Connect GoPro to Mac: Upload 4 Easy Ways (SD, USB, Quik)

Now that you’ve captured your adventure, its time to upload them to your Mac. Here are four ways to connect GoPro to your Mac.

To connect your GoPro to a Mac, you can remove the SD card and upload directly to your computer. You can also connect your GoPro via USB cable, Quik (pending), or WiFi. While each method is pretty easy, I recommend uploading via SD card directly.

Why should you trust me? In our home/office, our Apple products include MacBook Pro, iPads, and iPhones (along with Apple watches and AirPods). And we own more than a dozen GoPro cameras. And have been GoPro users for 11+ years.

Here’s how to upload GoPro videos to Mac.

Connect GoPro to Mac: 4 Ways

Here are four ways to upload GoPro videos and photos to your Mac.

1. SD Card (Fastest)

This is my favorite way to upload and view GoPro videos. It is the fastest method, and I can continue to use my GoPro while uploading the data.

Here’s how to upload to your Mac via SD

1. Remove the microSD card from GoPro and insert it in a card adapter.
2. Insert card adapter into the card slot (or external card reader if your Mac doesn’t have an SD card slot).
3. A new Finder window will open. You’ll find your images under Devices or Locations.
4. Open DCIM Folder > 100GOPRO
5. Now, you can drag and drop your images to your desktop.

After inserting your SD card, a new Finder window will open (above). You’ll find your images under Devices or Locations.

Open DCIM Folder > 100GOPRO

Now, you can drag and drop your images to your desktop.

While many Mac models have a card slot, some do not. If your Mac doesn’t have an SD card slot, you might require a card reader.

Which Macs have SDXC card slot? While many Mac and MacBooks have card slots, some do not.

Some MacBook Pro models, between 2016 and 2020, do not have an SDXC card slot.

Here are the models with card slots.

1. Mac Studio (2022 or later)
2. 14-inch MacBook Pro models (2021 or later)
3. 16-inch MacBook Pro models (2021 or later)
4. MacBook Pro (2011 through 2015)
5. Mac mini (2011 through 2014)
6. 13-inch MacBook Air models (2013 through 2017)
7. 27-inch iMac models (2010 or later)
8. 21.5-inch iMac models (2010 or later)

Did you want to connect your GoPro to your Mac as a webcam? Here’s how to configure your GoPro as a webcam.

2. Image Capture via USB

For the newer GoPro cameras, you’ll want a USB-C cable. You can use either USB-C to USB-A or USB-C to USB-C cable.

Here’s how to connect your GoPro via USB cable to your Mac.

1. Connect your GoPro to your Mac via USB and power your camera on.
2. A new Finder window will open. You’ll find your images under Image Capture, Devices, or Locations.
3. Open DCIM Folder > 100GOPRO
4. Now, you can drag and drop your images to your desktop.

Here’s what a USB-C cable looks like – pictured on the left.

Here’s the full guide to GoPro charging and data cables.

3. Quik

GoPro recently announced that they’ll be releasing Quik for desktop. The proposed release date for Mac is November 1, 2023. And Quik for Windows will be released in the summer of 2024.

Quik for Desktop is currently available for up to Hero7 Black and earlier cameras. Because of larger file sizes, newer models may glitch out. This older version of Quik has a limitation of files sizes up to 4GB.

4. WiFi

You can also connect your GoPro via WiFi to your Mac; at least I’ve read this. This is the one method I have yet to try.

1. Download Camera Suite
2. Connect your Mac to the SSID of your GoPro, just like you would connect to any WiFi network.
3. Open Cameras Suite and locate your GoPro.

So, while some users like Camera Suite For GoPro, it isn’t very well-rated. And might not be necessary.

Now that you’ve uploaded your footage, it’s time to get editing. Here are my picks for the best video editors for GoPro footage.

Don’t Forget to Format

Regardless of how you upload your GoPro footage, don’t forget to format your card before shooting again. And while it seems similar, deleting isn’t the same as formatting your card.

Here’s how to format your GoPro SD card.

This is part of our connectivity series. Here’s our guide for connecting a GoPro to a computer.

Having trouble getting your Mac to recognize your GoPro? Here’s how to fix your GoPro not showing up on Mac.

Your Turn

How did it go for you? Do you have any questions about uploading and connecting a GoPro to a Mac computer? Did I miss something? Please let me know below!