Here is how you can download ALL photos from iCloud to Mac or PC: Go to iCloud.com and login as usual, and then go to “Photos” as usual Choose the “All Photos” album Scroll to the very bottom of the All Photos album and click the “Select Photos” button in the top of the iCloud Photos bar. In Photos for macOS, select Photos Preferences iCloud. Select Download Originals to this Mac if it’s not already selected. Check that the downloads have completed. In Photos with the Photos.
Turn On Icloud Photos Mac
Are you still confused by how to copy photos from iCloud to external hard drive? Follow this guide you can easily move your favorite photos from iCloud to any external hard drive.
iCloud Transfer Tips
Transfer Data to iCloud
Export Data from iCloud
Sync iCloud with Other Sources
For most of the iOS users, iCloud is the very choice they choose to backup iPhone data, especially photos. As long as you enable the iCloud Photo Library and connect your iDevice to Wi-Fi, you can easily save all your photos to iCloud for preservation.
Also, iCloud Photo Library allows you to view files once the iCloud account logged in, like transferring photos from iCloud to an external hard drive for further use. Then how can you do that? Hence in this article, we will introduce how to easily move photos from iCloud to external hard drive on Windows PC and Mac. Check below and get iCloud photos to compuetr/hard drive quickly.
Further Reading:iPhone Photos Not Showing Up on PC/Mac Computer >
Select All iCloud Photos to Transfer with AnyTrans (PC/Mac)
If you want to select all photos on iCloud to transfer, then AnyTrans can help. As a professional iOS data management tool, it can help you easily manage your photos on iPhone/iPad/iPod, also notes, music, videos, contacts, etc. Besides, the iCloud Manager on AnyTrans enables you to download iCloud files selectively or wholly. You can check its features as below:
AnyTrans – A Brilliant iCloud Manager
- Manage iCloud Photos, Contacts, Calendar, Reminders, Notes, Videos.
- Directly download iCloud files to hard drive or computer.
- Transfer photos to iCloud from iDevice or computer.
- Support deleting iCloud photos or other files, sync data between iClouds.
Free Download100% Clean & Safe
Free Download100% Clean & Safe
To transfer iCloud photos to external hard drive selectively:
Step 1. Download AnyTrans on your computer and connect your external hard drive to the computer > Click iCloud Manager > Sign in your Apple ID > Click Photos.
Click Photos from iCloud Manager
Step 2. Choose photos you want to transfer (you can Select All from the top-left corner) > Click the Download button.
Select all photos on iCloud to transfer:
Go to the homepage of iCloud Manager > Click Content to PC > Select export path and check Photos category > Click Next to start transferring.
Transfer the Whole Photos Category
Also read: How to Transfer Photos from iPhone/iPad to USB Flash Drive>
How to Download iCloud Photos with iCloud.com
As iCloud offers storage for users to save content, it also enables users to download it back. This method will introduce the way to export iCloud photos to the computer from the website, please follow the step-by-step guide below to see how to do it.
Step 1. Get Photos from iCloud to Computer
- Go to iCloud.com on your computer, log in with your Apple ID.
- You will see the interface below when you log in > Choose Photos to start to manage your iCloud Photos.
- Find the photos you want to save to the external hard drive, click the download button on the upper right corner (You can choose to only download original photos or edited photos included).
Select Photos to Download
Step 2. Drag & Drop Photos Stored in Computer to Hard Drive
When the downloading process is finished, the photos you choose are successfully exported to your computer. Then connect your external hard drive to the computer via a USB cable, copy and paste the downloaded photos to it.
If you want to select all photos on iCloud, you can tap Ctrl+A. Then, you can download iCloud photos 1000 photos or less. But iCloud.com doesn’t allow to transfer photos more than 1000 with one-click.
Transfer Photos from Photos App to External Hard Drive on Mac
- Connect your hard drive with Mac and create a new folder in it.
- Open the Photos app on your Mac.
- Select the photos you want to transfer and choose Export from the File menu (also, here you can choose to only download original photos or edited photos included).
Also Read:How to Fix Photos not Showing Up in iPhoto >
The Bottom Line
In this way, you can easily save iCloud photos to your external hard drive both on PC and Mac. Moreover, AnyTranscan help you download photos from iCloud to external hard drive with ease, other kinds of iOS data like contacts, notes, ringtones, etc also supported. Besides, you can upload data to icloud, merge two iCloud accounts, etc. Download AnyTrans to start a pleasant iCloud management tour.
Free Download * 100% Clean & Safe
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Download From Icloud To Mac
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iCloud is a great cloud storage and cloud computing service launched by Apple Inc. for each Apple device. When you first set up iCloud, you will get free storage of 5GB in iCloud. iOS users always sync data, including photos, videos, files, etc. to iCloud for saving iPhone storage or creating a backup. With iCloud Photo, you can browse, access, and share your photos and videos from any of your devices. However, as time goes, you will gradually find the 5GB is not enough, and you need to pay for extra iCloud storage. In this case, you can download your photos from iCloud to PC or Mac, which can help you free up a lot of iCloud storage space.
- Part 1: Download iCloud Photos to PC/Mac from iCloud.com
- Part 2: How to Get Photos from iCloud Backup to PC/Mac
- Part 3: How to Download All iCloud Photos to PC
- Part 4: How to Download Photos from iCloud to Mac Using Photos
- Extra Tip: How to Save Your iCloud Storage
Part 1: Download iCloud Photos to PC/Mac from iCloud.com
It is a quite easy and convenient way to log in iCloud.com through a web browser either on your Windows PC or Mac.
- Step 1: Go to iCloud.com on your PC or Mac browser, then sign in with your Apple ID and password.
- Step 2: Click on the Photos icon.
- Step 3: Select the photos you want to download. If you need to select multiple images, you can press and hold on command key and click those photos.
- Step 4: Click the download icon in the upper right corner, looking like a down arrow in a cloud, and select a folder to download iCloud photos to your PC or Mac.
Note: Actually, you can easily download all iCloud photos by pressing Ctrl + A to select all photos if you have less than 1000 items there, then clicking on the download button. If you have more than 1000 photos, you need to track the first 1000 pictures you have already downloaded, then select another 1000 or the rest to download.
Part 2: How to Get Photos from iCloud Backup to PC/Mac
Gihosoft iPhone Data Recovery is a reliable software that helps you preview and extract up to 16 types of data, including photos and videos from iCloud backup or iTunes backup. It can also be used to create a backup for your data or recover data from your iOS devices seamlessly. With the help of this tool, you can get photos from iCloud backup to PC or Mac with ease.
- Download and install Gihosoft iPhone Data Recovery on your PC/Mac.
- Select the file type – Photos & Videos, and click the Next button.
- Click on the View iCloud backup, then sign in with your Apple ID.
- Once you have signed in, you will be presented with a list of your iCloud backup files. Choose one iCloud backup which includes the photos you need to scan.
- When the scanning is over, you can preview all the photos in the iCloud backup. Tick the images you want, and click on the Recover button to save onto your PC or Mac computer.
Part 3: How to Download All iCloud Photos to PC
If you have a large number of photos in iCloud, it can be a bit troublesome to download them with a web browser. In this case, you can resort to an alternative way – installing iCloud for Windows. This app allows you to access data like photos stored in iCloud from your other devices.
- Step 1: Open this program on your computer and sign in with your Apple ID and passcode.
- Step 2: Once signed in, you can choose the content you want to sync. Check the Photos only and click the Apply button, then click Close.
- Step 3: Open My Computer, and click on the iCloud Photos icon.
- Step 4: Select Download photos and videos. In the pop-up window, check the All option, and click Download.
Move Mac Photos To Icloud
After a while, all your photos would be downloaded from iCloud to your PC, and you can access them under the folder: My computer > iCloud Photos > Downloads.
Part 4: How to Download Photos from iCloud to Mac Using Photos
You can download full-resolution copies of photos from iCloud onto your Mac through the Photos app on Mac.
Before we do that, please make sure you have enabled iCloud Photos in the Photos app on your Mac. Go to Photos > Preferences > iCloud, tick the small box next to iCloud Photos if it is empty.
- Open the Photos app on your Mac.
- Select one or more photos and drag the content to your desktop or any other folder.
Extra Tip: How to Save Your iCloud Storage
As is well known, iCloud can be used to store various data on your iOS devices. Among these data, your photos and videos may take up most of the storage in iCloud. When you turn on iCloud Photos, your photos and videos will be automatically uploaded to iCloud. To free up your iCloud storage, you can turn off iCloud Photos and My Photos Stream.
- Tap on Settings > [your name] > iCloud.
- Locate Photos and click on it.
- Turn off iCloud Photos and My Photo Stream.
You may wonder where can your photos and videos be stored since the iCloud Photos has been disabled. Don’t worry; you can turn to alternative cloud services like Google Photos, Microsoft OneDrive, DropBox, etc. These cloud services can back up your photos automatically as iCloud. For more tips on how to free up iCloud storage, you can read How to Increase iCloud Storage on Your iPhone for Free.
Related readings: If you have accidentally deleted or lost some precious photos on your iPhone, you can restore them from iCloud in 4 ways. You can also restore your WhatsApp chat history and attachments from iCloud easily.
Conclusion
Above all are four easy ways we summarize for iOS users to download iCloud photos to the PC and Mac. Each of these ways is straightforward and practical. Downloading iCloud photos through a web browser or extracting photos from an iCloud backup with third-party software is compatible with both Windows PC and Mac. The latter two methods are respectively feasible for PC and Mac. When you want to download photos from iCloud, you can choose the one that works best for you according to your needs. If you have any queries or suggestions, please sound off in the comment section.