photo organizing co

How to download all your photos from iCloud

Updated

If you want everything in your iCloud Photos library in one go, the most dependable route is Apple’s own data request at privacy.apple.com. It takes a while to prepare, so start it first and do other things while you wait.

The other routes (a Mac, a Windows PC, or iCloud.com in a browser) work too, and they suit smaller jobs or people who want to pick what they download. This guide covers each one and says when to use it.

Before you start

  • Check how much iCloud storage you use at Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Storage. Your computer or drive needs at least that much free space, and more is better.
  • Use a computer, not a phone, for downloading. Large downloads need a steady connection and a lot of room.
  • Allow days, not hours. Whichever route you use, a big library takes a long time to prepare and download.
  • Do not delete anything from your phone or from iCloud until the download is finished and you have checked it opened properly.

“Optimize iPhone Storage” and why your phone may not have the originals

If Optimize iPhone Storage is on, your phone keeps smaller versions of many photos and leaves the full-size originals in iCloud. So copying photos off the phone may give you low-resolution files. To check, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos. You can switch to Download and Keep Originals, but only if the phone has enough free space for the whole library. For a large library, use one of the routes below instead.

Route 1: Apple’s data request (best for the whole library)

Use this when you want everything, the library is large, or you do not want to keep a computer busy for days.

  1. On a computer, go to privacy.apple.com and sign in with your Apple Account.
  2. Choose Request a copy of your data.
  3. Tick iCloud Photos. You don’t need the rest of Apple’s list for this. Click Continue.
  4. Choose a maximum file size. Apple splits your library into ZIP files of that size, from 1 GB up to 25 GB each. Larger pieces mean fewer files to download; smaller ones are easier on a slow connection.
  5. Complete the request. Apple first checks that you are the account holder.
  6. Wait. When the copy is ready, Apple posts it on your Data & Privacy page and notifies you.
  7. Download every piece from that page and keep them together in one folder.

What to know:

  • How long you have: Apple says you have 14 days to download the data once it is ready. After that it is removed and you have to request it again.
  • How long it takes: Apple’s support page does not give a fixed time. When you make the request, Apple says it can take up to seven days, and for many people it takes a few.
  • Formats: Apple says photos, videos and documents are provided in their original formats.
  • What’s in the ZIP files: Apple doesn’t describe the layout. Reports say you get an iCloud Photos folder with your photos under their original file names, plus spreadsheet (CSV) files listing which photos belong to each album, and shared albums may come separately. Keep every file, including any CSV files: they’re how album groupings survive.
  • What Apple doesn’t spell out: how edited photos and Live Photos are handled. After you get the files, open a few edited photos and Live Photos and check them.
  • Not everything is included. Apple says some data is end-to-end encrypted and Apple cannot decrypt it, so it cannot be included.

Route 2: On a Mac

Use this if you have a Mac signed in to the same Apple Account and with enough free space.

  1. Open Photos, then choose Photos > Settings > iCloud.
  2. Make sure iCloud Photos is on, and click Download Originals to this Mac. The alternative, Optimize Mac Storage, keeps only smaller versions on the Mac.
  3. Wait until the Mac has finished downloading. Leave it plugged in and awake.
  4. To get the files out, select the photos in Photos and choose File > Export > Export [number] Photos. Choose where to save them, such as an external drive, then click Export.

For the original files exactly as they were captured, without your edits, choose File > Export > Export Unmodified Original instead.

Route 3: On a Windows PC

Use this if you have a Windows PC.

  1. Install iCloud for Windows from the Microsoft Store and sign in with your Apple Account.
  2. Turn on Photos.
  3. Open File Explorer and click iCloud Photos in the left-hand pane. If you do not see it, click Pictures, then double-click iCloud Photos.
  4. Photos show as thumbnails until you download them. Double-click one to download it.
  5. To download the whole library, right-click the iCloud Photos folder and choose Always keep on this device. A green circle with a white check mark shows when an item is kept on the PC.

Leave the PC on and connected until everything has downloaded, which can take a long time for a big library. Apple notes two catches. A photo you delete on another device is still removed from the PC, even when it’s set to stay. So for a real backup, copy the downloaded photos into a separate folder or drive. And iCloud for Windows version 7 doesn’t have this option.

Route 4: iCloud.com in a browser

Use this to grab a few hundred photos, a trip or a single year.

  1. Go to iCloud.com/photos and sign in.
  2. Select photos. Apple allows up to 1,000 items at a time. On a Mac, Command-click to select several; on a PC, Control-click.
  3. Click the download button in the upper-right corner. For more choices, click the More button and choose More Download Options.
  4. Pick Unmodified Originals to get the files as captured, Highest Resolution, or Most Compatible for JPEG and H.264 versions.
  5. Click Download.

Because of the 1,000-item limit, this route is not practical for a library of tens of thousands.

Route 5: Transfer a copy to Google Photos

Apple has a service that copies your iCloud Photos to a Google account. It is not a download to your own computer, and it has gaps. Apple says most transfers take three to seven days and some take up to 30. It does not transfer shared albums, smart albums or Live Photos, and it sends only the most recent edit of each photo. It also needs Advanced Data Protection to be off. Use it only if you actually want your photos in Google Photos.

Shared albums and shared libraries

  • Shared albums are not included in Apple’s transfer to Google Photos. Copies saved from a shared album may not be full resolution, and comments and likes are not saved. If a shared album holds photos you want, save them to your own library first.
  • An iCloud Shared Photo Library appears in iCloud for Windows 14 or later. Apple’s pages don’t say whether the data request treats it differently from your personal library. If you use one, ask before you assume it is covered, and check the finished download.

If you’re a Photo Organizing Co client

Start the privacy.apple.com request as soon as your job is booked, because it takes days to prepare and then stays available for only 14 days. When it’s ready, download every piece into one folder and I’ll tell you how to get it to me. Don’t forward the download links to anyone, and please don’t delete anything from your phone or iCloud, even to free up space.

Sources