Download iCloud photos and videos

With iCloud Photos, you can download a copy of your photos and videos on any device.

How to download photos and videos from iCloud.com

If you want to save copies of your photos and videos from iCloud.com to your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or your Mac or PC, follow these steps.

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

  1. On iCloud.com, tap Photos.
  2. Tap Select, then tap a photo or video. To select multiple photos or videos, tap more than one. To select your entire library, tap Select All.
  3. Tap the more button .
  4. Choose Download, then tap Download to confirm.

If your photos download as a ZIP archive, learn how to uncompress the folder on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

On your Mac or PC

  1. On iCloud.com, click Photos and select a photo or video. Hold the command key on your Mac or control key on your PC to select multiple photos or videos.
  2. Click and hold the download buttonthe iCloud download icon in the upper corner of the window. If you want to download your photo or video as it was originally captured or imported, choose Unmodified Original. For JPEG or H.264 format — including edits, and even if it was originally in HEIF or HEVC format — choose Most Compatible.*
  3. Click Download.

If your photos download as a ZIP archive, learn how to uncompress the folder on your Mac or your PC.

What happens when you delete photos or videos

Remember, when you delete a photo from iCloud Photos, it also deletes from iCloud and any other device where you're signed in with the same Apple ID — even if you turned on Download and Keep Originals or Download Originals to this Mac. If you choose to download your originals, this also impacts your device storage. Learn more about how to manage your device storage. You can also learn how to AirDrop your photos and videos to another device.

How to download photos and videos from the Photos app

If you want to download a full-size copy of your photos and videos from the Photos app to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch with iOS 10.3 or later or iPadOS, or your Mac with OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 or later, follow these steps.

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

  1. Go to Settings > [your name].
  2. Tap iCloud, then tap Photos.
  3. Select Download and Keep Originals.

On your Mac

  1. Open the Photos app.
  2. Choose Photos > Preferences.
  3. Select iCloud, then click Download Originals to this Mac.

On your PC

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

  1. Open the Photos app, then go to the Albums tab.
  2. Scroll down to Shared Albums and select an album.
  3. Tap the photo or video, then tap.
  4. Choose Save Image or Save Video.

On your Mac

  1. Open Photos, then select a Shared Album from the left-hand menu.
  2. Select the photo or video.
  3. Control-click a photo, then choose Import.

On your PC

In iCloud for Windows 11.1:

  1. Choose Start menu > iCloud Shared Albums.
  2. Double-click the shared album that you want to download photos or videos from.
  3. Double-click a photo or video, then copy it to another folder on your computer.

In iCloud for Windows 7.x:

  1. Open a Windows Explorer window.
  2. Click iCloud Photos in the Navigation pane.
  3. Double-click the Shared folder.
  4. Double-click the shared album that you want to download photos or videos from.
  5. Double-click a photo or video, then copy it to another folder on your computer.

To download the full album, open a File Explorer window or Windows Explorer window (Windows 7), open the Pictures folder, then open the iCloud Photos folder. Copy the Shared Album folder to another location on your computer.

Published Date: