iCloud Photos is an ideal cloud storage system if you have one or more Apple devices and want to organize your photos and videos.
If you are looking for a simple way to organize and safeguard your photographic material, and have it at hand in an integrated way from any device, and even at a family level, do not stop reading 🙂 .
Because in this article we will solve doubts about how to configure iCloud, how to download photos, advantages and disadvantages of using this system, etc.
- What is iCloud Photos?
- Advantages and disadvantages of iCloud Photos
- How to set up iCloud Photos on Mac+
- How to set up iCloud Photos on iPhone
- Download iCloud Photos on Mac (Step by Step)
- How to download all photos from iCloud at once? (on iPhone)
- How to save photos in iCloud? (Step by Step)
- How to delete photos from iCloud?
- How to recover photos from iCloud?
- Use iCloud on Windows
- Alternatives to iCloud
What is iCloud Photos?
iCloud Photos is Apple’s service for storing photos and videos in the cloud. It works with the Photos App, and allows you to have all your devices connected to each other (iPhone, Mac, iPad, etc.,) to be able to view, modify or delete photos and videos on all devices at the same time.
Photos and videos are stored in iCloud in their original formats and at full resolution. This includes:
- HEIF, PNG, GIF, TIFF, JPEG, RAW, HEVC, MP4
- Apple’s own:
- Slow motion
- time lapse
- 4K videos
- Live Photos
Advantages and disadvantages
The main advantage of this system is the connectivity of all Apple devices. If you have several of them and also hustle and bustle constantly with photos (I know I do 😉 ), this system can be very interesting.
Let’s see the main advantages and disadvantages of iCloud Photos:
Advantage from iCloud PhotosYou can sync iCloud on more than one device. Changes are updated on all devices at once. Videos and photos are saved in their original, uncompressed formats. You can set up the plan as a family and share up to 5 devices with different family members.Easy to use.Videos and photos are saved automatically.You have 5GB of free storage.iCloud Photos allows you to manage the size of the library depending on the device.
Drawbacks of iCloud PhotosIf you mistakenly delete a photo, it will be applied to all devices*.Once the 5GB is exceeded, you have to pay.Depending on Apple.
*You can recover it for 30 days
How to set up iCloud Photos on Mac
For set up iCloudthe first thing you need to do is sign in or sign up on your device with your Apple ID, and then follow these steps:
- Select System Preferences.
- Click Apple ID.
- Click iCloud in the sidebar.
- Then choose the apps you want to use with iCloud and the iCloud features you want to turn on or off.
- Make sure you have the Photos icon activated.
- You already have activated the synchronization of your photos.
(If you have an older version of the operating system, go to System Preferences > iCloud. Next, click Options, and then select iCloud Photos.)
How to set up iCloud Photos on iPhone
It’s very easy to set up iCloud Photos on your iPhone, just follow these steps:
- On the iPhone go to Settings.
- Then click on your name.
- If you don’t see your name, you must sign in to the device and enter your Apple ID and password, and then click your name.
- Go to iCloud.
- Turn apps and features you want to have in the cloud and shared between devices on or off (be sure to turn on Photos).
- From here you can also manage the storage of the photos if you need to upgrade to a paid plan (as you will surely have to end up doing).
- Within the photos icon you can choose between optimizing storage or downloading and keeping originals. The recommended thing to save space on your mobile is to leave the optimize* option checked.
*The option to optimize storage, what it does is delete the least used photos (or videos) from your device to free up memory space. On the other hand, you will see the thumbnails and you will have the possibility to download the image when you need it.
These steps are also valid for set up iCloud on iPad or iPod touch.
Download iCloud Photos on Mac (Step by Step)
To download your photos, the first thing you need to do is make sure you’re on iCloud.com.
- Go to Photos.
- Within photos, hover over the photo or video (you can select multiple images (with the ⬆️ Shift key).
- Tap the download button located at the top right. He is represented by a cloud with an arrow.
- Below the download icon you have a small arrow with more download options
How to download all photos from iCloud at once? (On iPhone)
To download all your iCloud photos at once, first make sure you have enough space on your device, then follow these steps:
- Go to iCloud.com and sign in with your Apple ID.
- Then click on photos.
- Go to Select All.
- Tap the (…) button at the bottom right of the screen.
- The options to Add to album, Download, Hide or Cancel will appear.
- Select Download.
- Confirm the download.
Download all photos from iCloud at once on iPhone
How to save photos in iCloud (step by step)
To save your photos in iCloud, all you have to do is have iCloud activated and the option photos and they will be uploaded automatically. To do so, follow these steps:
- From the iPhone (or iPad): go to Settings > Your name > iCloud > Photos and turn on iCloud Photos.
- From the Mac: System Preferences >Apple ID. Next, click on iCloud and select Photos.
Every time your Apple device is connected to a WIFI network, and has battery, your photos and videos will be saved automatically.
How to delete photos from iCloud
To delete photos in iCloud from your Mac, follow these steps:
- Go to the Photos app.
- Select the photo or video you want to delete.
- Right-click > Delete photo or simply hit the delete key.
- You will get a notice informing you that you are about to delete the photo/s on all your devices.
- Hit accept.
To delete photos in iCloud from your iPhone or iPad, follow these steps:
- Go to the Photos app.
- Select the photos or videos you want to delete.
- Go to the trash at the bottom right of the screen to delete the photos and/or videos.
- You will get a notice telling you that you are about to delete the photos from all your devices.
- Then Delete.
How to recover photos from iCloud?
To recover photos from iCloud, follow these steps:
- Go to iCloud.com.
- Within your account, go to Settings, located at the top right, next to your name.
- Select “Account Settings”.
- At the bottom of the page you will find the Advanced option.
- Click on Restore files.
- Select the files to restore.
- These will be restored to the same place from which they were deleted.
You will be able to recover deleted files within 30 days.
Use iCloud on Windows
If you have an Apple device but a Windows computer, you can still use iCloud as a cloud storage system. To do this, you just have to have an Apple ID and download iCloud on your computer.
- Have your Apple ID handy, or create one if you don’t have one.
- Download iCloud for Windows, for example from here.
- Sign in with a password and your ID.
- Turn on the apps you want to share with iCloud.
- Confirm that you have the Photos option checked.
- Within photos you have several configuration options.
- Make sure you have iCloud Photos turned on so you can have Windows sync your Photos library.
- Within iCloud Photos, you can choose between downloading the images in Windows (they will also be downloaded and stored on your computer) or optimize space (where you will see the thumbnails and download only those that interest you. This last option will allow you to save memory space of your PC.
- Download iCloud for Windows
- iCloud on Windows
Alternatives to iCloud
Although iCloud is the most comprehensive system for those who have the majority of Apple-branded devices, the truth is that there are good alternatives for cloud services that may be of interest to you.
The best alternatives to iCloud are:
iCloud Photos is a cloud storage service that allows you to have your photo files synchronized on all your devices. You can thus have your file stored in a safe, orderly and accessible way.
Now, it is true that 5GB soon runs out, so if you want this or another type of cloud service, you are going to have to scratch your pocket a bit.
Whichever program you choose, having a copy of your photo files in the cloud is something we always recommend. Hard drives can be another security element for your photos, but it is advisable to complement them with an extra copy in the cloud. You never know what can happen.
So now you know, if you still don’t have your photos in cyberspace, you’re already late 😉 . I hope that this article about iCloud has solved some possible doubts that you might have about its operation. If it has been useful to you, help us to spread it to reach the maximum possible number of readers. Thank you very much and until next time.