Are you looking at how to transfer videos from PC to iPhone? Well, Apps like Watch, Stocks, and yes, Videos are one of them. If you’re like me, you download youtube videos or movies from the Internet, and they usually come in MP4 or MKV format. But of course, I can’t just transfer these videos from laptop to my iPhone or iPad and expect them to play as is. I could buy the $15 Mac app called WALTR and let it convert every video on the fly. But I don’t have the patience to attach the iPhone every time I want to transfer a video file.
So I do it wirelessly. On my iPhone I use VLC, and on my iPad, I use Infuse (because it has an awesome media center interface that works best on the iPad).
If you’re also looking for a really easy, wireless way of transferring video files to your iOS device — well, good news — you’ve come to the right place.
How to Transfer Video Files from Laptop to iPhone via VLC
VLC on iOS has an iffy past. Its history is riddled with sudden takedowns from the App Store, but it looks like its current incarnation is here to stay. I’ve been using it for the past six months without any problems.
I’d say VLC is the best option for syncing and playing video files on iOS devices because not only is it free based on an open-source project, but it will basically play any kind of file you throw at it. Yes, even on the iPhone.
To transfer the video file you’ll first need to make sure both your computer and the iOS device are on the same Wi-Fi network.
Then open the VLC app on your iPhone, and tap the red traffic cone icon we’ve come to adore over all these years.
From the sidebar tap the “Sharing via WiFi” button.
It will now change to show an IP address and a “.local” address.
Go to your PC, and in a modern browser like Chrome, type in either of those addresses in the URL bar.
This will take you to a page where you can either select the video files you want to transfer using the “+” icon or just drop in the files.
Any file you drag and drop will instantly start transferring to your iOS device.
One interesting thing about this feature is that it even allows you to transfer any file from the VLC app on the iOS device to your desktop as well.
Note: VLC is chock-full of ways to transfer files to the app. You can use the iTunes app, connect to any server on the PC (Including Plex) or just copy any file from a locally-shared network. I’ve used the Wi-Fi method here because it’s the most accessible and easiest to use.
How to Transfer Video Files Over Wi-Fi to iPad Via Infuse
With Infuse, the process is slightly different.
After launching the app, tap the “three-dotted menu” button on the top-right and then select “Add files.”
This will bring up a list of all the different ways you can add files, from shared servers to iTunes Sync.
In our case, tap the “via Browser” button.
Again, you’ll see two different kinds of IP addresses.
Go to your desktop and enter one of these addresses in your browser.
Either use the “+” button to add files or just drag them in the page to start the transfer.
Once the transfer is done, you’ll be able to see the file in the app.
Transfer Videos from Laptop to iPhone/iPad using iTunes
Follow these steps to transfer videos from computer to iPhone/iPad.
Step 1. Plug your iPhone/iPad to your laptop via the USB cable. The iTunes program will automatically launch itself, if not, manually start the software.
Step 2. Click on “File”, then click on the “Add Files to Library” icon on the left-hand corner of the window. Then you can select the video files on your computer.
Step 3. Open “My Computer” and go to your video folders. Then select the videos you want to copy. After selecting them, click on copy.
Step 4. Click on “Movies” in iTunes Library. Click on paste, to paste the movies you copied.
Step 5. Click on your iPhone/iPad name.
Step 6. Choose the “Movies” tab, and check on “Sync Movies”.
Step 7. Choose the videos you want to synchronize to your iPhone/iPad, then click on “Apply”
Cons of Copying Videos from Laptop to iPhone Using iTunes
- Your previous videos will be erased during the sync process.
- An iPhone can be synced to only one iTunes library. Or your iPhone will be erased.
- The program always gets stuck or crashed when syncing large videos.
How to Transfer Videos from Laptop to iPhone without iTunes
However, you can still have an alternative tool like Dropbox to perform such a task.
The following are the steps of how to transfer videos from laptop to iPhone or iPad:
Step 1: Open Dropbox on your PC if you have one and sign into it.
Step 2: Go to upload and tap on the + icon to create a new folder or add a new file.
Step 3: Then you can upload the videos you will transfer to your iPhone.
Step 4: Next, launch the app on your iPhone and find the videos in the folder you created. Now you can download the videos to your iPhone.
How to move Videos on iPhone from PC Using iCloud Drive
If you have an iCloud account and free storage (iCloud provides 5GB for free) on it, then you can also add videos to the iPhone via your iCloud drive.
Step 1: Go to iCloud.com and login with your account (you can do it via any web browser)
Step 2: Go to “iCloud Drive”. Click on the “Upload” button at the top, browse and choose the videos from the computer and add them to your iCloud account.
Step 3: On your iPhone, go to “Settings > iCloud > iCloud Drive” and turn it on.
Step 4: On your iPhone home page, click on the “iCloud Drive” app and you’ll have the same videos available for download.
Note:
- You can put videos in any format. But some videos cannot be played on the iPhone. If so, you need to convert your videos before uploading them to iCloud.
- Besides, make sure you have a stable network, or it’s easy to upload or download corrupted files, which would create junk files on iPhone.
After reading this article you will find out that the convenient way to transfer videos from laptop to iPhone is to use iTunes. It can help you transfer your media files easily without complex steps. Try it today and leave any ideas you would like to share with us.
