iCloud Photos Not Syncing on Windows 10 [Quick Fixes]

Myra updated on Aug 18, 2023 to iOS & Mac Topics

This blog post introduces the solutions to the iCloud photos not syncing on Windows 10 issue. If you are troubled by this problem now, don’t bother reading this article to get the practical solutions.

By turning on iCloud Photo Library on your Windows 10 PC, you can not only upload photos to iCloud from your PC but also download photos to your PC from iCloud. But it’s not without any problems when using this feature to sync photos across your devices. Many users have reported that iCloud photos not syncing on Windows 10 issue. If you are reading this article now, you are probably one of them. If that’s the case, don’t worry, you will get the problem solved after reading this article. Read on to get the details.

Fixes to iCloud photos not syncing on Windows 10

Solution Description
Check iCloud settings Ensure you have enabled iCloud Photos on your Windows 10 computer.
Download iCloud via iCloud.com Manually download iCloud photos to your Windows 10 PC from iCloud.com.
Transfer Photos without iCloud MobiMover supports data transfer between iOS devices (including photos, movies, contacts, messages, etc.)

Solution 1. Check iCloud settings on your Windows 10 PC

To sync photos from iCloud to your PC, you need to make sure you have enabled iCloud Photos on your Windows 10 computer. Here is the way to check it.

Step 1: Open iCloud for Windows on your PC.

Step 2: Click Options next to Photos.

Step 3: Make sure the iCloud Photo Library and Download new photos and videos to my PC are selected. Also, enable My Photo Stream in Photos Options.

Other than checking iCloud settings, you should also try the tips below when iCloud photos are not syncing on Windows 10.

  • Check your Apple ID on Windows 10. To sync iCloud photos to your Windows PC, you have to sign in to iCloud with the same Apple ID on all your iCloud devices.
  • Check your network connection. A network connection is required to sync iCloud photos to Windows 10 PC or other devices.

Solution 2. Download iCloud photos to your PC via iCloud.com

In addition to using the software, iCloud, to sync photos from iCloud to your PC, you can also manually download iCloud photos to your Windows 10 PC from iCloud.com. When iCloud photos are not syncing on Windows 10 automatically, you can choose to get the photos from iCloud to your PC with this method.

Step 1: Open a browser and visit iCloud.com on Windows 10 PC.

Step 2: Sign in to iCloud with your Apple ID.

Step 3: Choose Photos in the options.

Step 4: Select photos you want to download from iCloud to your PC. (For multiple selections, hold down both Ctrl and Alt keys while clicking photos with your mouse.)

Step 5: Click Download selected items > Download in the top-right corner of the screen to start downloading photos from iCloud to your PC running Windows 10.

Solution 3. Transfer Photos from iPhone/iPad to Windows 10 without iCloud

When facing the iCloud photos not syncing on Windows 10 issue, there is an alternative way to reach your goal instead of solving the problem directly. If your main purpose for using iCloud is to sync photos from your iPhone or iPad to your PC, you can get your needs met without using iCloud.

No matter you want to sync photos from iPhone/iPad to Windows 10 or copy photos from Windows 10 to iPhone/iPad, you can use EaseUS MobiMover Free, the FREEWARE for iOS data transfer, to help you with it. MobiMover supports data transfer between an iOS device (iPhone/iPad in iOS 8 or later) and a computer (Mac or PC) or between two iOS devices. In a word, MobiMover is a good iTunes/iCloud alternative for both Windows PC and Mac.

As you can see from the list above, MobiMover can also transfer other file types except for photos. For example, you can put music to your iPhone, save iPhone text messages to a computer, or sync contacts from iPhone to iPhone using MobiMover.

Now, click the button below to safely download and install EaseUS MobiMover Free on your Windows 10 PC, then follow the steps to directly transfer photos from iPhone/iPad to Windows 10 without using iCloud.

Step 1. Connect your iOS device to your computer with a USB cable. Launch EaseUS MobiMover, then choose "Phone to PC" on the left side panel and click the "Next" button to continue.

Step 2. Select the files you'd like to transfer from your iPhone/iPad to computer. In addition to photos, you can also copy videos, audio, contacts, messages, and more from your iOS device. And, you are free to transfer files from your iDevice to the computer or any external hard drive. 

Step 3. Then click the "Transfer" button to start transferring photos from iPhone to computer quickly. When it has completed, go to check the newly imported items.

Conclusion

This article has provided three optional fixes: the first solution is to check whether you have enabled iCloud Photos on your computer; the second is to download the desired pictures to your computer manually; and the third offers an alternative way to transfer your iPhone data to Windows without iCloud. EaseUS MobiMover is such a powerful tool that allows you to share multiple files between iDevices. Also, it also supports cross-platform data transfer, such as iPhone to Android or Windows.

iCloud Photos Not Syncing on Windows 10 FAQs

The questions listed below are some frequently asked questions related to the topic "iCloud Photos are not syncing on Windows." You can read the questions and answers to learn more knowledge.

1. Why is my iCloud Photos not syncing with Windows?

There are many reasons that can cause iCloud Photos not to sync with Windows, such as:

  • iCloud is running out of storage.
  • You didn't upload the pictures and videos to your cloud at all.
  • You mistakenly delete all pictures from iCloud, so there is nothing you can sync with your Windows computer.

2. How do I sync my photos from iCloud to Windows 10?

If you want to view the photos stored in iCloud on your computer, you need to set up and turn on iCloud Photos on your computer:

  • Download iCloud for Windows, and open it on your computer.
  • Sign into the same Apple ID you use on your other Apple devices.
  • Click Options next to Photos and choose iCloud Photos and Shared Albums.
  • When these are ready, click Done and Apply.