7 Fixes: Photos Not Downloading from iCloud to iPhone/PC (2024)

• Why Are Photos Not Downloading from iCloud?
• Photos Not Downloading from iCloud to iPhone: 4 Solutions
• Photos Not Downloading from iCloud to PC: 3 Solutions
• Bonus Tip: How to Transfer iCloud Photos to Another Account
• In the End

Why Are Photos Not Downloading from iCloud?

iCloud is the core service of the Apple ecosystem. Many iCloud users report that they are unable to download photos from iCloud or transfer photos from iCloud to flash drive. The problem of iCloud Photos not downloading to iPhone or PC can be caused by several reasons. Insufficient storage space on your iPhone and PC or a poor Internet connection may also prevent iCloud Photos from being downloaded to iPad, iPhone, or computer.

However, you will find some solutions below to fix the “photos are not downloading from iCloud” problem.

Photos Not Downloading from iCloud to iPhone: 4 Solutions

If you cannot download photo from iCloud to your iOS devices, here are some steps to troubleshoot and fix the “photos won’t download from iCloud” problem.

Way 1. Fix iCloud Photos Not Downloading to iPhone by Checking the Internet

For better iCloud Photos performance, your device needs a fast and reliable Internet connection. You can open a web in Safari to check if you are connected to the Internet. You can also switch from the cellular network to a Wi-Fi connection and see if the downloading problem is solved.

Way 2. Fix Photos from iCloud Not Downloading by Checking the iPhone Storage

Photos and videos will take up so much local storage. You can open the Settings of iOS and go to General > iPhone Storage to check if the storage is enough. If your local storage is full, offload or uninstall apps that you are not commonly using and try downloading photos again.

Way 3. Fix Photos Not Downloading from iCloud to iPad or iPhone by Disabling the Low Power Mode

To better save your battery power, iCloud does not necessarily download photos and videos to your iPhone or iPad when the Low Power mode is turned on. If your iPhone or iPad is in Low Power mode, you must turn it off before downloading iCloud Photos.

Way 4. Fix iPhone Not Downloading Photos from iCloud by Changing the iCloud Photos Sync Mode

When you enable iCloud Photos sync on your iPhone or iPad, the Optimize iPhone Storage mode is selected by default. This mode stores only low-resolution photos and videos on your device so that all photos and videos in the iCloud library can be viewed but not taking up too much of your local storage. By changing the mode to Download and Keep Originals, the original photos and videos will be automatically downloaded to your device.

Photos Not Downloading from iCloud to PC: 3 Solutions

With iCloud Photos and My Photo Stream enabled, you can easily access, view, search, and share photos between iCloud accounts, iOS devices, Mac, and Windows PCs. However, sometimes you may find “my photos from iCloud are not downloading”.

Way 1. Fix iCloud Photos Not Downloading to PCby Updating iCloud

If you don’t use iCloud for a while, the first solution is to update the iCloud application. Apple doesn’t focus on providing the best experience on Windows PC, but it also fixes the apps for Windows regularly to make sure every function behaves correctly. Every new version of the iCloud app fixes some errors. Therefore, updating the iCloud app to the latest version may help in some way.

Way 2. Fix Photos from iCloud Not Downloading by Manually Downloading

Step 1. Go to the iCloud web on a browser and log in with your Apple ID.

Step 2. Open Photos in iCloud and select the photos you want to download to your computer. Then click the download button in the upper-right corner.

Way 3. Fix iCloud Pictures Not Downloading by Restarting iCloud

Step 1. Click “Ctrl+Alt+Delete” on your keyboard to call out the Task Manager.

Step 2. Select processes including iCloud Drive, iCloud Photo, and iCloud Services, and click “End Task”.

Step 3. Open the iCloud app on your computer again and check if the iCloud Photos can be downloaded now.

Bonus Tip: How to Transfer iCloud Photos to Another Account

iCloud is great for storing photos and videos online across devices. But if your photos still can't be downloaded from your iCloud, you can get a new iCloud account and migrate your photos to the new account, then try to download your photos from the new account.How can you quickly transfer all your photos and videos from one iCloud account to another without manually downloading or uploading? Well, a professional cloud-to-cloud data transfer service, MultCloud, is great for you to try.

MultCloud offers secure web service and easy-to-use iOS/Android apps for users to conveniently manage all clouds, access all cloud data, and transfer data across clouds in one safe place with one login. And its Cloud Transfer feature is excellent for one-key cloud-to-cloud migration.

Move iCloud Photos to Another Account via MultCloud

Step 1. Get a MultCloud account on the official web or mobile app.

Step 2. Add iCloud accounts one by one to MultCloud. Just click “Add Cloud” and choose the iCloud Photos icon, then log in with one of your Apple IDs.

Step 3. Open the Cloud Transfer function, select an iCloud Photos account or photos and videos in it as the source, and choose a location in another iCloud Photos account as the destination. After that, click “Transfer Now” and your selected data will be immediately transferred between iCloud accounts.

In the End

iCloud is great for iOS and macOS users to store images online and seamlessly access them across different Apple devices. By fixing the “photos not downloading from iCloud” problem, now you can access your iCloud Photos from your local storage without any difficulty.

Besides, if one of your clouds is nearly full, you can use the Cloud Transfer function of MultCloud to transfer files between cloud storage services with a single click without downloading or uploading.