to iPhones, and now lives in Jackson Hole where his life is held together by Bluetooth. He writes on a wide range of topics but especially loves nerding out across the tech spectrum. Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here.

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What do you do when your iPhone is having problems syncing with iTunes or can't connect to Mac?

Well, to begin with, this is actually a common problem and as we shall see very shortly, it can be caused by a number of factors. If it’s happening to you, don't worry and we are going to show you how you can easily fix this frustrating problem - my iPhone won't connect to Mac.

Part 1. Why won’t my iPhone connect to iTunes on Mac?

One of the most common reasons why your iPhone fails to communicate with your computer has to do with hardware. It is therefore important to check both your iPhone and your Mac for various hardware issues. For starters, check that there isn’t any dust and debris on your ports. Dust and other particles can hinder communication between the device. If there is any dust, clean the devices and then connect them again.

Also, check that nothing is wrong with the connecting cables you are using. The easiest way to ensure it’s not the lighting cables you are using is to change it. If you do this and the iPhone still won’t connect to the Mac, it may be a software issue. In the next section, we’ll share with you a few things you can do to try and fix the problem.

Part 2. How to Fix My iPhone won’t connect to Mac?

The following are 5 of the most effective solutions to an iPhone that won’t connect to the Mac. Try each one individually until your situation is fixed.

1. Restart both the Device and the Computer

It is an easy and effective solution. Simply reboot the computer and the iPhone and then try reconnecting. If that doesn’t work, try the next solution.

2. Update your Software

Old software can cause connection issues. This is especially true when you try to connect a newer iPhone model to an older Mac or PC. Updating both your iOS and iTunes could fix the problem. Here’s how to update iTunes on your Mac.

Click “iTunes” on the Apple Menu bar and then click “Check for Updates”. If there is one, you should make sure that your iPhone is disconnected before installing the update. Restart the Mac and then restart the computer.

How to connect iphone to mac computer

If you are running iOS 9, please note that the device will only sync with iTunes v12.3 which can only be installed on Macs running OSX 10.8 or newer.

3. Check your Apple ID

You may be having difficulty syncing content that you’ve purchased (such as music) if you are not signed in to iTunes using the correct Apple ID.

This is easily solved, simply select “Store” and then “Sign in” to log in to your iTunes account. If you are already signed in, please make sure that it is with the correct account.

How to connect iphone to mac computer

If the computer is not authorized for use with your account, click on “Store” from the menu bar and then click on “Authorize this computer”. Sign in with your Apple ID when requested and the problem should be fixed.

4. Manually Reset your Privacy and Location Permissions

If you are trying to connect to a computer you have never used before and have accidentally hit “Don’t trust” when you saw the request popup, iTunes may fail to recognize the device. In this case, all you have to do is disconnect the iPhone to the computer and reconnect again to see if the popup request shows up again. If it doesn’t, you can reset permissions manually like this.

Step 1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone and tap on General.

Step 2. Tap “Reset” and then choose “Reset Location & Privacy”.

How to connect iphone to mac computer

Step 3. Enter your passcode and then tap “Reset Settings” and you will see the prompt again when you connect the iPhone.

5. Reinstall iTunes

If all else fails, you may need to consider reinstalling iTunes. But you need to first of all remove the old version from the Mac. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1. Open “Finder” and the navigate to the “Applications” folder.

Step 2. Right click on iTunes and select “Get Info”.

Step 3. Click on the padlock icon at the bottom right corner and enter your admin password when prompted.

Step 4. In the “Sharing and Permissions” section, under “Everyone” change to “Read & Write” and close the iTunes info window.

How to connect iphone to mac computer

You will now be able to simply drag iTunes from the Applications folder to the trash to uninstall it. Once it’s uninstalled, head on over to the Apple Website and install the latest version.

Part 3. How to transfer data from iPhone to Mac without iTunes?

If you need to transfer data to the Mac and iTunes is still unable to recognize your iPhone, you can use MobileTrans - Phone Transfer to do it. MobileTrans is designed to help you transfer data easily from your iPhone to your Mac. It is quick and very easy to use and works with all versions of iOS and all versions of Mac.

The following is a simple way to use MobileTrans to transfer data from our iPhone to your Mac without iTunes.

MobileTrans - Phone Transfer

Transfer Data from iPhone to Mac With 1 Click!

  • • The data types include messages, photos, videos, apps, Music.
  • • Move safely without resetting devices or deleting original data.
  • • Retain the quality of your data and would keep it private.
  • • The interface is extremely simple and will let you select the type of data you wish to move.

4,085,556 people have downloaded it

Step 1. Download and install the program to your computer. Launch it and then connect the iPhone to the computer. Click on “Phone Tranasfer”.

How to connect iphone to mac computer

Step 2. Select files to export

Select data types, now 5 supported, in the sidebar on the left. Then choose the files you want to export to your computer.

How to connect iphone to mac computer

Step 3. Export Successfully

Keep your phone connected and export will complete in a while. You can also import these files to your phone when needed.

How to connect iphone to mac computer

We hope the above solutions have helped you fix the problem. Keep in mind that you can use MobileTrans - Phone Transfer to transfer data to your Mac while you try to fix the issue.

Tips: If you are using phones running other systems like Android and Windows, you can also transfer files from your phone to Mac easily, not to mention backup to mac.

How do I wirelessly connect my iPhone to my Mac?

Follow these steps to share Wi-Fi from iPhone to MacBook:.
Open “Settings” on your iPhone..
Turn on Bluetooth..
Visit “settings' again and turn on Wi-Fi..
Now on your mac, visit the wifi icon and select the same Wi-Fi network that's connected to your iPhone..
Now tap “share password” on your iPhone by clicking on Wi-Fi..

How do I get my phone connected to my Mac?

You can view icons for hard disks, external disks, CDs, DVDs, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and connected servers in the Finder sidebar or on your desktop. In the Finder on your Mac, choose Finder > Preferences. Click General, then select the items you want to see on the desktop.

Why is my iPhone not connecting with my Mac?

Make sure that your iOS or iPadOS device is turned on, unlocked, and on the Home screen. Check that you have the latest software on your Mac or Windows PC. If you're using iTunes, make sure you have the latest version. If you see a Trust this Computer alert, unlock your device and tap Trust.