iPhone Windows Windows 10 How-To

How to View iPhone Live Photos on a Windows PC

Don't want your live photo to lose its liveliness? Here's how to view them as the moving pictures on a Windows PC.

Don’t want your live photo to lose its liveliness? Here’s how to view them as the moving pictures on a Windows PC.

by Sakshi Garg

Live Photos bring your memories to life by capturing the moments just before and after you snap a picture on your iPhone. While enjoying these dynamic images is effortless on an iPhone, viewing them on a Windows PC isn’t as straightforward due to compatibility issues. Fortunately, there are ways to access and enjoy your Live Photos on a Windows computer. This guide will walk you through the most effective methods to view and transfer Live Photos to your PC.

Use iCloud Photos to View Live Photos

One of the simplest ways to view your Live Photos on a Windows PC is by using iCloud Photos. If you have iCloud Photos enabled on your iPhone, your photos are automatically uploaded to iCloud, allowing you to access them from any device with an internet connection.

There are two ways to use iCloud Photos on your Windows PC: accessing them online through a web browser or by installing the iCloud for Windows app. Accessing them online is quick and easy, especially if you don’t plan on using iCloud Photos frequently on your PC.

Open your preferred web browser and navigate to icloud.com. Sign in with your Apple ID associated with your iPhone.
Once logged in, click on the ‘Photos‘ icon to access your iCloud Photo Library.
Browse through your photos, which are organized in chronological order for easy navigation.
Click on a Live Photo to open it. The photo will animate just like it does on your iPhone, allowing you to view the live aspect of the image.
To download the Live Photo to your PC, click the ‘Download‘ button located at the top-right corner of the screen. The Live Photo will download as a JPEG file and a corresponding MOV file.

Using iCloud Photos online is beneficial because your photos appear in chronological order, making it easier to find specific images. If you need to access your iCloud Photos more frequently, consider installing the iCloud for Windows app, although it might not organize photos as conveniently.

Use USB Cable to Transfer Live Photos to a Windows PC

Another method to view your Live Photos on a Windows PC is by transferring them directly using a USB cable. When you capture a Live Photo on your iPhone, it saves two files: a JPEG image and a MOV video file. Here’s how you can transfer them:

Connect your iPhone to your Windows PC using a Lightning to USB cable. If prompted on your iPhone, trust the computer to establish the connection.
Open ‘File Explorer‘ on your PC and navigate to ‘This PC‘. Click on ‘Apple iPhone‘ under ‘Devices and drives‘.
Open the ‘Internal Storage‘ folder.
Navigate to the ‘DCIM‘ folder, which contains your iPhone’s photos and videos organized in subfolders.
Search through the folders to find your Live Photos. Each Live Photo consists of a JPEG and a MOV file with the same name.
Copy both the JPEG and MOV files to a folder on your PC. To view the Live Photo, open the MOV file using a media player that supports MOV files.

Note that this method might be less efficient if you have numerous photos, as locating specific Live Photos can be time-consuming due to the folder organization.

Convert Live Photos to GIF Files

Converting your Live Photos to GIFs allows you to view them on a Windows PC while preserving their animated quality. Here’s how you can do it:

On your iPhone, download a third-party app that converts Live Photos to GIFs. An example is the Lively app available on the App Store.
Open the app and grant it access to your photos. Select the Live Photo you wish to convert.
Tap on ‘Export GIF‘ to convert the Live Photo. You can adjust settings like trimming the length, changing the playback speed, and adjusting the file size.
Save the GIF to your Camera Roll. Then, transfer the GIF file to your Windows PC via email, cloud storage, or any other preferred method.

Keep in mind that converting to GIF may reduce the image quality slightly, and the GIF won’t include audio. Additionally, some apps may add a watermark unless you upgrade to a premium version.

By utilizing these methods, you can effectively view and enjoy your iPhone Live Photos on a Windows PC. While the process isn’t always seamless due to platform differences, these solutions ensure you can keep your animated memories accessible across devices.

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