The best place for all your photos, files, and more.
iCloud is built into every Apple device. That means all your stuff — photos, files, notes, and more — is safe, up to date, and available wherever you are. And it works automatically, so all you have to do is keep doing what you love. Everyone gets 5GB of free iCloud storage to start, and it’s easy to add more at any time.
May 24, 2018 To turn on the iCloud Photo Library, go to System Preferences iCloud. Next to Photos, click Options, then select iCloud Photo Library. Your photos will now automatically begin uploading to the iCloud Photo Library. Depending on the size of your collection. This message constantly pops up whenever I try to access my iCloud Photo Library. I need that photo library to back up photos taken from my iPhone and I simply cannot access. I created a personal photo library (with my name on it) but it does not work with iCloud.
iCloud Photos
All your photos and videos.
Always available.
A lifetime of photos
on all your devices.
With iCloud Photos, you can browse, search, and share all the photos and videos from any of your devices, whether they were taken yesterday or years ago.
Take all the photos you want. Without worrying about space on your devices.
To save space on your devices, the original, full‑resolution photos you take are automatically uploaded to iCloud. You’ll still always have a lightweight version of every photo on your device, and you can download the originals whenever you need them.
All your files available from all your devices.
The files you keep safe in iCloud Drive are easy to get to, no matter which device you’re using. You can access all your files from the Files app on iOS and iPadOS, the Finder on your Mac, File Explorer for Windows PCs, or iCloud.com.
Organize files however you want. Get to them on any device you want.
iCloud Drive lets you organize your files with folders, rename them, and tag them with colors. And when you make a change, the update is made across all your devices. You can even have everything in your Mac Desktop and Documents folders automatically available in iCloud Drive.
Apps using iCloud
Your favorite apps are
even better with iCloud.
All your essentials.
Accessible from all your devices.
iCloud automatically keeps apps — including Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Reminders, Safari, and some of your favorite apps from the App Store — updated across all your devices. So when you add a new phone number, bookmark a website, or update a slide in a presentation, the change appears everywhere.
Collaborate with Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and Notes.
Work with others on documents, presentations, and spreadsheets and see edits as they’re made. With live updates on all your devices, your collaborators will always be on the same page.
Every message. Updated across all your devices.
iCloud automatically stores all of your messages. Search for an address, a funny exchange, or anything else. And you can pick up every conversation right where you left off. Even when you move to a new phone or computer.
iCloud Backup and Restore
All the things that matter.
Safe and secure.
Automatic backups give you peace of mind.
iCloud automatically backs up your iOS and iPadOS devices when they’re connected to power and Wi-Fi. So if you lose your device or get a new one, you’ll have all the things that matter without missing a beat.1
Move to a new device with everything you loved about your old one.
iCloud makes moving your settings, photos, apps, and documents to a new device seamless. Just sign in to iCloud when you set up your new device, and you’ll be ready to go in minutes.
Two‑factor authentication helps keep your data safe.
Two‑factor authentication is an extra layer of security designed to ensure that only you can access your account. That means your account can only be accessed on devices you trust, like your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
Find the storage plan that’s right for you.
The right amount of storage depends on how you and your family members want to use your devices. Everyone gets 5GB of free iCloud storage to get started and it’s easy to upgrade at any time. Your apps and any iTunes or Apple TV purchases don’t count toward your iCloud storage space, so you need it just for things like photos, videos, files, and device backups.
Family Sharing
Family Sharing makes it easy for you and up to five family members to share iTunes, Apple Books, and App Store purchases, an Apple Music family plan, an iCloud storage plan, and more.2
Designed with your
privacy in mind.
Apple takes the security of your data and the privacy of your personal information very seriously. Because of that, iCloud features are designed to keep your information safe, secure, and available only to you.
How it 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.
Your collection uploads to iCloud each time your device connects to Wi-Fi and your battery is charged. When you have iOS 11 or later, your library can update over cellular too. 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.
Before you begin
- Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to the latest iOS or iPadOS, your Mac to the latest macOS, and your Apple TV to the latest tvOS.
- Set up iCloud on all of your devices.
- Make sure that you’re signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID on all of your devices that you want to use with iCloud Photos.
- If you have a Windows PC, update to Windows 7 or later and download iCloud for Windows.
Turn on iCloud Photos
How To Access Icloud Photo Library On My Mac Computer
- On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos, then turn on iCloud Photos.
- On your Mac, go to System Preferences > 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 > iCloud. Then turn on iCloud Photos.
- On your Windows PC, follow these steps.
In earlier versions of iOS, macOS, tvOS, and iCloud for Windows, iCloud Photos was called iCloud Photo Library.
See your edits on all of your devices
When you make edits in the Photos app on your iOS or iPadOS device or on your Mac, the photo automatically updates across all your devices. 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.
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.
You can make edits on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac, and you’ll see them on your Apple TV automatically. Your entire collection is available on Apple TV, including your Memories and shared albums.
File types that you can use with iCloud Photos
Your photos and videos are stored in iCloud exactly as you took them. All of your images are held in their original formats at full resolution — HEIF, JPEG, RAW, PNG, GIF, TIFF, HEVC, and MP4 — as well as special formats you capture with your iPhone, like slo-mo, time-lapse, 4K videos, and Live Photos.
Back up 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. You can download your photos and videos from iCloud.com to your computer and store them as a separate library, transfer them to another computer with Image Capture or Photos, or store them on a separate drive.
If you're on a device with iOS 11 or later or macOS High Sierra or later, the photos and videos you take are in HEIF and HEVC format. These formats use less storage, with the same quality.
Download your photos and videos
You can download a copy of your original photos or videos on iCloud.com, iOS, iPadOS, or Mac.
- On iCloud.com, click Photos, then 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.
- On iOS and iPadOS, you can use AirDrop: in the Photos app, select some photos or videos. Tap the share button , then select the device that you want to share with. Learn more about using AirDrop.
- On Mac, select one or more photos. Drag the content to your desktop, or right-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.
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.
How To Access Icloud Photo Library On Mac
Learn more about plans and prices in your region.
Save space on your device
iCloud Photos keeps all your photos and videos in their original, high-resolution version. You can save space on your device when you turn on Optimize Storage.
Access Hidden Library Menu Option On Mac. Left-click your mouse anywhere on the screen of your Mac. This will reveal the Go Option in the top menu bar of your Mac. Next, click on the Go option in the top menu-bar of your Mac. While you are still on the Go option, press and hold the Option. Sometimes, in the troubleshooting process, you will need to access files and folders in the hidden User Library. Some troubleshooting procedures require you to navigate to and view a hidden folder on Mac. You can access the Library folder with the Go To Folder command or from the Terminal app. Access the Library folder in Finder: In Finder. Where is the user library folder on mac. Jan 12, 2020 Apple hides the Library folder by setting a file system flag associated with the folder. Any folder on your Mac can have its visibility flag turned on or off; Apple just chose to set the Library folder's visibility flag to the off state.
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.
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. You can use Optimize Storage on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac.
If you turn on Download Originals, iCloud Photos keeps your original, full-resolution photos and videos in iCloud and on your device.
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, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos. You can also open the Photos app, go to the Photos tab, and scroll to the bottom of your screen.
- On your Mac, open the Photos app. Select Photos 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.
- Find your missing photos or delete the ones that you don't want anymore.