How To Use Iphone As Usb Drive

Wouldn't it be great if you could leave your USB flash drive in a drawer and just use your iPhone as a USB drive instead?

As it turns out, you can! There are a few ways to use use an iPhone as a storage device. Keep reading to learn more.

Turn Your iPhone Into an External Drive Using Apps

There are two main methods to achieve this. You can either utilize an app that will make your iPhone act like an external drive, or you can use physical hardware.

Let's look at apps first.

1. File Manager and Browser

File Manager is arguably the best phone-based app on the list. Not only does it let you manage your files, but it also acts as a virtual USB drive for both the iPhone and iPad.

Once you've installed the app on your device, you have two ways of getting data onto it:

Use iTunes: Connect your iPhone to a computer. On a Mac running macOS Catalina or newer, open Finder and select your phone from the left. On older macOS versions or a Windows PC, open iTunes, navigate to Apps, and find File Manager on the list. Click on it, and you can drag-and-drop files into the documents section in the right-hand panel.
Use Wi-Fi: In the app, go to Settings > Upload Via Wi-Fi Sync, and it will give you an IP address. Enter the address into a browser that's on the same network as your phone, and you'll be able to transfer files back and forth.

Some of File Manager and Browser's other key features include an integrated PDF reader, support for all Office 365 documents, file sharing via email, Bluetooth, and Facebook, and the ability to password-protect files and folders. You can upgrade for additional features.

Download: File Manager and Browser (Free, in-app purchases available)

2. iTunes

iTunes lets you use your iPhone as an external drive---you don't need any extra apps or gadgets.

It's not as elegant or straightforward as some of the other methods here. But if you don't want to rely on third-party products and never deal with unusual file types, it will do the job.

To transfer files, plug your phone into your computer and launch iTunes (on a Windows PC or older macOS versions) or Finder (macOS Catalina and newer). Select your device and click Apps.

Underneath File Sharing, choose the app you want to transfer a file to. You now have two options:

To transfer a file from your phone: Highlight the file in the list and click the Save button.
To transfer a file onto your phone: Select Add, choose the file you want to move, and click Open.

(Note: Drag-and-drop is also supported for both methods.)

3. iMazing

Unlike the two apps we've looked at so far, iMazing (formerly DiskAid) doesn't require you to install anything on your iPhone or iPad. Instead, it's a desktop app that acts as a replacement for iTunes. The iMazing app is available on both Mac and Windows.

iMazing has lots of great features, including photo organization, backup creation, message archiving, and advanced iOS management options---but you'll be most interested in the file transfer service. It has a simple drag-and-drop interface and will let you choose which app on your phone you want to save the content to.

You can use the file transfer feature to move files and documents, contacts, Safari data, ringtones, ebooks, voice memos, and notes.

Buy: iMazing ($44.99)

Turn Your iPhone Into an External Drive Using Hardware

With the release of iOS 13 in September 2019, Apple finally improved the way iPhone and iPad interact with physical external hard drives and flash drives.

Not only can you drag-and-drop files directly between the drive and your device, but third-party apps can now import files directly from an external drive. You no longer need to import data into the Files or Photos apps first.

Let's look at the best accessories you can buy to transform your iPhone into an external drive.

4. Lightning-to-USB Camera Adapter [Broken URL Removed]

If you already own an external hard drive or a flash drive and you want to use it with your iPhone or iPad, you need to pick up a Lightning-to-USB Camera Adapter. The correct product type will have a female USB port for you to plug your flash drive into, as well as a male Lightning connector to link the adapter to your iPhone.

An official adapter costs $30 in Apple's online store, but you can buy a third-party version on Amazon for less that half the price. Just be aware that the Amazon versions are not necessarily certified by Apple.

And remember, there's an oft-overlooked benefit of picking up a Lightning-to-USB Camera Adapter: if you're running iOS 13 or later, you'll be able to connect a USB mouse to your iPhone or iPad.

Make sure you go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch and turn on Assistive Touch before you try to set the mouse up. You can add it under Devices after that.

5. SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive

Instead of using an adapter for your existing drive, you could pick up a flash drive specifically designed to work with both iOS devices and other computers.

Indeed, there's an entire sector devoted to iPhone-specific USB drives. They all come with a Lightning connector and plug directly into your iPhone or iPad. Currently, the best-in-class is the SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive.

It automatically backs up your photos, lets you transfer any file on/off your phone, and is USB 3.0-enabled.

Even better, it also has a regular USB-A connector. This means that aside from using it with your iPhone and iPad, you can transfer data from the flash drive directly to and from any device with a USB port.

The drive comes in four sizes: 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB.

6. USB to USB-C Adapter

New iPad Pro models have ditched the Lightning port in favor of USB-C. Lots of people hope that Apple will follow suit with the iPhone and other iPad models, but so far the company hasn't changed its stance.

The result is that if you have an iPad Pro and and iPhone, you need two different adapters to use a flash drive with them both.

For your iPad Pro, pick up a USB to USB-C Adapter. Again, an official Apple version is available in the Apple Store, but you can save a lot by buying one on Amazon instead.

What About Cloud Services?

There's no denying that moving files around on a portable drive is pretty old-school in the age of plentiful cloud storage.

With the availability of services like Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive, it's questionable whether using your iPhone as a storage device is even necessary. It's less secure and not as user-friendly than using cloud-based alternatives.

Apple's iCloud service charges similar prices to Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive, so you can take your pick based on other services you use. Don't forget that if you subscribe to Microsoft 365, you get 1TB of OneDrive space.

Learn More About iPhone Storage

The methods we've described all let you use an iPhone as a USB drive. However, there's more that you should know about the storage on your iOS device. For instance, it's important to manage the storage on your iPhone before you start moving items to external storage.

How to Manage the Storage on Your iPhone

Need a few tips on how to manage storage on your iPhone? We'll show you how to access and clean up photos, contacts, and more.