How to Download All iCloud Photos to PC (2026 Guide)

Apple allows getting pictures from iCloud via icloud.com, iCloud for Windows, or email. However, there are important size and time limitations.
CopyTrans Cloudly is designed to bridge this gap, allowing users to download an entire iCloud library (10,000+ photos) to a Windows PC in a single click while maintaining original folder structures.

Best Method to Download All iCloud Photos to Your PC in One Click: CopyTrans Cloudly

Download CopyTrans Cloudly from the official website, install it normally on your Windows computer. Connect to your iCloud account in the program and click the giant “Download” button.

You need to get a 19.99 USD license, but it’s a reliable “one-click” solution for non-technical users.

CopyTrans Cloudly is the best option if you want to:

• Download all photos from iCloud at once (no 1,000-item limit).
• Preserve your album structure on PC.
• Select the destination folder.
• Keep originals in full quality.
• Recover permanently deleted photos.

Step‑by‑step: Download everything with CopyTrans Cloudly

1. Download CopyTrans Cloudly from the official CopyTrans website via the button below.
Download CopyTrans Cloudly free (100 photos) to test bulk transfer now
2. Find CopyTrans Cloudly in the list of CopyTrans Control Center and click the “Install” button.
   Refer to the installation guide if necessary.



3. Run CopyTrans Cloudly. You will see the log-in screen. Enter your Apple ID and password.
   The tool handles Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) securely and protects your connection with SSL encryption. Nothing is sent to CopyTrans servers.



4. Wait until your iCloud Photo Library is loaded. You will then see the main app screen. To download your iCloud photos to the PC, click “Download”.
   CopyTrans Cloudly will download all your photos from iCloud – you cannot select the photos to download.



5. Select a folder you want to download your library to.

   If you don’t have enough free space on your computer, CopyTrans Cloudly can transfer your iCloud photo library to an external hard drive.



6. The download starts. You can see the progress and remaining time in the app window. CopyTrans Cloudly downloaded my 900 files (3.3GBs) in 8 minutes.



7. Here’s how the downloaded iCloud photos look like on Windows 11.
   
   CopyTrans Cloudly retrieves full‑resolution originals directly from iCloud, it doesn’t convert the files to the most compatible format for Windows. If you can’t open your photos or videos after the download, install free CopyTrans Viewer to view Apple formats on Windows.

If you are experiencing connection issues or your download keeps failing, check the troubleshooting steps or contact the support team (usually reply within 24 hours).

Pros and cons of CopyTrans Cloudly

• Downloads your entire iCloud photo library to a Windows PC
• Lets you choose the destination folder
• Can run incremental backups
• Not free (100 trial actions or unlimited use at 19.99 USD)
• Shared Albums are not supported

Fastest way to download photos from iCloud: icloud.com

Open the official iCloud website icloud.com. Log in to your iCloud account in the browser. Open the “Photos” there. Then select up to 1000 photos and click the download arrow.

icloud.com is the best option if you want to:

• Download a few photos and videos (1,000-item limit).
• Select the format of the files to download.
• View the images before downloading them.
• Do without extra software.
• Use a free Apple solution.

Step‑by‑step: Download up to 1,000 photos on icloud.com

1. Go to the iCloud browser version and log in using your iCloud/ Apple ID.
   If you are using the website for the first time, you will receive a notification on your iPhone. Confirm the connection.



2. Once logged in, find the “Photos” section and click on it.



3. Here are all your iCloud photos and videos. You can try to select all the files by pressing Ctrl+A – it didn’t work in my Chrome browser. I had to hold the Shift button and click on separate photos to select them.
   If you have more than 1,000 photos, download the first bunch of 1000 photos, then repeat the procedure for the following bunch, and so on. CopyTrans Cloudly can download everything at once – see above

Why Can’t I Download Over 1,000 Photos from iCloud?

Capacity Limitations: iCloud sets limits to prevent excessive load on its servers. By limiting the number of photos that can be uploaded in one go, iCloud strives to maintain optimal performance and stability.

Network and connectivity issues: A slow or unstable internet connection can hinder the download process and cause errors or interruptions when trying to retrieve a significant amount of photos. In addition, fluctuations in network speed and reliability may affect the efficiency of iCloud photo downloads.

Software and Compatibility Limitations: The device you use to access iCloud, as well as the version of your operating system and iCloud applications, can affect your ability to download large quantities of photos. Making sure your software is up-to-date and compatible with iCloud can help remove possible obstacles to downloading photos.



4. Click on the cloud icon with an arrow down in the top right corner to download pictures from iCloud.



5. You can also click the three dots (settings) in the upper-right corner, then go to “More download options” to select the photo format.




Pro Tip:

You can also sort your photos by moments. Click on the small plus icon in the top-right corner of one of the moments. Voila! All the pictures in your moment are selected.




6. Once you downloaded your pictures from iCloud, you will have to extract them from the folder your browser downloads files to (for me, it is This PC >> Downloads).
   The browser version of iCloud doesn’t give you the option to download all your photos and videos to a folder of your choice.

Once the download process is finished, you can delete all your photos from iCloud and forget about them forever. You can then back up your iPhone photos (not iCloud photos) with a new tool CopyTrans Studio – 3 full backups per day are free.

Pros and cons of icloud.com

• View and select photos to download
• Select the format of the files to download
• Totally free
• No way to select and download more than 1,000 files at once
• Can only upload .jpeg photos from a PC to your iCloud storage

App integrated into Windows to download photos from iCloud: iCloud for Windows

Download and install iCloud for Windows from the Microsoft Store. Log-in to your iCloud account. Go to the new “iCloud Photos” folder on your computer, select all the files there. Make a right-click and choose “Always keep on this device”.

iCloud for Windows is the best option if you want to:

• Download all your iCloud photos and videos in a windows-compatible format.
• Manage all iCloud-synced data on a Windows PC.
• Download only selected files and view them on Windows.
• User iCloud Shared Albums.
• Use a free Apple solution.

Step‑by‑step: download all photos from iCloud to a Windows PC with iCloud for Windows

1. Download and install the iCloud for Windows from the Microsoft Store.
2. Open the app. Log in to your iCloud account. You will also have to enter a 2FA code that you’ll receive on your iPhone, so make sure the device is connected to the Internet.



3. The main window of the iCloud for Windows will appear. Click on the little arrow next to “iCloud Photos”.



4. You will see “iCloud Photos Settings”. It indicates the folder where you can find the synced iCloud photos. You can also scroll the menu down and allow Shared Albums.



5. Here’s how the iCloud Photos folder look like on Windows 11.

I can see the iCloud Photos folder on my PC, but it’s empty. Nothing was synced in 4 days, so this solution definitely didn’t work for me.

Pros and cons of iCloud for Windows

• Select photos to download
• Download everything at once
• Totally free
• Doesn’t preserve the album structure of your iCloud Library
• May reduce quality of the downloaded files
• Takes a lot of time to sync and download photos and videos

Download all iCloud photos without manual effort: Apple Privacy Request

Go to privacy.apple.com and connect to your iCloud account. Send a request under “Get a copy of your data” and wait for 3-7 days. Apple will email you your photo library in chunks.

iCloud for Windows is the best option if you want to:

• Avoid tech-savvy solutions.
• Do without extra apps.
• Make minimal effort.
• Use a free Apple solution.

Step‑by‑step: make an Apple Privacy Request to download all photos from iCloud

1. Go to the website https://privacy.apple.com/ and sign in with your Apple account / iCloud account.



2. Make sure your iPhone is connected to the Internet. You will receive an Apple Account Sign In Request that you have to allow.
3. Then enter the verification code on the privacy.apple.com.
4. As soon as you are logged-in, click on “Request a copy of your data ›” under the first option “Get a copy of your data”.



5. Scroll down the list and find “iCloud Photos”. Tick the box and click the “Continue” button at the very bottom of the page.



6. Apple will email you your iCloud Photo library in chunks. Select the desired size of each chunk. I only have 3.3 GB of files, so I will select “1GB” per folder.



7. Click the “Complete request” button.
8. Apple will send you an email to the address you used to create your Apple ID/ iCloud account. Note that it can take up to 7 days. It took Apple 5 days to download and send me my 3.3 GB photo library. I had to connect to the Privacy Apple website to download the files.

The photos and videos are in the original format. They are not converted to the most compatible format for Windows. If you can’t open your photos or videos after the download, install free CopyTrans Viewer to view Apple formats on Windows.

Pros and cons of Apple Privacy Request

• Everything is done via a browser – no need to install any app
• Minimal effort
• Totally free
• Doesn’t preserve the album structure of your iCloud Library
• Not immediate – you have to wait 3-7 days.

Conclusion: What is the best way to get all my photos from iCloud to computer?

If you still don’t know what option to choose to download your photos from iCloud, refer to the table below.
It compares all the 4 solutions described in the article above according to criteria that can be important for you.

FAQ: iCloud photo download issues

Why won’t my iCloud Photos download to my PC?

• Check free space on your PC: if the size of your iCloud Photo Library is bigger than the available free space on the PC, the photos won’t download.
• Restart your PC: if you just installed iCloud for Windows or a third-party app, you need to restart the computer for the components to be installed.
• Check your Internet connection: if your Internet connection is slow, it will take some time to download your library.
• Contact customer support: contact customer support if the solutions above didn’t help.

What to do if iCloud download exceeds 1000 photos limit?

Simply select another 1000 photos and download them to the same folder. A single download is limited to 1000 photos on iCloud.com. Use iCloud for Windows or a third-party program CopyTrans Cloudly for Windows if you want to download all your iCloud Photo Library in one go.

How to download iCloud photos to Windows PC without iCloud app?

Yes, you can download photos and also videos from iCloud to your Windows PC via iCloud.com (Web) or using third-party software like CopyTrans Cloudly for Windows.

How to download iCloud shared album photos in bulk?

You can download a shared album from iCloud to your Apple device by opening the Photos app, selecting the shared album, and then clicking the download button. You can’t download a shared album to a Windows PC.

Where to store photos if iCloud is full?

If your iCloud storage is full, you can disable iCloud Photos and keep all the photos and videos on your iPhone. Otherwise, download all your iCloud photos to an external hard drive or a PC, then delete all the photos from iCloud.

How can I transfer photos from iCloud to my Mac?

You can transfer photos from iCloud to your Mac by enabling the iCloud Photo Library feature in the settings of your Mac Photos app.

Does iPhone store iCloud photos?

It depends on your iCloud settings. iPhone can either keep the previews of what is stored on iCloud to save the storage space or download all the originals. To access iCloud photos on iPhone and transfer them to a PC, use CopyTrans Studio.