Tech News

Quick fixes: how to transfer iPhone videos to a Windows PC when it keeps disconnecting

Published

January 25, 2023

iPhone on a colorful illustrated background showing people using iPhones — Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge

Issue

Your iPhone keeps disconnecting from your Windows PC or Mac when you’re trying to import photos or videos. You may see the error “A device attached to the system is not functioning.”

Quick fix

Stop your iPhone from automatically converting the video to the legacy H.264 format by going to Settings > Photos > Transfer to Mac or PC and tapping Keep Originals.

Screenshot by Sean Hollister / The Verge

I repeatedly got this “A device attached to the system is not functioning” error on my Windows PC. The iPhone didn’t say anything.

The full story

My iPhone 13 mini was running out of space, but I couldn’t just wipe it; I had important videos I needed to save. But every time I plugged my iPhone into my Windows PC,…

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