Archive or make copies of the information you're storing in iCloud

Find out how to archive or make copies of the information you use with iCloud.

Making an archive of what you keep in iCloud is one more way to keep an extra copy of your information. Then if you accidentally delete an important contact, email or document, you can restore it from iCloud or from another copy you have.

• iCloud Drive files

• Photos and videos

• Mail

• Safari bookmarks

• Contacts

• Calendars

• Reminders

• Notes

• Voice Memos

• FaceTime video messages

• Remember to back up

iCloud Drive files

Follow these steps to copy files from your Mac, iPhone, iPad, iCloud.com or PC. If you copy a file from a shared folder in iCloud Drive to another folder, sharing access won't also be copied. Find out more about folder sharing.

Copy files from iCloud Drive to your Mac

1. Click iCloud Drive in the sidebar of any Finder window.

2. Select the files that you want to copy.

3. From the Edit menu, click Copy “File Name”, then paste the files in the new location.

Copy files from the Files app on your iPhone

1. Open the Files app and choose Browse to show locations.

2. Tap iCloud Drive in Locations, then tap the More button.

3. Tap Select, then choose the files and folders you want to copy.

4. Choose how you want to send a copy of the file. Tap the More button, then tap Copy Items.

5. Go to On my Device or another cloud service in Locations.

6. Touch and hold a folder in the new location, then tap Paste.

If the new location doesn't appear in Locations, you can send a copy of the files using AirDrop, Messages or Mail.

Copy files from the Files app on your iPad

1. Open the Files app and choose iCloud Drive under Locations in the sidebar.

2. Tap Select, then choose the files and folders you want to copy.

3. Tap the More button, then tap Copy Items.

4. Go to On My iPad or another cloud service in Locations.

5. Touch and hold a folder in the new location, then tap Paste.

If the new location doesn't appear in Locations, you can send a copy of the files using AirDrop, Messages or Mail.

Copy files from iCloud.com

Follow these steps to download files stored in iCloud Drive, or files that are accessible from iWork apps on iCloud.com:

1. Sign in to iCloud.com.

2. Open iCloud Drive.

3. Find and select the file.

4. Click the Download button at the top of the page or double-click the file. The document will be downloaded to your default download location.

Copy files from Windows

If you've turned on iCloud Drive using iCloud for Windows on a PC, you can copy your files from the iCloud Drive folder in File Explorer. You can also copy your files from iCloud.com.

Photos and videos

If you use iCloud Photos, your photos and videos are automatically uploaded to iCloud at full resolution.

Download copies of your photos and videos from your device

• On your iPhone or iPad, tap Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos. Then select Download and Keep Originals and import the photos to your computer.

• On your Mac, open the Photos app. Select the photos and videos you want to copy. Choose File > Export.

• On your PC, make sure that you set up iCloud for Windows and turn on iCloud Photos. Open File Explorer. In the Navigation pane, click iCloud Photos, then select the images you want to keep on your PC. Right-click the selection and choose "Always keep on this device". After the items have been downloaded, copy them to another folder on your computer. To do this, press and hold the Ctrl key and drag the items to the folder. Include this folder if you back up your computer.

Download copies of your photos and videos from iCloud.com

If you want to download a few photos or videos, use iCloud.com to download the most recent version of photos and videos.

• On your iPhone or iPad, go to iCloud.com, tap Photos and tap Select. Then select the photos and videos you want to download and tap the More button. Select Download, then tap Download again to confirm.  Your photos and videos will be downloaded as a .zip file to iCloud Drive.  If you don’t have iCloud Drive turned on, you can find the .zip file you downloaded in the Files app under Downloads or Recents.

• On your Mac or PC, just go to iCloud.com and click Photos. Then select the photos and videos you want to download and click the Download button.

Copy photos from Shared Albums

You can also use the steps below to manually copy photos and videos. Comments or likes connected to a shared photo aren't saved, and photos and videos saved from shared albums aren't stored at full resolution.

Copy photos from Shared Albums on your iPhone or iPad

1. Open the Photos app and go to your Shared Albums.

2. Tap the name of the album that you want.

3. Save photos from the album using one of these methods:

   • Tap an image to open it, then tap the Share button. To select more images, scroll the images left or right and tap the ones you want to save. Tap Save Image.

   • Tap Select, then tap the images you want to save. Tap the Share button, then tap Save Image.

4. Import the photos to your computer.

Copy photos and videos from Shared Albums on your Mac

Follow these steps to manually import photos and videos in shared albums to your Photos library:

1. Open Photos and select Shared Albums.

2. Double-click a shared album.

3. Control click (or right-click) a photo and choose Import.

After you've imported your photos, you may want to back up your library. You can store them as a separate library on your computer or on a different drive.

Copy photos and videos from Shared Albums in Windows

Saved photos are available even if you turn off Photos in iCloud for Windows. To save photos and videos from a shared album, you must save them to another folder on your hard drive:

1. Open iCloud for Windows.

2. Click Options next to Photos. Note the path listed under iCloud Photos location.

3. Open a File Explorer window (Windows 8 or later) or Windows Explorer window (Windows 7).

4. Go to the iCloud Photos folder using the above path. Open the Shared folder.

5. Select the photos you want to save, then copy them to another folder on your computer. To do this, press and hold the Ctrl key and drag the items to your folder. Include this folder if you back up your computer.

Mail

Find out how to move, delete or copy iCloud email on your Mac.

Safari bookmarks

Export a copy of your Safari bookmarks on your Mac:

1. Choose File > Export > Bookmarks.

2. Choose where you want to export the file, then click Save. The file’s name is Safari Bookmarks.html unless you change it.

To export a copy of your Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge bookmarks, see the Mozilla, Google or Microsoft steps for exporting bookmarks.

Contacts

Follow the steps below to export contacts from your Mac, iCloud.com or PC.

Export contacts on your Mac

1. Open Contacts.

2. Select All Contacts.

3. Click a contact in the Contacts list or go to Edit > Select All to select all of your contacts.

4. Choose File > Export > Export vCard.

5. Choose where you want to save the files, then click Save.

If you use lists, consider archiving your entire Contacts or Address Book database as well as exporting vCards. The vCard method above will copy your contacts, but not lists. Archives are more complex, but you may not be able to restore data using Archives while connected to the internet and signed in to iCloud.

Export contacts from iCloud.com

Export iCloud contact information as a vCard

Export contacts in Outlook on your PC

See Microsoft’s instructions for exporting contacts

Calendars

Follow the steps below to export a calendar from your Mac, iCloud.com or PC.

Export a calendar on your Mac

1. In Calendar, click the calendar’s name. If you can’t see your calendars, click Calendars.

2. Choose File > Export > Export.

3. Choose a location for the file, and then click Export.

Download a calendar from iCloud.com

1. Sign in to iCloud.com with your Apple Account and open Calendar.

2. Publicly share the calendar.

3. Copy the URL of the shared calendar and paste it into the address field in your browser. Don't click Enter or Return.

4. Change "webcal" to "http" and click Enter or Return. An ICS file will be downloaded to your default download location.

5. Add the calendar to a calendar client, such as Calendar on Mac or Outlook on a Windows computer.

6. Stop sharing the calendar.

Export a calendar in Outlook on your PC

1. Open Outlook and go to your Calendar.

2. Select the calendar you want to copy in the Calendar list.

3. Untick all other calendars.

4. Choose File > Save Calendar.

5. Click More Options to adjust the date range and amount of detail to include in the calendar. This varies depending on your version of Outlook.

6. Click OK.

7. Choose where you want to save the calendar, then click Save.

8. Repeat with each calendar you want to copy.

Reminders

Export a copy of your Reminders on your Mac with macOS Mojave or earlier:

1. Open Reminders.

2. Go to the reminder list you want to export.

3. Choose File > Export.

4. Enter a name, choose a location and then click Export.

Notes

Make a copy of a note on your Mac:

1. Open the Notes app and select the note you want.

2. Click File > Export as PDF. 

3. Choose where to save the document on your computer.

Voice Memos

Make a copy of a Voice Memo on your iPhone or iPad:

1. Open the Voice Memos app and tap the recording you want to duplicate.

2. Tap the More button > Duplicate. You can also tap Share to send the recording by Messages or Mail, or to save it to Files.

On a Mac, simply drag the recording you want to duplicate to copy it to a new location or tap the Share button to send the recording via Messages or Mail.

FaceTime video messages

In iOS 17 and later and iPadOS 17 and later, you can export FaceTime video messages so that they save to your Photos app. To export FaceTime video messages:

1. Open the FaceTime app.

2. Scroll through your FaceTime call history until you find the video message that you want to save.

3. Tap Video, then tap Save in the top-right corner.

4. Import the photos to your computer.

Remember to back up

iCloud backs up your iPhone or iPad automatically each day when it’s connected to a power source and Wi-Fi, and your device’s screen is locked. If you choose to keep another copy, you can back up to your computer. You should also regularly back up your iOS and iPadOS devices. If you have a backup, you can restore your data if your computer or device is damaged or lost.