2 Easy Ways to Access iCloud Photos from Your PC

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Simple steps to view photos from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac on Windows

Co-authored by Josef Storzi and Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: January 17, 2026 Fact Checked

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Using the iCloud Website

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Using iCloud for Windows

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Video

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Expert Q&A

This wikiHow guide will teach you how to access your iCloud photos on your PC. Your iCloud account allows you to keep all of your Apple devices synced and connected, but you can also use it to access your iCloud content from your Windows PC. By using the iCloud website or the iCloud for Windows utility, you can access your iCloud Photos and other iCloud data from any computer.

Easy Ways to Access iCloud Photos on Windows

The easiest way to view your iCloud photos on a PC is to log in to iCloud.com in a web browser and click the "Photos" option. If you prefer to sync iCloud photos with your PC, install the iCloud for Windows app from the Microsoft Store and enable iCloud Photos. This also adds an iCloud Photos shortcut to File Explorer.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using the iCloud Website

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Log in to icloud.com using your Apple account. You can access your iCloud Photo Library from any computer by signing in to the iCloud website using the same Apple account you use to store photos in iCloud.
- Apple & mobile phone repair specialist Josef Storzi explains that you can also access other iCloud data from your browser. "If you would like to view your iCloud on any other device, you may navigate to iCloud.com in your browser and sign into your iCloud account," he says. "From there, you will see all of the data from your iDevice that has been synced to iCloud."^{[1]
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- You can reset your iCloud password if needed.
This will load your iCloud Photo Library.

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Browse the photos in your iCloud Photo Library. You'll be able to find photos from all of your iCloud-enabled devices once the Photos section loads. Photos that you have just taken with a device may not appear until that device uploads the photos, which usually happens within a few minutes.
- The Albums section allows you to see your various iCloud photo albums.
You'll see this in the upper-right corner when you have a photo open. Deleting the photo will delete it from all of your synced devices.
This will allow you to download or delete multiple photos at once.
This is the cloud icon with a downward-facing arrow. They will be downloaded to your browser's default download folder, usually "Downloads."
This is the trashcan icon in the top right of the screen. All of the photos you've selected will be deleted from all of your synced devices.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using iCloud for Windows

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Install iCloud for Windows on your PC. If you want to be able to sync your iCloud photos to your PC automatically and access said photos in File Explorer, you can set up iCloud for Windows. You can install iCloud for Windows from the Microsoft Store. Here's how:^{[2]
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- Go to the iCloud for Windows page on the Microsoft Store website.
- Click View in Store and then Open Link.
- Click Install and follow the on-screen instructions.
After installing, click Open to launch the program, or click the iCloud option in the Start menu.^{[3]
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Sign in with your Apple account. This should be the Apple account you use to store photos in iCloud from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
- You may be prompted to verify your identity to sign in.
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Turn on iCloud Photos. Once you're signed in, you'll see a list of iCloud features you can sync with your PC. To access iCloud Photos, click the arrow > next to iCloud Photos, then toggle the switch to the On position.^{[4]
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- You'll see the name of the folder to which your iCloud Photos will be stored. iCloud will also add a quick link to this folder in File Explorer so you can find your pictures easily.
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Click Done to sync your photos. Your iCloud Photos will begin downloading to the folder listed. If you have a lot of iCloud Photos, the process can take a while.
- To check the download status, click the iCloud icon in the system tray, which is near the clock and date at the bottom of your screen. If you don't see the iCloud icon, click the up arrow ^ to the left of the clock to expand more options.^{[5]
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Find your "iCloud Photos" folder in File Explorer. Open File Explorer by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting File Explorer. You'll then see an iCloud Photos shortcut in the left panel. Click it to view the iCloud photos that have downloaded so far.^{[6]
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- You can also access your iCloud Photos in the Photos app for Windows.
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Add photos to your iCloud Photo Library to view on other devices. Any photos that you add to your iCloud Photos folder on your Windows PC will be uploaded to your iCloud Photo Library and will be accessible from any of your iCloud-connected devices. To add photos:^{[7]
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- Open File Explorer and click iCloud Photos in the left navigation menu.
- Open another File Explorer window and go to the photos you want to add to iCloud.
- Select the photos and drag them to the iCloud Photos folder.
- You're done! It may take a few minutes for new photos to appear on other devices.
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Delete photos from your iCloud Photos folder to remove them on all devices. Any photos deleted from the "iCloud Photos" folder will be permanently removed from your iCloud Photo Library on all of your devices. To delete photos:
- Open File Explorer and click iCloud Photos in the left navigation menu.
- Locate the photos you want to delete.
- Select the photos and right-click one of the selected photos.
- Click Delete in the right-click menu to delete the selected photos.
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Download photos from iCloud onto your PC. You can download a local copy of a photo to edit it. To download a photo:
- Open File Explorer and click iCloud Photos in the left navigation menu.
- Locate the photo you want to download.
- Double-click the photo's thumbnail to download it to your computer.
- Now you can open the photo in a photo editing software like Microsoft Paint or Photoshop to edit the image. When you save the edited image in the iCloud Photos folder, it will update the image on all of your iCloud devices.

Expert Q&A

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Question

How do I copy a photo on iCloud to an external drive?

Kyle Smith
wikiHow Technology Writer
Kyle Smith is a wikiHow Technology Writer, learning and sharing information about the latest technology. He has presented his research at multiple engineering conferences and is the writer and editor of hundreds of online electronics repair guides. Kyle received a BS in Industrial Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Kyle Smith

wikiHow Technology Writer

Expert Answer

If you're using the iCloud website, select the photos you want to download, then click the download button (a cloud with a down arrow). Drag and drop the downloaded photos from the download location to the external drive. If you're using the iCloud desktop app for Windows, select the photos you want to copy. Then, right-click a selected photo and click "Copy." Right-click an empty area in the external drive and select "Paste."

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Question

Photos from an iphone I had in 2012 were backed up to itunes account or icloud, not certain, i no longer have the iphone handset and the AppleId has changed since then. Is there a way to retrieve phot

Kyle Smith
wikiHow Technology Writer
Kyle Smith is a wikiHow Technology Writer, learning and sharing information about the latest technology. He has presented his research at multiple engineering conferences and is the writer and editor of hundreds of online electronics repair guides. Kyle received a BS in Industrial Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Kyle Smith

wikiHow Technology Writer

Expert Answer

You may be able to recover the photos by recovering your Apple ID account. Go to Apple's official website and click "Support." Click "Forgot Apple ID or password" on the support page. There will be an option called "If you forgot your Apple ID, you can look it up." Follow the prompts to recover your Apple ID.

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Question

Icloud photos on my PC are not in date order but are in date order on ipad and iphone. How can I sort PC photos into date order?

Kyle Smith
wikiHow Technology Writer
Kyle Smith is a wikiHow Technology Writer, learning and sharing information about the latest technology. He has presented his research at multiple engineering conferences and is the writer and editor of hundreds of online electronics repair guides. Kyle received a BS in Industrial Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Kyle Smith

wikiHow Technology Writer

Expert Answer

In the Photos section of the iCloud website, click "Library" in the left menu to see your photos in order of date. If you're using the iCloud desktop app for Windows, click the "Date" header in the iCloud Photos folder to sort by date.

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