How to Download Photos from iCloud to iPhone, Mac, & Windows?

iCloud is the best online file storage service provided by Apple. On this cloud storage platform, you can upload media such as photos, videos, notes, etc., to free up some space on your device. These media can be accessed from any device such as iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, and Windows. In case you ever need to download photos on any of the devices, the blog will enlighten you on how to download photos from iCloud.

The blog talks about the following platforms to download photos from Apple’s cloud storage (iCloud.com).

How to Download Photos from iCloud Web App?

Using the iCloud web app is the basic way to download photos on your device. All it requires is a web browser. Then, you can download one or multiple photos from your iCloud account. 

Note: This method can be performed via a Windows or Mac computer (web browser). 

  • Open the desired web browser.
  • Browse “iCloud.com”.
  • Sign in to your account using Apple ID and password.
  • Click on the “Photos” app. It will show all the photos stored on the iCloud account.
  • Now hold the “Command” key to select multiple photos.

Note: If you are a Windows user, hold the Ctrl key on your keyboard to select multiple photos.

  • Then, click on the “Download” icon located on the top right.

So if you are thinking about how to download my photos from iCloud, the above-mentioned steps can be followed. By browsing the iCloud web app on any web browser, you can access your Photos app and download the photos you require.

How to Download Photos from iCloud to iPhone/iPad?

iPhone or iPad users can download the photos from their iCloud accounts. The fastest way to do so, navigate through the Settings app, and enable the Download and Keep Originals feature.

Before moving forward, make sure that you enable the iCloud Photos option on the iPhone or iPad. In case you are not sure how to do that, look for the following steps:

  • Launch the “Settings” app on your iPhone.
  • Tap on your “Account Name”.
  • Go to the “iCloud” option.
  • Tap on “Photos”.
  • Turn on the “iCloud Photos” option under the “Photos” section.

Now that you have enabled or synced your Photos app on your iPhone, you can then download the photos from the iCloud’s Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.

To understand better, learn below how to download photos from iCloud to iPhone or iPad in the following steps.

  • Open the “Settings” app.
  • Go to your “Account Name”.
  • Tap on the “iCloud” option.
  • Select the “Photos” option.
  • Tick the “Download and Keep Originals”.

Once you tick this option, all the media including photos will be downloaded on your iPhone or iPad automatically. The photos get downloaded in their original size.

These are the steps for how to download all photos from iCloud to iPhone. You just need to enable one feature on your iPhone and you are done. Therefore, it is proven to be the simplest and fastest to download photos from iCloud to iPhone.

How to Download Photos from iCloud to Mac?

Mac computers and laptops are quite helpful to download photos from your iCloud account. However, you need to make sure that you have synced the iCloud photos on your Mac computer.

To enable the iCloud Photos option on your Mac, you can do the following:

  • On your Mac, click on the “Apple” icon to open the “Menu”.
  • Click on the “System Preferences” option.
  • Go to the “iCloud” option.
  • Click on the “Options” located next to the “Photos”.
  • Select “iCloud Photos”.
  • Click on “Done”.

This will sync your Photos with your iCloud account. After that, you can learn how to download photos from iCloud to computer (Mac).

Note: After turning on the iCloud Photos option, a few of the photos or videos may disappear from the Photos app. To get them back, you can restore from the Recently Deleted album.

If you are willing to know how to download photos from iCloud to Mac computer then you can check out these steps mentioned below.

  • Launch the “Photos” app on your Mac computer.
  • Click on the “Photos” located on the top left.
  • Then, select the “Preferences” option.
  • When a new window opens, click on the “iCloud” tab located on the top left.
  • Tick the “Download Originals to this Mac”.

Once you tick this option, you can access the full-resolution version of the entire library on Mac. In other words, the photos will be downloaded automatically in their original size.

Bonus Tip: To download the photos from the iCloud account, you can also use iCloud.com on your web browser on the Mac computer.

So if you are wondering how do I download photos from iCloud to my PC (Mac) the aforementioned steps can be very helpful.

How to Download Photos from iCloud to PC (Windows)?

Windows allows you to download photos from your iCloud using a special application. It requires you to download the iCloud app on your Windows PC and enable the iCloud Photos option.

Let’s first understand how to enable the iCloud Photo Library option in the following steps.

  • Make sure your Windows PC has the iCloud app installed on it.
  • Restart your Windows PC after the installation is completed.
  • Launch the “iCloud for Windows” app.
  • Sign in to your iCloud account using Apple ID and password.
  • Go to “Option” located in the “Photos”.
  • Select the “iCloud Photo Library” option.
  • Click on “Done”.
  • Then, hit the “Apply” button.

This will enable the iCloud on your Windows PC. Then, you can upload and download photos or videos from/on your PC.

To learn how to download all photos from iCloud to Windows PC, look for the following steps.

  • Launch the “iCloud” app on your Windows PC.
  • Find the “Show hidden icons” located on the bottom right.
  • Click on the “iCloud” option.
  • Click on the “Download Photos” option.
  • Tick the years, e.g., 2020 (86 photos).
  • Then, click the “Download” option.

This will download the photos from iCloud on your Windows computer. To find them, look for the following steps.

  • Go to the “This PC”.
  • Click on the “iCloud Photos” folder.

This will show the download photos from iCloud with the Downloads folder name. You can open this folder to view your photos on Windows PC.

If you have uploaded media to your iCloud account through Windows PC, you will also see a folder named Uploads in the iCloud Photos folder.

These are the steps for how to download photos from iCloud to PC (Windows). By downloading and installing the iCloud desktop app, you can download your photos from iCloud storage.

Bonus Tip: To download the photos from the iCloud account, you can also use iCloud.com on your web browser on the Windows computer.

How to Download My Photos from iCloud Shared Album?

iCloud Photo Sharing is a feature that allows you to share photos with family or friends. When a user shares an album with you, you receive an email. To access the shared photos, you need to click on the Subscribe button.

Now, what to do to download these shared albums on your device?

For that, we will discuss two different ways for how to download all photos from iCloud to iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Windows PC.

Download Photos from iCloud Shared Album to iPhone or iPad

To save the shared album from iCloud on your iPhone or iPad, you can follow these steps mentioned below.

  • Open the “Photos” app on your iPhone or iPad.
  • Tap the “Albums” located at the bottom.
  • In the “Shared Albums” section, open the album you want to download.
  • In case you don’t see all the albums, tap “See All” located at the top right.
  • Once it is opened, tap on the “Select” option located at the top right.
  • Select the photos you want to download. If you want to get all the photos, simply tap on the “Select All” option located at the top left.
  • Once done, tap on the “Share” icon available at the bottom left.
  • Scroll down and choose the “Save Images” option.

In doing so, the images will be downloaded from iCloud shared album to your iPhone or iPad. Similarly, you can download other shared albums from the iCloud account.

Download Photos from iCloud Shared Album to Mac

If you are a Mac user then downloading the image from your iCloud shared albums would be easier. To understand better, you can look for the following steps.

  • Launch the “Photos” app on your Mac computer or laptop.
  • Click on “Shared Albums” located on the left sidebar.
  • Display all the albums by clicking on the arrow. This will show the shared and subscribed albums.
  • Now, click on the shared album that you want to download.
  • Start selecting the images using the “Command” key.
  • Go to “File”.
  • Click on the “Export Photos” option.
  • When you see another window, check the “Export” settings.
  • Choose the folder where you want these photos to be exported.
  • Then, hit the “Export” button.

Once you do so, the photos from the iCloud shared album will be exported on your Mac computer or laptop (in the desired folder).

Download Photos from iCloud Shared Album to Windows

Windows users can also access the iCloud Shared Album. All you are required to download and run the iCloud app on your Windows PC and download the multiple photos. Let’s learn how to download photos from iCloud to PC (Windows).

  • Launch the iCloud app on Windows.
  • Sign in to your iCloud account using the Apple ID and password.
  • Make sure the “Photos” option is ticked.
  • Click on “Options” next to the “Photos” option.
  • When the “Photos Options” opens, make sure that “iCloud Photo Sharing or Shared Albums” is turned on.
  • Then, click on “Done”.
  • Hit the “Apply” button.

This will download the photos from iCloud on your Windows computer. To find these iCloud Shared Albums, look for the following steps.

  • Go to the “This PC”.
  • Click on the “iCloud Photos” folder.

This will show the download photos from iCloud Shared Albums within the “Shared” folder. You can open this folder to view your photos on Windows PC.

If you have uploaded or downloaded media to your iCloud account through Windows PC, you will also see a folder named Uploads and Downloads in the iCloud Photos folder. If required then you can copy or move the photos to other folders on Windows PC.

This is how you can download photos from iCloud shared albums to iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Windows computer.

How to Download Your Photos from iCloud to Android?

For some reason, if you ever have to download iCloud photos to your Android mobile then you can do that too. Although it can be a tedious process as the iPhone’s data on iCloud cannot be easily accessed on Android.

Interestingly, there are a number of ways through which you can learn how to download full-resolution photos from iCloud to Android phones. Let’s know them one by one.

Download Photos from iCloud to Android using iCloud Web App

  • Launch the desired web browser on your Android phone.
  • Browse “iCloud.com”.
  • Go to the “Browser’s Settings or Options”.
  • Choose the “Request Desktop Site” option.

Note: By default, the browser will display the mobile version of the iCloud website. It will be difficult for you to view and download photos from iCloud to Android. By picking the Request Desktop Site option, you can view the desktop version of the iCloud website.

  • Then, enter your iCloud credentials with Apple ID and password.
  • Open the “Photos” app.
  • Start selecting the photos you want to download on Android.
  • Tap on the “Download” icon.
  • Tap “Accept” when you see a prompt.

After a while, you will see the iCloud photos on your Android device.

Download Photos from iCloud to Android using Windows PC

Apart from using a web browser, you can also use your Windows PC to transfer your data to your Android phone. Learn how to download all photos from iCloud to Windows PC and transfer them to Android instantly. Check out these steps to understand clearly.

  • Download and install “iCloud for Windows”.
  • Restart your Windows PC after the installation is completed.
  • Launch the “iCloud for Windows” app.
  • Sign in to your iCloud account using Apple ID and password.
  • Go to “Option” located in the “Photos”.
  • Enable the following options:
    • iCloud Photo Library
    • My Photo Stream
    • Download new photos and videos
    • Upload new photos and videos
    • iCloud Photo Sharing
  • Then, click on “Done”.
  • Now, go to “System tray” and right-click on the “iCloud” app icon.
  • Under the “iCloud Photos” category, select the “Download Photos” option.

After that, all the photos from iCloud will be saved on your Windows PC. You can find them in the iCloud Photos folder.

To transfer them to your Android mobile, connect your phone to your Windows PC. When the device detects your phone, choose MTP, and transfer the iCloud photos to your Android phone.

Bonus Tip: You can use iCloud.com using your Windows PC to download photos from iCloud. Then, you can transfer the photos to your Android phone.

Download Photos from iCloud to Android using Mac Computer

Mac computers or laptops can also be used to download photos from iCloud so that you can transfer them to your Android phone later.

The method is pretty similar as you followed for Windows. Let’s know how to download photos from iCloud to computer and shift it to Android.

Note: Make sure that the iCloud Photos option is enabled on your Mac.

  • Launch the “iCloud” app.
  • Turn on the “iCloud Photo Library” option.

Once you are done enabling iCloud photos on Mac, the next step is to transfer them to your Android phone. For that, you will have to download Android File Transfer and perform the following steps:

  • Connect your “Android phone to the “Mac” computer.
  • Use it as “Media Transfer”.
  • Launch Android File Transfer” app on Mac computer. This will detect your device automatically.
  • Now go to the location where you have stored the photos from iCloud. Then, drag and drop the file to the Android device file system.

This will transfer the iCloud photos to your Android phone. There are other ways to transfer data from your Mac to Android. For instance, you can upload the photos to your Google Drive account then access them on your Android phone.

Besides that, you can use iCloud.com using your Mac computer to download photos from iCloud. Then, you can transfer the photos to your Android phone.

Wrap up

Apple gives you the authority to access the iCloud media files while taking care of the proper security. You can access the Photos app and download the albums on any device such as iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, and Android.

This blog includes all the devices and the methods you can perform. So if you are thinking about how to download photos from iCloud to iPad, iPhone, and other devices, read the methods carefully and implement them to get the job done.

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