Transfer movies from your computer to VLC or Infuse on your iPhone or iPad

Updated on Mar 9, 2026

Reading time ~3 minutes

Introduction

  • Almost any movie or video file on your Mac or PC can be played on your iPhone or iPad, but figuring out how isn't always simple.
  • This guide shows how easy it can be with iMazing!
  • Depending on the format and container of the video file, like .mkv or .avi, you may need to download a third-party app to your device to ensure compatible playback. Some of our favorites include VLC and Infuse.
  • iMazing offers more than one way to transfer files to your Apple devices, we recommend Quick Transfer.


Here's is how to transfer videos to your iPhone or iPad.


Before you begin

Always make sure you are running the latest iMazing version, to do so select Check for Updates from the iMazing menu, or just download the latest available version for your computer below.

Download and install iMazing

With iMazing Quick Transfer

Launch iMazing and connect your device

iMazing will prompt you to connect the device to your computer on the first time you're using it. To do so use a USB cable, and unlock the device using your passcode, Face ID or Touch ID, and follow the instructions for pairing.

Connect your Apple device

Tip: For more details on connections and pairing refer to this guide.

Click on Devices in the left pane

From the devices view you will see all the devices previously connected and paired to your computer. Click to select a device.

Select-device

Drag-and-drop your file

Drag and drop your file anywhere in the window. The main window will update to show the drag-and-drop icon. Quick Transfer will launch and search for compatible apps on your device to receive the file.

iMazing Drop to Transfer screen

Select the target app and transfer

You’ll see all apps that are compatible with the file you want to transfer. Select the appropriate app, then click Transfer.

Once the transfer is complete, your file is ready to use on your device.

iMazing Quick Transfer screen

iMazing Mini Quick Transfer

  • iMazing Mini is a companion app that optionally runs in your menu bar (Mac) or taskbar's system tray section (Windows).
  • Your device must have already been initially connected to iMazing in order for it to appear in the list of iMazing Mini's available devices.

Launch iMazing Mini

iMazing Mini is probably already running. If it is not, launch it from the menu bar: Tools > iMazing Mini.

Tip: You can configure iMazing Mini to automatically launch it when your computer starts in iMazing Preferences: General > Launch iMazing Mini at login

Drag the file you want to transfer

Drag the file you want to transfer to iMazing Mini's icon; the iMazing Mini window will display and list your devices.

Drop the file on the target device

iMazing will open and Quick Transfer will launch. As in step 1.4, you’ll see all apps compatible with the file you want to transfer. Select the appropriate app, then click Transfer.

Once the transfer is complete, your file is ready to use on your device.

iMazing Classic (Manual Method)

For those who prefer a more manual approach over the convenience of Quick Transfer.

Click on Data

While you are on your device overview, click on Data in the sidebar. Then scroll down to the Apps section and click it.

iMazing Data section with Apps tile highlighted

Select an Application

iMazing will display, by default, the list of apps on your device that have enabled File Sharing and can receive files on your device.

Tip: If an app on your device is not in the list, it is not possible to directly transfer files to it. Try another app!

Drag the file(s) you wish to transfer to the desired app

Or click the Copy to Device button and browse to file you wish to transfer.

iMazing file transfer to VLC

Tip: You can create shortcuts for frequently used apps. Learn how in Shortcuts in iMazing.


Transferring video files from your iOS device

You can also copy video files that are stored on your iOS device to another computer using iMazing. Just follow the iMazing Classic steps above, but instead of dragging a file to the iMazing window, drag any files you want to copy to a computer from the iMazing window to that computer.

This enables you to use an iPhone or iPad as an external hard drive to transport videos from home to your office, for example.

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