Get help using iCloud Photos on your Windows PC

You can get help if you can't sign in, or if you don’t see your photos and shared album activity.

What you'll need

Here's what you need to you use iCloud Photos on your PC:

To learn more, you can check the system requirements for iCloud.

I'm signed in to iCloud for Windows, but a message in Photos says I'm not

If you’re signed in to iCloud for Windows but you see “iCloud Photos is not enabled,” check your settings.

  1. Open iCloud for Windows.
  2. Select Photos.
  3. Next to Photos, click Options.
  4. Select My Photo Stream. And if you want to choose photos and videos to share with friends, select iCloud Photo Sharing.
  5. Click OK > Apply.

I added photos to My Photo Stream, but they aren't on my devices

If you add photos to iCloud on your PC, but you don't see them on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, follow these steps:

  1. Tap Settings > Wi-Fi. Make sure that Wi-Fi is on and your iOS device is connected to the Internet. Get help if you can't connect to Wi-Fi on your iOS device.
  2. Tap Settings > iCloud on your iOS device. Make sure that you’re signed in with the same Apple ID that you’re using with iCloud for Windows.
  3. Open iCloud for Windows, and next to Photos, click Options. Turn on My Photo Stream.
  4. Close and then reopen iCloud for Windows.
  5. Restart your computer.

When you turn on iCloud Photo Library on your iOS device or Mac, the photos you add from your PC will appear in the All Photos album.

If you still don’t see your iCloud photos on your iOS devices, add your photos using one of the methods below.

Use the Add Photos tool in iCloud

You can add your photos to My Photo Stream with the Add Photos tool.

  1. Open a File Explorer window (Windows 8 or 8.1) or Windows Explorer window (Windows 7).
  2. Under the Favorites menu, click iCloud Photos.
  3. Double-click My Photo Stream.
  4. Click Add Photos.
  5. Select the photos that you'd like to add and click OK.

Copy photos to the Photos Uploads folder

You can also copy your photos from a folder on your PC to the Photos Uploads folder in iCloud.

  1. Open iCloud for Windows.
  2. Next to Photos, click Options, and write down the location of the Uploads folder.
  3. Open a File Explorer window (Windows 8 or 8.1) or Windows Explorer window (Windows 7).
  4. Go to the Photos folder location that you wrote down.
  5. Open the Uploads folder. 
  6. Open the folder that contains the photos that you want to add to My Photo Stream.
  7. Copy them into the Uploads folder.

I can't see my new comments in the shared album, or I see deleted comments

If you add comments to photos and videos in your shared album and you don't see them, or if you deleted comments and you still see them, follow these steps:

  1. Make sure your device has an Internet connection. You'll need to connect to the Internet to make a comment.
  2. Check the System Status page for issues affecting Photos.
  3. See if the number of comments is the same on your iOS device and your Mac or PC.

If you have an Internet connection and a photo or video has a different number of comments on your devices, try these steps:

  1. Open iCloud for Windows
  2. Next to Photos, click Options, then deselect iCloud Photo Sharing.
  3. Click OK > Apply.
  4. Wait about one minute, then click Options again.
  5. Select iCloud Photo Sharing > OK > Apply.
  6. Open My Photo Stream.
  7. Double-click the shared album, then click Comments.
  8. Check the comments on the photo or video.

Learn more

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