How to back up files to iCloud from iPhone and Windows?

When you buy an Apple device, you get a whole new experience: you join the ecosystem of specific software solutions that are supposed to make life easier… or not. If you’ve never come into contact with Apple products, all the new things you have to master make you dizzy. Especially if you’re a Windows user 😂

You discovered that it’s possible to back up your photos to iCloud. In the iPhone settings, you can see “Photos off/on” and “iCloud Backup”. What is the difference?

In fact, there are 2 possibilities:

It’s impossible to sync and back up photos to iCloud at the same time. You should choose only one option! Synced data will not be included in the backup, because they are not stored on the device.

It’s also possible to manually upload photos from a PC to iCloud.

If you already know what function you need exactly, select it in the list below to move to the instructions. If you are still not sure, you can read the paragraphs one by one.

• On iPhone
  • Make an iCloud Backup for a future restore
  • Sync Photos with iCloud to save up space on the iPhone
• On Windows PC
  • Upload JPEG photos to iCloud from a browser
  • Upload pictures and videos of different formats to iCloud from your PC
  • Move desktop files to iCloud Drive

Note that iCloud only gives you 5 GB of free space! So, first, make sure you have enough memory in iCloud.

Before backup: check your iCloud storage

To see how much free space is left in your iCloud storage, you need to open:

You can now see a list of data that are physically stored in your iCloud but also present on your device.

Do you wish to disable the synchronization of some data to free up space? We show you how to do it safely in the article “7 tips on how to clear iCloud storage“.

Is your storage clean? Congratulations! Let’s see how to back up photos to iCloud now.

We know two options: you can do it on the iPhone or on your Windows PC. No need to use iTunes or iCloud for Windows. Yes, it’s possible!

Back up photos to iCloud on iPhone

How to make a backup on iPhone and iclude photos ?

Let’s now see how to back up iPhone photos to iCloud on an iPhone.

To make an iCloud backup that includes your photos, please open the Settings -> your iCloud account with a picture -> iCloud -> iCloud backup. Activate it. Then click on Back Up Now.

That’s all! You need to wait until the backup is finished. Don’t forget that the backup will also include other data, such as apps, contacts, messages, etc.

If you don’t want to back up photos to iCloud, you can sync them with iCloud.

How to sync iPhone photos with iCloud ?

To transfer all your photos to iCloud, go to:

You will be given a choice to put the originals to iCloud to optimize your iPhone storage, or to keep them on the device. Choose the option you prefer. It will only affect the storage size.

You followed the steps, but nothing happened? Please see this article to resolve the issue of iCloud photos not syncing.

Note that if the Photo Library is synced with iCloud, a photo that you delete on the iPhone will also be deleted from the cloud! “How to delete photos from iPhone but not from iCloud?”

Upload files to iCloud on a Windows PC

Upload JPEG photos to iCloud via a browser

The solution is as easy as ABC. One can access iCloud via the official website from any browser. I will show how to save a JPEG photo to iCloud from a PC.

1. Open icloud.com and log in to your iCloud account.
2. Click on Photos to open your Photo Library.



3. Drag and drop a .jpg or .jpeg file to the opened Photo Library.

Upload photos and videos of different formats from PC to iCloud

You should use an app called CopyTrans Cloudly, because it supports jpg(jpeg), heic, png, mov, mp4, and m4v files.

1. Start by installing the program on your PC. Here’s an installation guide for your convenience.


Download CopyTrans Cloudly

2. Launch the app and log in to your iCloud account. The connection is secured by SSL protocol. None of your credentials or photos are sent to any server.
3. Select “Upload”.



4. Select the pictures and videos you want to upload, then confirm your choice.

That’s all! You can upload up to 50 files to iCloud in the free version of the program.

For a more detailed guide, please refer to the article “How to upload photos to iCloud?”

Move desktop files to iCloud Drive

You can use a free app called iCloud for Windows, but it’s more convenient to add a few single files via our browser. That way, you won’t need to install anything on your PC.

1. Open a browser and log in to icloud.com.
2. Scroll down the page and click on iCloud Drive.



3. You can drag and drop files from your desktop/ folder to the iCloud Drive. However, if you receive an error message that the transfer is impossible, click on the cloud icon on top of the screen to select files and add them again. Drag and drop doesn’t always work well.



4. If your iPhone/iPad is synced with iCloud Drive, you will find the transferred files in the “Files” app.

FAQ

How do I upload files to iCloud from my PC?

The fastest way is to use icloud.com, but the website only accepts .JPEG/ .JPG photos. If you have to upload videos or other photo formats, opt for CopyTrans Cloudly or iCloud for Windows.

Can I back up my PC files to iCloud?

You can easily add files manually to iCloud Drive. You can find it on the icloud.com website or iCloud for Windows software. You can’t make a full backup of your PC to iCloud Drive.

Can I sync Windows to iCloud?

Нou can sync a folder via iCloud for Windows. If you want to manually add photos and videos from different folders to your iCloud, opt for CopyTrans Cloudly. If you only have .JPEG photos, you can also add them to your iCloud Photo Library via icloud.com.

How many photos can I upload to iCloud at once?

The free iCloud storage is 5 GB. It’s more than 1300 JPEG photos and a few videos or around 2500 HEIC images. But the size depends on the quality of a photo.

Conclusion – How do I save my files to iCloud?

You can refer to the table below to choose the best option.