You should find this article useful, in case you are thinking of downloading All Photos located on iCloud to your local PC or Mac. Just like other users you may want to download All iCloud Photos to PC as an additional backup, to clear up storage space on your iCloud Account and other reasons.
Download Photos From iCloud to PC
While Apple’s iCloud Photo Library is a safe and secure place to store your memories, it is always a good idea to download Photos from iCloud to your PC or Mac as a precautionary measure.
Just like having an insurance policy, an additional backup of your favorite Photos and all your memories will provide you with a peace of mind that you do have a local backup, in case something happens to your iCloud Account.
Another reason for downloading photos from iCloud to local computer would be to have immediate access to your favorite photos for editing and other purposes.
With Photos available on your computer or an external hard drive, you will be able to access your favorite photos at any time, without accessing iCloud and even if you do not have an internet connection.
Download All Photos From iCloud to PC or Mac
Follow the steps below to download all or selected photos from iCloud Photo Library to USB drive or an External hard drive.
1. Using a computer, go to iCloud.com and login as usual with your Apple ID and Password.
2. Once you are logged-in, you will see a screen with various iCloud Folders. Click on the Photos folder to access your Photos stored on iCloud.
3. Once you are in iCloud Photos Folder, click on Select Photos Option (See image below).
4. Next, select the Photos that you want to download to your computer by clicking on the Photos one by one (See image below).
5. Once the Photos are selected, click on the Download button (next to the Cloud icon with down arrow) to download the Photos to your Computer (see image above).
You will find the downloaded images in Downloads Folder, or on desktop in case you had changed the file downloads location on your computer.
The procedure is more or less the same irrespective of the device or browser that you might be using to download iCloud Photos.
Workaround to Select and Download All iCloud Photos to PC
Unfortunately, there is no Select All button or any easy option on iCloud that you can make use of to select and download All your Photos to computer.
As you can imagine, clicking on hundreds or thousands of iCloud Photos one by one can be a nightmare. However, there is always a workaround, and we are suggesting the following two ways to select and download All your Photos from iCloud.
- Use Keyboard trick to select and download Multiple photos
- Use “iCloud For Windows Application” to download All Photos from iCloud
Keyboard Trick to Download All Photos From iCloud to PC
This keyboard trick is most suitable in case you have hundreds of Photos on iCloud, but it can also be stretched to select and download thousands of Photos.
1. Using a computer Login to your iCloud Account and click on the Photos Folder.
2. Once you are in iCloud Photos, click on the Select Photos Option (See image below)
3. Now, click on the First Photo that you see on the screen.
4. Next, press and hold Shift + Ctrl + Alt Keys on your Computer’s Keyboard and click on the Last Photo. This keyboard trick will select all the Photos between the first and the last photo, and you will see a check mark on all your photos.
5. Once All Photos are selected, click on the Download button to download the selected Photos to your Computer (see image below).
Tip: Another way of doing this is to click on Select Photos, then go down to the very bottom of the page, hold the Shift Key on your Computers Keyboard and then click on the last photo.
As mentioned above, this keyboard trick should be good enough to select and download hundreds of photos from iCloud to your local PC or Mac.
Easy Way to Download All iCloud Photos to PC
In case you have a Windows computer, you can download and Install iCloud For Windows Application on your computer. This application makes it really easy to download All Photos from iCloud to your local PC.
1. Download iCloud For Windows application on your Computer. The application should automatically start installing itself on your computer. If not, click on iCloud Setup.exe file to begin the installation process.
2. Follow the prompts to Install the application on your Computer and restart your Computer.
3. Next, you will be prompted to sign-in to your iCloud Account by entering your Apple ID and Password.
4. On the Next Screen, you can choose what you want to sync to your Computer. Make sure that the Photos option is selected and Click on Apply (See image below).
5. iCloud will begin the Process of syncing all your Photos to your Computer. All your Outlook Contacts, Bookmarks, etc, will also be synced to your computer (in case you had checked these options in step 4).
6. After the syncing of Photos is completed, click on Windows Start button and click on File Explorer.
7. On the next screen, locate iCloud Photos and click on it. You will find All your iCloud Photos downloaded to the Downloads folder (See image below).
8. Simply, click on the Downloads Folder to see All your iCloud Photos available in sub-folders (see image below).
Add iCloud to Windows Start Menu or Task Bar
For some reason, iCloud does not automatically add itself to the Quick Access panel in Windows File Explorer. You should find it in the notification area or the system tray (See image below).
If not, you can easily find iCloud under All Apps on your Windows Computer and add it to the Taskbar or Start Menu (See image below)
