Transfer Screenshots from iPhone to Mac Without AirDrop
By Roman Resenchuk,
To transfer screenshots from iPhone to Mac without AirDrop, install CloudShots on both devices and sign in to the same iCloud account. Each new screenshot then appears in CloudShots on your Mac, iPad and Apple Watch through your private iCloud, with no CloudShots server in between.
CloudShots is a screenshot app for iPhone, iPad and Mac that reads, names and syncs your screenshots, and I build it on weekends. I made the video above after one too many days of the same chore: screenshot, share sheet, AirDrop, wait, repeat.
Why AirDropping screenshots never ends
A screenshot is a small thing, so you take many of them. A boarding pass, a Wi-Fi password, a map pin, a recipe, a delivery status. Each one lives on the iPhone until you send it somewhere, and sending it means the same steps every time: open the share sheet, pick AirDrop, wait for the Mac to appear, accept, then look for the file in Downloads.
One screenshot costs a few seconds. Ten a day cost a habit you resent. The video shows it as three rounds of the same loop before the question every iPhone owner asks sooner or later: how do I even fix this?
The fix is to stop sending. When every device already holds the same library, there is nothing left to transfer.
How to transfer screenshots from iPhone to Mac, step by step
- Install CloudShots on your iPhone and give it Full Access to Photos, so it can read your Screenshots album.
- Install CloudShots on your Mac and sign in to the same iCloud account as on the iPhone.
- On the Mac, choose the folder CloudShots should watch. Your Desktop is preselected.
- Take a screenshot on the iPhone. CloudShots imports it in the background and syncs it through your private iCloud.
- Open CloudShots on the Mac, the iPad or the watch. The screenshot is already in the feed.
The same steps work the other way: a screenshot taken on the Mac shows up on the iPhone and the iPad. The Mac and iPhone sync guide goes through it in more detail.
Setup takes a few minutes and happens once. After that nothing is left to do by hand: no share sheet, no waiting for a nearby device to appear, and no Downloads folder full of files you meant to delete.
What happens to the screenshot on the way
Your screenshots travel through your own private iCloud, the one built into iPhone, iPad and Mac. CloudShots has no server that stores them, so there is no CloudShots account to create and nothing of yours sits on a machine I run. The iCloud screenshot manager page explains how iCloud keeps the library in step across your devices.
On the Mac, the iPad and the iPhone you see the full feed. On the Apple Watch you see your recent screenshots, enough to glance at a boarding pass or a Wi-Fi password without taking your phone out of your pocket.
What changes in a normal day
You stop asking where a screenshot is. A receipt captured on the iPhone is on the Mac when you sit down to file it. An error captured on the Mac is on the iPhone when you walk away from the desk. A page of notes on the iPad is next to both.
Because every device holds the same feed, you also stop browsing for files and start searching for what is inside them. CloudShots reads the text in each screenshot, so a word from the picture finds it, and the search guide shows how.
FAQ
How do I transfer screenshots from iPhone to Mac without AirDrop?
Install CloudShots on both devices and sign in to the same iCloud account. New screenshots on the iPhone then appear in CloudShots on the Mac within moments, with no AirDrop.
Do I need an account or a server to transfer screenshots?
No. CloudShots uses your private iCloud, so there is no CloudShots account and no CloudShots server that stores your screenshots.
Do the screenshots also reach my iPad and Apple Watch?
Yes. The iPad shows the full CloudShots feed, and the Apple Watch shows your recent screenshots.
Can I transfer screenshots taken on the Mac to the iPhone?
Yes. CloudShots on the Mac watches the folder you choose, and new screenshots sync to the iPhone and the iPad the same way.
Transcript
Screenshot, AirDrop. Screenshot, AirDrop. Screenshot, again AirDrop. Ugh, this is so inconvenient. How do I even fix this? Here's the fix: CloudShots. Every screenshot, on my Mac, on my iPhone, iPad, and watch syncs instantly. Download on CloudShots.app.
More guides
- How to automatically sync screenshots between Mac, iPhone and iPadOne private screenshot history that syncs both ways through iCloud: Mac to iPhone and iPad, and back.
- How to find a screenshot by the text inside itSearch by the words you remember seeing, on any of your devices.
- How to free up the space your screenshots takeClear synced originals from Photos and your Mac without losing your history.
- CloudShots is an iCloud screenshot manager for Mac, iPhone and iPadWhat lives in your own iCloud, how the library limit works, and what stays private.
- One screenshot history for your Mac, iPhone and iPadOne searchable history of every screenshot from your Mac, iPhone and iPad, synced through your own iCloud. Find any shot and free up storage.
- How to pin a screenshot on screen on MacKeep a screenshot floating above your other windows on Mac with ⌘P. Pin up to 6, move and resize them, close with Esc.
- How to redact or blur text and faces in a screenshot on MacBlur, pixelate or cover text, faces and objects in a screenshot on Mac. Redaction in CloudShots is non-destructive: your original stays untouched.
- How to add a background, padding and shadow to a screenshot on MacExport a Mac screenshot with a background, padding, rounded corners and a shadow using Export with Frame in CloudShots. Copy, save or share the result.
- All guides
TestFlight automatically unlocks Pro for beta testing. No purchase is required or charged.