(11 votes, average: 4.27 out of 5)Uploading your photos to iCloud should be simple and hassle-free: whether it’s hundreds of photos from your last trip or countless snapshots of everyday moments, it’s important to keep them safe and accessible.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to upload photos to iCloud from a Windows PC in a simple and reliable way. iCloud Photos is great because it keeps your photos safe and lets you access them from any device; all you need is your Apple ID.
We know that moving your photos to the cloud can sometimes cause a problem. You may encounter connectivity issues, iOS glitches, or the confusing limitation that iCloud.com only allows 1,000 items at a time. The iCloud interface on Windows isn’t always intuitive either. But we’ll walk you through the options step by step so you can safely and easily store your photos where they belong.
By the end, you’ll know all the reliable ways to upload your photos to iCloud without wasting time or putting your precious memories at risk.
Basically, you have three options to upload photos to iCloud:
- How to move photos to iCloud – using an alternative method
- Upload photos to iCloud – via iCloud for Windows
- How to put photos on iCloud – with icloud.com
How to move photos to iCloud
using CopyTrans Cloudly
If you got yourself an iPhone driven by its intuitive interface, you would like this: CopyTrans Cloudly is easy to navigate and can upload large amounts of data to iCloud in just a couple of clicks. Besides, Cloudly is the only app to help you out if you need to recover your permanently deleted photos.
What do I gain by using CopyTrans Cloudly?
✓ Retain the date taken stamp and other image metadata.
✓ Upload HEIC, JPEG, and PNG images to iCloud in great numbers.
✓ Upload MOV, MP4, and M4V videos to iCloud.
✓ After you’ve uploaded your files to iCloud, you can move or delete them from the PC folder: they will still be available in iCloud.
Here is what you need to do to backup photos to iCloud:
- Download CopyTrans Cloudly here:
Download CopyTrans Cloudly - Install and run the app. It will ask you to enter your iCloud credentials. We use an SSL connection to exchange data with iCloud and guarantee 100% safety: you can read more about SSL connections on Wikipedia to make sure.
- If two-factor authentication is enabled on your device, unlock the device and press Allow.
- Enter the verification code from your device.
- Click on the Upload button.
- Select files you want to upload to iCloud. CopyTrans Cloudly works with HEIC, PNG, and JPEG images along with MOV, MP4, and M4V video files.
- When everything is selected, click on the Upload button.
- Wait while CopyTrans Cloudly is doing the job.
- All done. Your photos joined the iCloud.
YouTube guide
CopyTrans Cloudly also can:
✓ Rescue your permanently deleted photos from Apple servers.
✓ Download all iCloud photos to your PC in one go.
✓ Delete all iCloud photos if necessary.
We currently have a great deal – you can get 75% off CopyTrans 7 Pack. It’s cheaper than buying just two programs
Upload photos to iCloud
via iCloud for Windows
How long does it take to upload photos to iCloud? You will never know if you use iCloud for Windows because there is no progress bar and the only way to know if your photos are in iCloud is to check using another device. However, this program allows you to interact with iCloud uniquely – through Windows File Explorer.
Advantages:
✓ iCloud for Windows allows you to Select folders with images to upload.
Disadvantages:
✘ The Windows version of iCloud Photos does not upload HEIC images;
✘ Can’t upload video files;
✘ It is unclear how long it takes for photos to upload to iCloud;
✘ iCloud for Windows has an unintuitive and confusing user interface;
✘ The app is unstable and buggy.
Follow the steps below to learn how to save photos to iCloud using iCloud.com:
- First of all, you need to install iCloud for Windows.
- If you have Windows 10 and Windows 11 – use the Microsoft store
- If you have Windows 7 or 8 – download an installer from Apple.com
- After the installation is completed, log in using your Apple ID.
- If you have two-factor authentication enabled, you will be prompted to verify your login with a code from your device.
- Select the Photos option and click on Apply to start the synchronization process.
- Open File Explorer. On the left, you will see a new folder, iCloud Photos.
- Inside the folder, you will see all the photos synced to iCloud.
- Copy and paste JPEG and PNG files (or entire directories) inside this folder, and they will appear in iCloud shortly.
If you are wondering Is iCloud for Windows really as good as Apple says it is? Then read the article and find it out!
How to put photos on iCloud
with iCloud.com
The last option to upload photos to iCloud from PC on our list allows you to interact with iCloud through your browser. But if you are wondering why some of your iCloud photos are not uploading – it is because you can only upload JPEG files.
Advantages:
✓ There is no need to install anything on your PC: use any browser.
Disadvantages:
✘ Doesn’t allow to select a folder;
✘ Can’t upload video files;
✘ Only works with JPEG images.
If you select this option:
- Open icloud.com.
- Sign in using your Apple ID.
- Select Photos.
- Click on a cloud icon in the upper-right corner.
- Select the PC photos you want to upload and click Open. In a couple of seconds, selected photos will be uploaded to the server.
This is how to upload files to iCloud from a PC using iCloud.com.
If you have an issue when iCloud photos not sync, then look into our detailed guide on how to fix the iCloud not syncing photos problem.
In the table below, you can see the strengths and weaknesses of each option.
| CopyTrans Cloudly | iCloud.com | iCloud for Windows | |
| Uploading photos to iCloud | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Uploading HEIC and PNG files | Yes | No | No |
| Uploading videos to iCloud | Yes | No | No |
| Uploading MOV, MP4, and M4V files | Yes | No | No |
| Uploading all photos | Uploads everything at once | Uploads only 1000 items at a time | Uploads everything at once |
| Speed (depends on the internet connection speed) | 15-30 minutes for every 5 GB | Eternity | 1,5-3 hours for every 5 GB |
| Incremental upload and download of new photos (without creating duplicates) | Yes | No | No |
| Downloading all photos | Downloads everything at once | Downloads only 1000 items at a time | Downloads everything at once |
| Downloading originals | Yes | Yes | Not always |
| Deleting all photos | Deletes everything at once | Deletes only 1000 items at a time | No |
| Preserving album structure | Yes | No | No (downloads by year) |
| Retrieving permanently deleted photos | Yes | No | No |
How to add photo to iCloud
Conclusion
Uploading your photos to iCloud is easy, whether you decide to use iCloud for Windows, iCloud.com, or another method, the important thing is that your memories are safe, organized, and accessible across all your devices.
By following the steps in this guide, you now know how to upload photos to iCloud from a PC effectively, even if you’ve encountered glitches, connectivity issues, or upload limits. Taking the time to back up your photos will give you peace of mind—you no longer have to worry about losing your favorite moments.
With the right approach, managing your photo library is simple and reliable. Your photos, videos, and memories are now safely stored in iCloud, ready to be enjoyed whenever and wherever you need them.
