Launch the Photos app on your Mac. From top right, click on Photos → Preferences → iCloud tab. Check the box for iCloud Photos if not already. Now click on Download Originals to this Mac. Once all images are downloaded, you may select and drag the pictures from the Photos app to your Desktop or a Folder.
How to transfer photos from iCloud to Mac? Here in this post, we introduce you four simple ways to transfer photos from iCloud to your Mac.
iCloud Data Tips & Issues
You may directly go to the icloud.com/photos website, select your photos and then click the download button to save them from the iCloud library to your Windows PC or Mac. ICloud Photo Library was introduced with iOS 8, but with the launch of the Photos for OS X app, it's now available on the Mac. In a nutshell, iCloud Photo Library is Apple's newest photo. Jul 09, 2019 Tap the iCloud tab and then under iCloud Photo Library, Tick the Download Originals to This Mac. If you make this change, your Mac starts downloading all those photos in full res—this could take quite a bit of time depending on how many photos you store on iCloud. Sign in to iCloud to access your photos, videos, documents, notes, contacts, and more. Use your Apple ID or create a new account to start using Apple services.
- ICloud Photos Downloader. A command-line tool to download all your iCloud photos. Works on Linux, Windows, and MacOS. Run as a scheduled cron task to keep a local backup of your photos and videos. Download All Photos from iCloud to Mac Using Photos App The easiest way to select and download Photos from iCloud to Mac is by using the Photos App.
- Download photos from iCloud backup to computer. The last method can be the fastest way to download iCloud photos to computer. IOS Data Recovery supports recovering data from iOS devices to PC&devices seamlessly, including contacts, messages, call logs, photos, pictures, videos, music and more.
- AnyTrans offers you a more convenient way to download them from iCloud to PC/Mac, which is now for free. Know more at: https://www.imobie.com/anytrans/downlo.
- Download photos from iCloud backup to computer. The last method can be the fastest way to download iCloud photos to computer. IOS Data Recovery supports recovering data from iOS devices to PC&devices seamlessly, including contacts, messages, call logs, photos, pictures, videos, music and more. With the help of this program, you can transfer all photos and pictures from iCloud.
Fix iCloud Problems
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This all-in-one iCloud content transfer could help you transfer photos from iCloud to Mac. Download it now and easily transfer photos from iCloud to iMac or MacBook.
We love taking photos with our iPhones and store them on Mac and iCloud for preservation. However, if our cherished photos on Mac are lost due to the wrong operation or system crash, how to get them back by exporting from iCloud?
When it comes to transferring photos from iCloud to Mac, normally, we have two choices – one is transferring photos from iCloud Photo Library to Mac, and the other is transferring photos from My Photo Stream to Mac. However, for most of us, we don’t clearly know what iCloud Photo Library or My Photo Stream is, and photos waiting to be transferred are iCloud Photo Library photos or My Photo Stream photos.
To decide which way to go, all you need to do is checking on your device with the following steps:
Go to Settings > iCloud > Photos > Check whether iCloud Photo Library is on.
If iCloud Photo Library is enabled, you can transfer photos from iCloud Photo Library to Mac, if it is off, you can transfer photos from My Photo Stream. No matter what kind of iCloud photos you want to transfer to Mac, here in this guide you can find what you want.
/recover-deleted-mail-account-mac-go-library/. Also Read: Differences Between My Photo Stream and iCloud Photo Library >
Part 1. Transfer Photos from iCloud Photo Library to Mac
How To Transfer Photos From Icloud To Mac Photo Library Free
Photo Library uploads all photos to iCloud and keeps them up to date across devices and you also can get access to them through iCloud.com. To transfer photos from the iCloud Photo Library to Mac, please refer to the two methods below.
Method 1. Transfer Photos from iCloud Photo Library to Mac Through iCloud Preference Panel
Step 1. Go to iCloud Preference Panel > Click Options next to Photos.
Transfer Photos from iCloud Photo Library to Mac Through iCloud Preference Panel – Step 1
Step 2. Choose Photo Library > Click Done.
Transfer Photos from iCloud Photo Library to Mac Through iCloud Preference Panel – Step 2
Method 2. Transfer Photos from iCloud to Mac with AnyTrans
Though convenient transferring photos from iCloud to Mac by enabling Photo Library is, this method does have its limitations. What if we just want to save some instead of all iCloud photos to your iMac/MacBook? There, AnyTrans is needed.
AnyTrans is specialized in managing iCloud data. AnyTrans supports transferring iCloud contents to Mac or PC and it is easy to transfer photos from iCloud to Mac with AnyTrans. Second, to that, AnyTrans could also help you delete and edit iCloud contents, like contacts, notes. Last but not least, AnyTrans even allows you to sync iCloud contents to another iCloud account. Here are steps to transfer photos from Photo Library to Mac with AnyTrans.
Step 1. Free Download AnyTrans and launch it on Mac > Click iCloud icon and login an iCloud account.
Transfer Photos from iCloud Photo Library to Mac with AnyTrans – Step 1
Step 2. iCloud Category Management > Photos.
Transfer Photos from iCloud Photo Library to Mac with AnyTrans – Step 2
Step 3. Hold Command key and choose pictures you want to backup > Click Download.
Transfer Photos from iCloud Photo Library to Mac with AnyTrans – Step 3
Part 2. Transfer Photos from My Photo Stream to Mac
My Photo Stream uploads and imports photos automatically to all devices, but only photos were taken recent 3 months, 1000 maximum. Here are two methods for transferring photos from My Photo Stream to your iMac or MacBook.
Method 1. Transfer Photos from My Photo Stream to Mac by Setting Up iPhoto
Step 1. Click iPhoto > log in iCloud Account.
Step 2. Click iPhoto on the upper left corner > Choose Preferences.
Transfer Photos from My Photo Stream to Mac via iPhoto – Step 2
Step 3. Choose iCloud > Check the box of My Photo Stream.
Transfer Photos from My Photo Stream to Mac via iPhoto – Step 3
Method 2. Transfer Photos from My Photo Stream to Mac with AnyTrans
Step 1. Download AnyTrans and connect your iPhone to computer.
Step 2. Click Device icon, choose Photos and click Photo Stream.
Transfer Photos from My Photo Stream to Mac with AnyTrans – Step 2
Step 3. Hold Command key and choose photos you want to transfer, then click the To PC tab.
The Bottom Line
AnyTrans also does a good job of managing data on your iDevices and iTunes. Know more about AnyTrans. For any problems, please let us know via e-mail.
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You may want to Download All Photos From iCloud to PC as an additional backup, to clear up storage space in your iCloud Account or for other reasons. You will find below the steps to select and Download All Photos from iCloud to PC.
Download ALL Photos From iCloud to PC
As you must have noticed, there is no ‘Download All’ or ‘Select All’ button on iCloud. Also, you won’t be able to use your mouse to select Multiple or All Photos on iCloud.
This can be a problem, if there are thousands of Photos in your iCloud Account and you want to download them all to your Windows computer.
Luckily, there is a keyboard shortcut to select All iCloud Photos and you will find below 2 different methods to Download All Photos from iCloud to your Windows computer.
1. Download All Photos From iCloud to PC Using Keyboard Shortcut
If the number of Photos that you want to download from iCloud to PC is less than 1,000, you can follow this method to select and download up to 999 photos from iCloud to PC.
If you are trying to download over 1,000 photos, you can move to the next method as provided below in this guide.
How To Select All In Icloud
1. Go to icloud.com on your Windows Computer.
2. Login to your iCloud Account by entering your Apple ID and Password.
3. Once you are signed-in, click on the Photos icon.
4. In iCloud Photos, make sure you are on Photos Tab and click on the First Photo.
5. Press and hold Shift + Ctrl + Alt Keys and press the Down Arrow Key to select All iCloud Photos.
Note: You can also scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the Last Photo.
6. Once All Photos are selected, click on the Download icon to begin the process of downloading all iCloud Photos to your computer.
Unless you have changed the default settings, all iCloud Photos will be downloaded to ‘Downloads’ Folder on your computer.
2. Download All Photos From iCloud to PC Using iCloud For Windows
The only way to download more than 1,000 Photos at once from iCloud to PC is to download and install ‘iCloud For Windows’ program on your computer.
1. Download iCloud For Windows application on your Computer.
2. Once the download is complete, click on the downloaded iCloud Setup file and follow the onscreen instructions to Install iCloud For Windows on your computer.
3. When prompted, Sign-in to your iCloud Account by entering your Apple ID and Password.
4. On the next screen, select Photos option by clicking in the little box next to Photos.
How To Download All Icloud Photos To Mac
On the pop-up, select iCloud Photo Library option and click on Done.
Note: You can change iCloud download location by clicking on Change.
5. Click on Apply to begin the process of Syncing all iCloud Photos to the Downloads Folder on your computer.
6. Once all iCloud Photos are downloaded, open the File Explorer on your computer.
7. In the File Explorer window, click on iCloud Photos tab in the left-pane. In the right-pane, click on the Downloads Icon.
8. On the next screen, click on the Downloads Folder to see all your iCloud Photos arranged in different sub-folders.
To make a Backup, you can copy the entire Downloads Folder to Desktop, USB drive or any other location on your computer.
How To Download All Icloud Photos To Mac Computer
Add iCloud to Windows Start Menu or Task Bar
In order to make it easy for you to open iCloud, you can Add iCloud icon to the Taskbar by clicking on the Start button > right-click on iCloud > More > Pin to Taskbar.
Important: If you are planning to disable iCloud Photos, make sure that you copy all the Photos from Downloads to another Folder.
How to download photos and videos from iCloud.com
If you want to save copies of your photos and videos from iCloud.com to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, or your Mac or PC, follow these steps.
On your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch
- On iCloud.com, tap Photos.
- Tap Select, then tap a photo or video. To select multiple photos or videos, tap more than one. To select your entire library, tap Select All.
- Tap the more button .
- Choose Download, then tap Download to confirm.
If your photos have been downloaded as a ZIP archive, find out how to uncompress the folder on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.
On your Mac or PC
- On iCloud.com, click Photos and select a photo or video. Hold the command key on your Mac or control key on your PC to select multiple photos or videos.
- Click and hold the download button in the top corner of the window. If you want to download your photo or video as it was originally captured or imported, choose Unmodified Original. For JPEG or H.264 format – including edits, and even if it was originally in HEIF or HEVC format – choose Most Compatible.*
- Click Download.
If your photos have been downloaded as a ZIP archive, find out how to uncompress the folder on your Mac or your PC.
What happens when you delete photos or videos
Remember, when you delete a photo from iCloud Photos, it is also deleted from iCloud and any other devices where you're signed in with the same Apple ID – even if you turned on Download and Keep Originals or Download Originals to this Mac. If you choose to download your originals, this also impacts your device storage. Find out more about how to manage your device storage. You can also learn how to AirDrop your photos and videos to another device.
How to download photos and videos from the Photos app
If you want to download a full-size copy of your photos and videos from the Photos app to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch with iOS 10.3 or later or iPadOS, or your Mac with OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 or later, follow these steps.
On your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch
- Go to Settings > [your name].
- Tap iCloud, then tap Photos.
- Select Download and Keep Originals.
On your Mac
- Open the Photos app.
- Choose Photos > Preferences.
- Select iCloud, then click Download Originals to this Mac.
On your PC
If you're using a PC, you can set up iCloud for Windows and download a copy of your photos and videos from iCloud Photos.
Learn what happens when you delete a photo from iCloud Photos.
How to download photos and videos from Shared Albums
You can download copies of photos and videos in Shared Albums to your own library. Find out more about how to use Shared Albums.
On your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch
- Open the Photos app, then go to the Albums tab.
- Scroll down to Shared Albums and select an album.
- Tap the photo or video, then tap .
- Choose Save Image or Save Video.
On your Mac
- Open Photos, then select a Shared Album from the left-hand menu.
- Select the photo or video.
- Control-click a photo, then choose Import.
On your PC
In iCloud for Windows 11.1:
- Choose Start menu > iCloud Shared Albums.
- Double-click the shared album that you want to download photos or videos from.
- Double-click a photo or video, then copy it to another folder on your computer.
In iCloud for Windows 7.x:
- Open a Windows Explorer window.
- Click iCloud Photos in the Navigation pane.
- Double-click the Shared folder.
- Double-click the shared album that you want to download photos or videos from.
- Double-click a photo or video, then copy it to another folder on your computer.
To download the full album, open a File Explorer window or Windows Explorer window (Windows 7), open the Pictures folder, then open the iCloud Photos folder. Copy the Shared Album folder to another location on your computer.
If you need help downloading your photos or videos
- Make sure your device is not on Low Power Mode. Low Power Mode will pause iCloud Photos temporarily. Find out more about Low Power Mode.
- Depending on your internet connection and the number of photos you're downloading, it may take some time for your download to be completed.
- Want to make a backup of your photos? Find out how to archive or make copies of the information you store in iCloud.
- See how to transfer photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to your Mac or PC.
- Find out how to manage your iCloud storage.