Icloud Photos Download To Mac

Using iCloud is a great way to keep your photos in sync with your Mac until it stops working. Then, it can be a huge headache trying to figure out what’s going on with it. But, don’t worry. I’ve got you covered. Keep reading this article to see the more common causes of iCloud to stop working on your Mac and what you can do to fix them all.

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  3. Bulk Download Icloud Photos To Mac

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Make sure iCloud Photo Library and My Photo Stream are on

This first troubleshooting step might seem too obvious. However, things like software updates can trigger some settings to change. And a good rule of thumb when it comes to troubleshooting is always trying the most straightforward solutions first.

Here’s how you would check to make sure iCloud Photo Library and My Photo Stream are turned on on your Mac:

  1. Open the Photos app.
  2. Click Photos > Preferences > iCloud.
  3. Check the boxes next to either iCloud Photos or My Photo Stream.

Make sure you have free space on your Mac

If your photo library bloats up and you run out of available storage space on your Mac, then iCloud won’t be able to sync with your Mac. Thankfully, you can use the app Gemini 2 to quickly scan your computer for duplicate and similar-looking images. Once you have downloaded Gemini 2, follow these steps:

  1. Open Gemini 2.
  2. Click + > Pictures Folder > Scan for Duplicates.
  3. After the scan finishes, click either Review Results or Smart Cleanup.

If you choose to click Review Results, you’ll be able to do just that. See all of the duplicate and similar pictures Gemini found. Then, select the copies you want to delete. If you don’t want to spend any time doing all that, then you can just let Gemini 2 decide which pictures to get rid of by clicking the Smart Cleanup button.

The great thing about Gemini 2 is that you aren’t limited to only your Pictures folder. You can use it to scan your entire hard drive. But it’s also a duplicate file finder, meaning it will find all of your duplicate files whether they are photos are not. So, if you’re in a pinch and just need to free up space quickly, we recommend sticking with just the Pictures folder. Because scanning your entire hard drive will also bring up duplicate files of all types. Making the cleanup during step 3 take a little longer.

Check your Internet connection

Another one that might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s very easy to be using your computer and not realize you’ve lost your internet connection. A quick and straightforward way to check your network status is by using the System Preferences app and these instructions:

  1. Open System Preferences
  2. Click Network.
  3. Check for a green dot next to Wi-Fi or Ethernet in the sidebar, depending on how you’re connected.

Check your Apple ID

A common mistake for iCloud syncing issues is caused by having more than one iCloud account. This is how you check which Apple ID account you’re logged into:

  1. Open System Preferences.
  2. Click iCloud.
  3. In the sidebar, check which email is listed under your name.

Restart your Mac

If all else fails, try turning your Mac on and off again. You could be experiencing some weird iCloud buggy-ness because of software that’s acting up. So, if you don’t periodically shut your Mac down to give it a rest, now might be the perfect excuse to do that.

  1. Click the Apple logo in the top left.
  2. Then, click Restart.
  3. Click Restart one more time to confirm that restart.

Advanced tips

If none of the steps above worked for you, you can try and take some more serious steps. But at this point, you’re playing with sensitive data, so proceed at your own caution. That being said, before you do anything else, make sure you have a reliable backup of your data. Just in case you accidentally delete something you can’t replace. If you need help with backing up your data, check out this great article we’ve done on the topic.

“kill” certain Photos-related background processes in Terminal

I know what you’re thinking. Kill is such a strong word. But don’t worry, it’s just a more powerful way to emphasize that you’re force quitting an application. To use Terminal to kill a Photo-related process in the background, here’s how you do it:

  1. Open Terminal.
  2. Type “top” and hit return.
  3. Find the processes you want to delete and write down the PID number.
  4. Press Control+C to stop that process.
  5. Then, in Terminal, type “kill -9 [PID number]” and hit return.

Icloud Photo Download Stuck Mac

Rebuild the Photos database

The next thing you can try is to rebuild your entire Photos library database. It’s possible that iCloud could not be syncing because of a corrupt plist or file in your database. This is how you rebuild your Photos database:

  1. On your keyboard, hold down Option + Command, then open Photos.
  2. Click Repair.
  3. Enter your password to confirm you want to rebuild.

And that’s it! Photos will open up your library when it’s finished.

While it might be a little more challenging to find the one reason preventing your computer from syncing with iCloud Photos. But, hopefully, after reading this article, you’ll feel a little more confident trying a couple, if not all, of these troubleshooting steps.

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

  1. Go to Settings > [your name].
  2. Tap iCloud.
  3. Tap Photos, then turn on iCloud Photos.

On your Mac

  1. Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences.
  2. Click Apple ID.
  3. 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.

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On Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD

  1. Go to Settings > Users and Accounts.
  2. Select iCloud.
  3. Turn on iCloud Photos.

On your Windows PC

Icloud Photos Download To Mac Os

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

  1. On iCloud.com, click Photos.
  2. Select the photos and videos that you want to download.
  3. 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.
  4. Click download.

Download photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

  1. Open the Photos app, then select one or more photos or videos.
  2. Tap the share button .
  3. Tap AirDrop, then select the device that you want to share with. Learn more about using AirDrop.

Download photos and videos from your Mac

  1. On your Mac, open the Photos app.
  2. Select one or more photos or videos.
  3. Drag the content to your desktop, or Control-click and select Share > AirDrop.

Make sure that you have enough storage

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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

  1. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud.
  2. Tap Photos.
  3. Choose Optimize [device] Storage.

On your Mac

  1. Open the Photos app and click Photos in the menu bar.
  2. Click Preferences.
  3. 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.