How to Import Photos from GoPro to Mac

Import your photos easily with this built-in macOS tool

GoPro taking images out of an airplane window


Theerawat Kaiphanlert / Getty Images 

by Jack Wallen
Jack Wallen is an award-winning writer for TechRepublic and Linux.com. He’s an avid promoter of open source and the voice of The Android Expert.
Updated June 10, 2019

You’ve taken video and photo images with your GoPro camera. What’s next? In order to edit those videos or manage those photos, they must first be imported to your PC. On the photo side of things, macOS has a built-in tool ready to make this happen. So you have nothing else to purchase or install.

Let’s find out just how easy it is to import those photos from your GoPro action camera.

What We Used

Our GoPro camera was a GoPro Hero 5 Black edition and the version of macOS was Mojave. You shouldn’t have any problems using this method with earlier iterations of either.

Plugging In Your GoPro

The first thing to do is plug your GoPro into your Mac. The versions of both camera and computer will dictate how this is done. For example, with the GoPro Hero 5 Black edition and a MacBook Pro 2016, you must connect the two with a USB-C cable. You’ll find the USB-C port on the side of the GoPro Hero 5 behind a removable door.

GoPro data/charging cable closeup

Plug one end of the USB-C cable into the GoPro and the other into the Mac USB-C port, turn your GoPro on and you’re ready to go.

Image Capture

The tool you’ll be using to import images is called Image Capture. To open that application, follow these steps:

  1. Click the Launchpad icon in the Dock.

    Screenshot of the Launchpad icon in the macOS dock.

  2. Type Image in the search bar.

  3. Click the Image Capture icon.

    Screenshot of the Image Capture icon.

  4. Wait for the app to open.

Once Image Capture opens, your GoPro camera should be listed in the left sidebar. You shouldn’t have to click the GoPro entry to reveal the contents of the camera’s memory card, but if you find the preview pane empty, click on the GoPro entry and your images and videos should be revealed.

Screenshot of the GoPro 5 listing in Image Capture.

Image Import

To import images, follow these steps:

  1. Select the images to be imported. To select more than one image, click on the first, hold down the Command key (on your keyboard), and select the remaining images.

    Screenshot of multiple selected images in Image Capture.

  2. Select the folder destination for the import from the Import to drop-down.

    Screenshot of selecting the destination folder.

  3. Click Import.

    Screenshot of the Import button.

  4. Allow the import to complete.

When the images have been imported, you’ll find them in the destination folder you chose from the Import to drop-down. You can then close Image Capture and unplug your GoPro from your Mac.

Congratulations, your images are imported and ready to be edited or shared.