If your iPhone stops downloading photos from iCloud, return to the Photos settings and repeatedly tap the Download and Keep Originals button again. Other tricks if you still can’t download iCloud Photos. If your iPhone is still not downloading photos from iCloud, try out some of the troubleshooting tricks below. Step 1: Enable iCloud Photo Library. To start with, just go to your iPhone’s Settings and tap on your avatar to visit the iCloud settings. Also, make sure that you have already signed-in to an active iCloud account here. Now, just browse to iCloud Photos and enable the “iCloud Photo Library” option. From here, you can select if you wish. Jan 14, 2020 Some readers find that iCloud Photos remains paused, however. When they open the Photos app, a message appears that reads, “iCloud Photos updates are paused to save battery. Would you like to. Step 2 Select Photos in the left sidebar and you will see your photos in the right-hand side pane. Select the ones you want to recover and click on Recover Connect to Wifi and then turn on the iCloud photo library. These are the solutions to fix iCloud photo library uploading stuck for photos and videos. You won't see Updating.
How iCloud Photos works
iCloud Photos automatically keeps every photo and video you take in iCloud, so you can access your library from any device, anytime you want. Any changes you make to your collection on one device change on your other devices too. Your photos and videos are organized into Years, Months, Days, and All Photos.And all of your Memories and People are updated everywhere. That way you can quickly find the moment, family member, or friend you're looking for.
Depending on your internet speed, the time it takes for you to see your photos and videos on all of your devices and iCloud.com might vary.
Turn on iCloud Photos
Make sure that you set up iCloud and sign in to iCloud with the same Apple ID on all of your devices. If you have a PC, you need Windows 7 or later and iCloud for Windows.
On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
- Go to Settings > [your name].
- Tap iCloud.
- Tap Photos, then turn on iCloud Photos.
On your Mac
- Choose Apple menu > System Preferences.
- Click Apple ID.
- Click iCloud in the sidebar, then select Photos.
If you have an earlier version of macOS, go to System Preferences > iCloud. Click Options next to Photos, then select iCloud Photos.
On Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD
- Go to Settings > Users and Accounts.
- Select iCloud.
- Turn on iCloud Photos.
On your Windows PC
Learn how to set up and use iCloud Photos on your PC.
What happens when you edit or delete photos
Your photos and videos are stored in iCloud in their original formats at full resolution. This includes HEIF, JPEG, RAW, PNG, GIF, TIFF, HEVC, and MP4 as well as special formats you capture with your iPhone or iPad, like slo-mo, time-lapse, 4K videos, and Live Photos. The photos and videos you capture with these devices are in HEIF and HEVC format. When you edit or delete photos or videos, it's reflected across all of your devices.
Edits show up on all of your devices
When you make edits in the Photos app on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch or on your Mac, the photo automatically updates across all your devices, including your Apple TV. So when you crop or enhance a photo from your iPhone, you see the changes when you access your library from your Mac. Your original photos and videos are stored in iCloud and you can go back to them at any time, and revert any changes you made.
Photos delete from all of your devices
The photos and videos that you delete on one device are deleted everywhere that you use iCloud Photos. Photos and videos stay in the Recently Deleted folder for 30 days before they're deleted permanently.
Download copies of your photos and videos
When you turn on iCloud Photos, your photos and videos automatically upload to iCloud. They're not duplicated in your iCloud backup, so you should keep backup copies of your library. Use the steps below to download copies of your photos and videos to your Mac or PC. Or you can import your library to your Mac or PC.
Download your photos and videos from iCloud.com
- On iCloud.com, click Photos.
- Select the photos and videos that you want to download.
- Click and hold the download button in the upper-right corner of the window. If you want to download your content as it was originally captured or imported, choose Unmodified Original. For JPEG or H.264 format — including edits, and even if it was orginally in HEIF or HEVC format — choose Most Compatible.
- Click download.
Download photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
- Open the Photos app, then select one or more photos or videos.
- Tap the share button .
- Tap AirDrop, then select the device that you want to share with. Learn more about using AirDrop.
Download photos and videos from your Mac
- On your Mac, open the Photos app.
- Select one or more photos or videos.
- Drag the content to your desktop, or Control-click and select Share > AirDrop.
Make sure that you have enough storage
The photos and videos that you keep in iCloud Photos use your iCloud storage and your device storage. And as long as you have enough space in iCloud and on your device, you can store as many photos and videos as you like. Learn more about iCloud storage and device storage.
If you need more iCloud storage
When you sign up for iCloud, you automatically get 5GB of free storage. If you need more space, you can buy more iCloud storage. Plans start at 50GB for $0.99 (USD) a month. If you choose 200GB or 2TB plans, you can share your storage with family. Learn how to buy more iCloud storage.
If you need more device storage
iCloud Photos keeps all your photos and videos in their original, high-resolution version. To save storage space on your device, you can turn on Optimize Storage.
If you turn on Optimize Storage, iCloud Photos automatically manages the size of your library on your device. Your original photos and videos are stored in iCloud and space-saving versions are kept on your device. Your library is optimized only when you need space, starting with the photos and videos you access least. You can download the original photos and videos over Wi-Fi or cellular when you need them.
If you turn on Download Originals, iCloud Photos keeps your original, full-resolution photos and videos in iCloud and on your device.
On your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch
- Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud.
- Tap Photos.
- Choose Optimize [device] Storage.
On your Mac
- Open the Photos app and click Photos in the menu bar.
- Click Preferences.
- Go to the iCloud tab and choose a storage setting.
Pause library uploads to iCloud
When you turn on iCloud Photos, the time it takes for your photos and videos to upload to iCloud depends on the size of your collection and your internet speed. If you have a large collection of photos and videos, your upload might take more time than usual. You can see the status and pause the upload for one day.
- On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, open the Photos app, go to the Library tab, and tap All Photos. Then scroll to the bottom of your screen.
- On your Mac, open the Photos app. Select Library in the sidebar, then click All Photos in the list of tabs in the toolbar. Scroll to the bottom of your photos and click Pause.
Learn more
- Rediscover favorite and forgotten occasions from your photo library with Memories.
- Learn what to do if you're missing photos in the Photos app.
- Learn about deleting photos on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
What if some of my photos and videos are missing after I turn on iCloud Photos?
Look for your missing photos and videos in the Recently Deleted album of your Photos app, and make sure that you've signed in to iCloud with the correct Apple ID. Find out more about how to find missing photos and videos in the Photos app.
Any photos or videos you copy to your device through iTunes are not copied in iCloud Photos. To add your original, full resolution versions, follow these steps:
On your Mac with OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 or later
To upload original versions of your photo library, open the Photos app, then choose Photos > Preferences and turn on iCloud Photos.
You can also use AirDrop to copy the photos from your computer to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch:
- Make sure that you're signed in with the same Apple ID on your computer and iOS device.
- Unlock your iOS device and turn on AirDrop.
- Open a new Finder window on your Mac and choose AirDrop in the sidebar.
- Drag the photos to the icon for the iOS device in the Finder window.
On your PC with Windows 8 or later
If you're using a PC, find out how to upload photos and videos to iCloud Photos.
What happens when you delete photos from a device using iCloud Photos?
When you delete a photo or video from the Photos app on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Mac, it will also be deleted from your iCloud Photos and any other devices where you're signed in to iCloud Photos. It will also no longer counts towards your iCloud storage. If you want to remove photos and videos from all of your iOS devices, your Mac and iCloud.com, you can delete them in the Photos app.
You can recover your photos and videos from the Recently Deleted album for 30 days. Find out how to recover a recently deleted photo.
Can I see all the photos and videos from my Mac on iCloud.com?
iCloud Photos uploads photos and videos from your Mac System Library. Photos and videos that you keep outside of your System Library won't upload or update across your devices.
How do I check the status of my uploads or downloads to iCloud Photos?
- Open the Photos app.
- Select the Library tab, then tap All Photos.
- Scroll to the bottom to see the status bar.
You can also find photos and videos from your Photos Library that haven't been uploaded to iCloud in a Smart Album on your Mac.
What happens when I go over my iCloud storage limit?
If you exceed your iCloud storage limit, photos and videos won't upload to iCloud and your library won’t stay up to date across your devices. To continue using iCloud Photos, upgrade your storage plan or reduce the amount of storage that you're using.
Reduce the storage for iCloud Photos by deleting photos and videos that you don't want to keep from your iOS devices or on iCloud.com. Your device will immediately remove any photos and videos that you delete and they won't be available for recovery in your Recently Deleted album.
If you're out of storage, your devices won't back up to iCloud, and new photos, videos, documents and your information won't stay up to date.
How do I turn off iCloud Photos on only one device?
You can turn off iCloud Photos on a single device when you follow these steps:
- On your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos, then turn off iCloud Photos.
- On your Mac, open the Photos app, then choose Photos > Preferences, then click iCloud, then untick iCloud Photos.
- On your Apple TV 4K or Apple TV HD, go to Settings > Accounts > iCloud. Under Photos, press Select to turn off iCloud Photos.
If you have Optimise Storage turned on, you might not have all of your original photos and videos on your device. To download the original photos and videos on your iOS device, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos and select Download and Keep Originals. On your Mac, open Photos, choose Photos > Preferences, then click iCloud, then select Download Originals to this Mac. Keep your device plugged in to power and connected to the internet. After your originals have been downloaded, you can turn off iCloud Photos. You can also select the photos and videos that you want to download from iCloud.com.
Before you turn off iCloud Photos, you might want to make a copy of your photos and videos.
How do I remove all iCloud Photos content from iCloud and my devices?
To turn off your iCloud Photos everywhere, follow these steps:
- On your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Photos, then tap Disable & Delete.
- On your Mac, go to Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Apple ID. Choose iCloud, then click Manage. Select Photos, then click Turn Off and Delete.
If you change your mind, follow the steps above on your device then select Undo Delete.
Photos and videos are stored in your account for 30 days. To download your photos and videos on your iOS device, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos and select Download and Keep Originals. On your Mac, open Photos, choose Photos > Preferences, then click iCloud, then select Download Originals to this Mac. You can also select the photos and videos that you want to download from iCloud.com.
What happened to the My Photo Stream album?
When you turn on iCloud Photos, photos from My Photo Stream that are in your My Photo Stream album but not saved to your library will be removed. After you turn on iCloud Photos, you won't see a separate My Photo Stream album.
If you have an additional device with My Photo Stream turned on and iCloud Photos turned off, you'll still see a My Photo Stream album on that device. Any new photos that you take or add to your library show in that album on that device.
Learn more
- Get answers to frequently asked questions about iCloud Photos.
- Find out what to do if your iCloud Photos aren't loading on your Windows PC.
How To Unpause Icloud Photo Library
In earlier versions of iOS, macOS, tvOS and iCloud for Windows, iCloud Photos was called iCloud Photo Library.