This video will show you how to get your photos from your iCloud account to your Mac using the built-in Photos program that comes with your Mac. Find out how to download photos from iCloud to your Mac computer in 2 easy ways! We'll show you how to have your iCloud photos automatically sync to your Mac.

iCloud Photo Library on your iPhone/iPad or Mac can automatically upload and store the entire library in iCloud to aces photos and videos from all your devices. However, as we all know, there is only 5GB free for iCloud at the very beginning and the photo library can quickly eat up space. Therefore, many users will choose to transfer photos from iCloud to external hard drive to free up iCloud space. Today, on this page, we will show you how to transfer photos from iCloud to external hard drive on Windows PC and Mac. Meanwhile, at the end of this page, we also recommend EaseUS MobiMover Free to help you transfer photos from PC or Mac to your iPhone if you have carelessly deleted some valuable images on your iPhone and won't get them back.

How to download photos from iCloud to PC and Mac

Transfer photos from iCloud to PC or Mac is easy by following tips below. Except for pictures downloading, you also can delete all iCloud photos if you don’t need them anymore instead of saving them to another place.

1. Open a browser on your PC or Safari on Mac, and go to www.icloud.com.

2. Log into your Apple ID account username & password and access the main interface like below.

3. Click on Photos in the main interface. Then, choose All Photos album.

4. Press Ctrl on your PC or Command on Mac and choose multiple or total photos in iCloud.

5. Go to the right upper corner and click the Download button in cloud shape and click Download to save the photos on your Windows PC or Mac.

Download Icloud Photos To Mac Pc

How to transfer photos from PC/Mac to external hard drive

After you have downloaded the photos from iCloud on your Windows PC or Mac, you can start to transfer them to your external hard drive.

1. Plug in your external hard drive to your computer via a USB cable.

2. Find the photo files saved from iCloud and copy them to your external hard drive with ease.

How to transfer photos from Mac/PC to iPhone

If you have deleted some important photos from your iPhone and want them back. You can choose to use EaseUS MobiMover Free to help you transfer files from PC/Mac to iPhone, including photos, music, contacts, videos, playlists, ringtones, and books. Besides, MobiMover Free also allows you to transfer photos from iPhone to PC/Mac at one lick and sync data between two iOS devices without any intermediate operations.

Download and install EaseUS MobiMover Free on your computer by clicking the download button below, then follow the steps to copy photos from computer to iPhone within minutes.

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac or PC, run EaseUS MobiMover, and choose 'PC to iDevice'. Then, click the 'Select Files' to continue.

Step 2. On this interface, you can select unlimited photos to transfer. Then, click 'Open' to move to the next step.

Step 3. Check the genres you have selected. If the folders/files you selected cover other supported categories, you can transfer them all together with photos from the computer to your iPhone.

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, iPod touch, or your Mac or PC, follow these steps.

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

1. On iCloud.com, tap Photos.
2. 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.
3. Tap the more button .
4. Choose Download, then tap Download to confirm.

If your photos download as a ZIP archive, learn how to uncompress the folder on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

On your Mac or PC

1. 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.
2. Click and hold the download button in the upper 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.*
3. Click Download.

If your photos download as a ZIP archive, learn 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 also deletes from iCloud and any other device 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. Learn 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

1. Go to Settings > [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 > Preferences.
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.

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. Learn more about how to use Shared Albums.

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

1. Open the Photos app, then go to the Albums tab.
2. Scroll down to Shared Albums and select an album.
3. Tap the photo or video, then tap .
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, then choose Import.

On your PC

In iCloud for Windows 11.1:

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.

In iCloud for Windows 7.x:

Download All Icloud Photos To Mac At Once

1. Open a Windows Explorer window.
2. Click iCloud Photos in the Navigation pane.
3. Double-click the Shared folder.
4. Double-click the shared album that you want to download photos or videos from.
5. Double-click a photo or video, then copy it to another folder on your computer.

How To Download Icloud Photos To Pc

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

Download Icloud Photos To Macbook

• Make sure your device is not on Low Power Mode. Low Power Mode temporarily pauses iCloud Photos. Learn 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 complete.
• Want to make a backup of your photos? Learn 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.
• Learn how to manage your iCloud storage.