Mac app · iPhone over cable

Plug in the cable, pick, and export straight to a folder, without going through the Photos app or creating a library. Exportador copies the original files without converting anything, and checks every one before calling it done.

curl -fsSL https://exportador-beta.web.app/install.sh | sh

Paste it into Terminal and press Return.

Free · macOS 13.3 or later · Apple Silicon and Intel

  • HEIC
  • DNG ProRAW
  • JPG
  • PNG
  • MOV HEVC
  • MP4
  • Live Photos

Why it exists

Backing up your photos shouldn’t be a project.

Exportador grew out of a backup that always took more than it should. On a Mac, getting photos off an iPhone means opening Photos, creating a library and leaving everything stored inside it; to have them in a folder of your own, you export them all over again. And more than once, that export never even started: no error, no warning.

With the Photos appWith Exportador
You open Photos and create a library.You connect your iPhone with the cable.
You import, and everything is stored inside the library.You pick the photos and videos you want.
You export again to get the files into a folder.They’re copied straight to your folder, each one verified.
Sometimes the export doesn’t start, and nothing says why.If something fails, it tells you which file and why, and lets you retry.

Exportador does one thing, with no detours: it copies the originals from your iPhone to the folder you choose, and confirms they arrived complete.

1Connect

Plug in the cable. That’s it.

Unlock your iPhone and tap “Trust.” Your library shows up on its own, with no extra steps: the first thumbnails arrive in just over a second.

Don’t see the prompt? Unplug the cable and plug it back in.

2Choose

Pick photos like in Photos.

Photos are grouped by day. Take one, a range, a whole day or everything; drag to lasso-select, and press the space bar to see any photo up close.

  • ⇧+ click for a range
  • ⌘+ click to add
  • ⌘Aall
  • Spacepreview

3Export

Export and forget about it.

Choose a folder once and Exportador remembers it. Each original is copied and verified before moving on to the next; anything you’ve already exported is marked and never copied twice.

Always original

What comes out is exactly what you shot.

Exportador asks the iPhone for the original files. Nothing is converted or recompressed, and no metadata changes: EXIF, GPS location and capture date stay intact.

HEIC
Photos, exactly as the iPhone stores them
DNG
ProRAW, undeveloped
JPG · PNG
Photos you received and screenshots
MOV · MP4
HEVC and H.264 video, not re-encoded
Live Photo
Photo and video with the same name: IMG_4821.HEIC and IMG_4821.MOV
Edited
Always the original. Optionally, IMG_E and .AAE too

Each file gets its capture date as its modification date, so the folder sorts itself in Finder.

Verification

No half-copied files.

Every copy goes through six steps before it gets its final name. If the cable comes loose or you cancel, the folder only ever holds complete, verified files.

  1. 01
    Temporary copyWritten as IMG_4821.HEIC.part.
  2. 02
    To diskForced to disk with fsync.
  3. 03
    Uncached re-readRead back from the disk, not from memory.
  4. 04
    BLAKE3 and sizeThe hash and size must match what the iPhone sent.
  5. 05
    Capture dateBecomes the file’s modification date.
  6. 06
    Final nameAn atomic rename that never overwrites another file.

30 of 30 files identical, byte for byte, to the Image Capture download in a test with a real iPhone.

Performance

Twenty thousand photos, no stutter.

The grid only draws what’s on screen and requests thumbnails in batches, with a disk cache. Scrolling a huge library feels the same as a small one.

60fpswhile scrolling 20,000 photos and videos
1.1suntil the first thumbnails appear
30MB/scopy speed over a USB 2 cable, with two reads at once
0.45sto play a video straight from the iPhone, without copying it first

Measured with a real iPhone holding 4,239 items (125 GB) and with a simulated 20,000-item library.

Privacy

Your photos never leave your Mac.

No cloud. Your photos and videos are copied over the cable and never go over the network. The app connects to the internet only for your account: to sign in and to store usage totals in it, which you can turn off.

What uses the network

Sign-in
your email and session, with Clerk (account service)
App usage
totals in your account: how much you export, speed, errors, general details of your Mac and library. Can be turned off
Photos and videos
never leave your Mac
Thumbnails and names
never leave your Mac

Only your account uses the network. Nothing from your photos.

Read-only

The app can’t delete or change anything on your iPhone. An automated test checks that the code uses no delete or write functions on the device.

Cable only

It doesn’t go through iCloud or your Mac’s Photos library: it reads straight from the connected iPhone.

Details

The things you don’t see are handled too.

  • IMG_0421-1.HEIC

    No duplicates

    If an identical file is already in the folder, it’s skipped. If the name clashes but the content differs, it gets a -1 suffix.

  • 2026/10/

    By year and month

    Everything in one folder, or split into YYYY/MM folders, as you prefer.

  • ◔ 64 %

    Progress in the menu bar

    A circle that fills up while you export, with the files and time remaining.

  • 312 ✓

    Notified when it’s done

    If you’re in another app, a notification tells you when it finishes or if something interrupts it.

  • ↻ 3

    Recovers from interruptions

    If the iPhone disconnects midway, reconnecting it offers to finish what was left.

  • −135 MB

    Checks free space first

    Compares the selection’s size with the free space on the disk before copying anything.

  • HEVC · 0.45 s

    Instant video

    The preview plays the original from the iPhone, without copying it to your Mac.

  • ⌘A · Space · Esc

    Fully keyboard-driven

    Arrows, ranges, preview and export without touching the mouse. Light and dark themes follow the system.

Before you download

Frequently asked questions

How do I transfer photos from my iPhone to my Mac without iCloud?

Connect your iPhone to your Mac with the cable, unlock it and tap “Trust.” Exportador shows your library grouped by day: pick the photos and videos, and it copies them to the folder you choose. It doesn’t use iCloud or the Photos app.

How is it different from importing with the Photos app?

Photos imports your pictures into a photo library, and to have them as files in a folder you have to export them again. Exportador copies straight from the iPhone to the folder you choose, with no library in between, verifies every file and, if something fails, tells you which one and why.

Does Exportador convert HEIC photos to JPG?

No. It copies the original files exactly as they are on the iPhone: HEIC, DNG ProRAW, JPG, PNG, MOV and MP4. Nothing is converted or recompressed, and EXIF metadata, GPS location and capture date are preserved.

What about Live Photos and edited photos?

A Live Photo is exported as a photo and a video with the same name, for example IMG_4821.HEIC and IMG_4821.MOV. For an edited photo, the original is always exported; optionally, the edited version (IMG_E) and its .AAE adjustments file too.

How do I know the copies are complete?

Each file is written under a temporary name, forced to disk, read back without cache, and its BLAKE3 hash and size are compared with what the iPhone sent. Only then does it get its final name. If the cable comes loose or you cancel, no half-copied files are left behind.

Can it delete or change photos on my iPhone?

No. Exportador only reads: it has no functions to delete, upload or modify anything on the iPhone, and an automated test checks this.

Do I need an account or an internet connection?

Just your email: you sign in with a code sent there, no password, and the account is created the first time. You need an internet connection when you open the app, to verify it. Your photos and videos are copied over the cable and never go over the network.

What data does Exportador store?

Your email, to sign in, and usage totals linked to your account: how often you open the app, how much you export, speed, errors and general details of your Mac (macOS version, chip) and your library (number of photos and videos, formats). They help improve the app. It never stores your photos, their names, locations or folders. You can turn them off in your account menu, and they’re deleted.

Why are some of my photos missing?

If you use iCloud Photos with “Optimize iPhone Storage,” some photos only live in iCloud, not on the iPhone. To see them, turn on Settings › Photos › Download and Keep Originals.

How do I install Exportador?

Open Terminal (⌘ Space, then type “Terminal”), paste the command shown at the top of this page and press Return. It downloads the latest version, checks it is signed by its developer, puts it in Applications and opens it, with no macOS warnings.

How much does it cost?

Nothing: Exportador is free. It runs on donations alone, so if it helps you, you can buy me a coffee.

Is the app available in English?

Yes. Exportador is in English and Spanish: you choose the language the first time you open it, and you can change it anytime from your account menu.

What do I need to use it?

A Mac with macOS 13.3 or later, your iPhone’s cable and an account with your email. For now Exportador is Mac-only; there is no Windows version.

Connect.Choose.Export.

Exportador for Mac, on Apple Silicon or Intel. It installs with a single command, signed with Developer ID.

Open Terminal (⌘ Space, then type “Terminal”), paste this command and press Return:

curl -fsSL https://exportador-beta.web.app/install.sh | sh

It downloads the latest version, checks it is signed by its developer, puts it in Applications and opens it. No warnings.

Requires macOS 13.3 or later, your iPhone’s cable and an account with your email.

Find Exportador useful? It runs on donations alone. A coffee helps keep it improving.

Buy me a coffee