Download iCloud photos and videos

With iCloud Photos, you can download a copy of your photos and videos on any device. Use iCloud.com or the Photos app (via your settings or Shared Albums).

Download photos and videos from iCloud.com

If you want to save copies of your iCloud photos and videos to your iPhone, iPad, Mac or PC, follow these steps.

On your iPhone or iPad

  1. Go to iCloud.com/photos, then sign in to your Apple Account.

  2. Tap Select, then tap one or more photos or videos. To select your entire library, tap Select All.

  3. Tap the More buttonNo alt supplied for Image .

  4. Choose Download. Or tap More Download Options to see your other download options: Unmodified Originals (format as captured or imported), Highest Resolution (best quality for your device; typically HEIC or H.265) or Most Compatible (JPEG or MP4/H.264).

  5. Tap Download.

If your photos download as a ZIP archive, you can open it on your iPhone or iPad.

On your Mac or PC

  1. Go to iCloud.com/photos, then sign in to your Apple Account.

  2. Click one or more photos or videos. To select multiple photos or videos, hold the command key on your Mac or the control key on your PC.

  3. Click the download buttonthe iCloud download icon in the upper-right corner. Or click More > More Download Options to see your other download options: Unmodified Originals (format as captured or imported), Highest Resolution (best quality for your device; typically HEIC or H.265) or Most Compatible (JPEG or MP4/H.264).

  4. Click Download.

If your photos download as a ZIP archive, you can 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 also deletes from iCloud and any other device you’re signed in to with the same Apple Account — 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. Learn more about how to manage your device storage. You can also learn how to AirDrop your photos and videos to another device.

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 Mac, follow these steps.

On your iPhone or iPad

  1. Open the Settings app, then tap your name.

  2. Tap iCloud, then tap Photos.

  3. Select Download and Keep Originals.

On your Mac

  1. Open the Photos app.

  2. Choose Photos > Settings.

  3. 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.

Find out what happens when you delete a photo from iCloud Photos.

Download photos and videos from Shared Albums

You can download copies of photos and videos in Shared Albums to your own library.

On your iPhone or iPad

  1. Open the Photos app, then scroll down to Shared Albums.

  2. Select an album.

  3. Tap the photo or video, then tap the Share buttonNo alt supplied for Image.

  4. Choose Save Image or Save Video.

On your Mac

  1. Open Photos, then select a Shared Album from the left-hand menu.

  2. Select the photo or video.

  3. Control-click a photo or video, then choose Import.

On your PC

  1. Choose Start menu > iCloud Shared Albums.

  2. Double-click the shared album that you want to download photos or videos from.

  3. 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, open the Pictures folder, then open the iCloud Photos folder. Copy the Shared Album folder to another location on your computer.

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