How to move pictures from iphone to computer

I need to back up over 1,000 pictures from my iPhone to a Windows PC, but I'm not sure what the most reliable method is. I've tried email and AirDrop-like tools before, but with this many photos, that's not practical. How can I move pictures from iphone to computer? Should I just use a USB cable and import through File Explorer or the Photos app? Does that preserve original quality and metadata? I don't want to use any paid cloud storage long-term; I just want a one-time transfer to my computer's hard drive. Any tips to avoid duplicates or corrupted transfers would be great.