Upload and download photos in iCloud for Windows
With the iCloud for Windows app, you can use your Windows computer to upload photos and videos to iCloud Photos or download them from iCloud to your computer. If you are using iCloud for Windows version 11 or later, you can also pin and see the download status of photos and videos. Find out which version of iCloud for Windows you have.
Upload photos and videos to iCloud
On your Windows computer, open File Explorer (Windows 8 or later) or Windows Explorer (Windows 7), then click iCloud Photos in the Navigation pane.
If you do not see iCloud Photos, click Pictures in the Navigation pane, then double-click iCloud Photos.
Do one of the following:
iCloud for Windows version 11 or later: drag photos and videos to the folder.
iCloud for Windows version 10 or earlier: drag photos and videos to the Uploads folder. You can also do the following:
Version 10: click the Notification area in the taskbar, then click Upload Photos in the iCloud Photos notification.
Version 7: click “Upload photos and videos” in the Windows Explorer toolbar.
Download photos and videos to your PC
On your Windows computer, open File Explorer (Windows 8 or later) or Windows Explorer (Windows 7), then click iCloud Photos in the Navigation pane.
If you do not see iCloud Photos, click Pictures in the Navigation pane, then double-click iCloud Photos.
Do one of the following:
iCloud for Windows version 11 or later: double-click a thumbnail to download the file.
iCloud for Windows version 10: new photos and videos you add to iCloud on another device are automatically downloaded to your PC. To download older ones, click the Notification area in the taskbar, then click Download Photos in the iCloud Photos notification. Choose the photos and videos you want to download by year.
iCloud for Windows version 7: new photos and videos you add to iCloud on another device are automatically downloaded to your PC. To download older ones, click “Download photos and videos” in the Windows Explorer toolbar, choose the photos and videos you want to download by year, then click Download.
Note: In iCloud for Windows version 10 or later, if a photo or video is changed on another device or on iCloud.com, it is updated automatically on your PC. In iCloud for Windows version 7, you need to re-download the photos to see any updates.
Pin a photo or video
In iCloud for Windows version 11 or later, you can pin an individual photo, video or your entire iCloud Photos folder. Pinned files are always downloaded to your device.
If a photo or video is pinned, you see 
next to the filename in File Explorer.
On your Windows computer, open File Explorer, then click iCloud Photos in the Navigation pane.
Right-click the photo or video you want to pin, then choose “Always keep on this device”.
When a photo or video is pinned, “Always keep on this device” has a tick next to it.
To unpin the photo or video, right-click the file you want to unpin, then choose “Always keep on this device” again to remove the tick.
Unpinning a file does not remove it from your PC. To remove it, see Free up space on your PC using iCloud for Windows.
See the download and pin status of a photo or video
If you have iCloud for Windows version 11 or later, the download and pin status of a photo or video appears next to its filename in File Explorer.
Icon | Description | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The photo or video is a thumbnail. It is only stored in iCloud Photos and has not been downloaded to your computer. | ||||||||||
 | The photo or video is waiting to download. | ||||||||||
 | The photo or video is currently downloading. | ||||||||||
 | The photo or video has been downloaded to your computer. | ||||||||||
| The photo or video is pinned. See Pin files and folders in iCloud for Windows. | ||||||||||