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How to Take Photos Off iCloud: A Comprehensive Guide

Want to liberate your precious memories from the digital clutches of iCloud? It’s a common desire, driven by concerns about storage costs, privacy, or simply wanting more control over your data. Fear not, retrieving your photos from Apple’s cloud storage is entirely achievable and we’re here to guide you through it. In essence, you take photos off iCloud by downloading them to your device (iPhone, iPad, Mac, or PC) and then disabling iCloud Photos. This prevents future syncing, effectively creating a local copy while leaving the cloud version untouched, unless you specifically delete it.

Understanding iCloud Photos and Your Options

Before diving into the ‘how,’ let’s clarify what iCloud Photos is. It’s Apple’s cloud-based photo synchronization service. It automatically uploads your photos and videos to iCloud, making them accessible across all your Apple devices signed in with the same Apple ID. This is incredibly convenient, but as your photo library grows, it can become a storage burden.

You have a few options when removing photos from iCloud:

Download and Disable: Download all your photos to your device, then turn off iCloud Photos. This keeps a local copy while stopping future syncing.
Selective Download: Download specific photos or albums. Useful if you only need a subset of your library.
Download to Computer: Download your entire library to a Mac or PC for backup and future access.
Use iCloud.com: Access and download photos directly from the iCloud website.

Step-by-Step Guide to Downloading Photos and Disabling iCloud Photos

Downloading to Your iPhone or iPad

Ensure Sufficient Storage: Check your device’s available storage in Settings > General > iPhone/iPad Storage. Make sure you have enough space to accommodate your photo library. If not, consider deleting unnecessary apps or files.
Open the Photos App: Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
Enable “Download and Keep Originals”: Go to Settings > Photos and select “Download and Keep Originals.” This ensures you’re downloading the full-resolution versions of your photos, not just optimized thumbnails.
Wait for Download: The photos will now download from iCloud to your device. This process can take considerable time, depending on the size of your library and your internet connection. Leave your device plugged in and connected to Wi-Fi.
Disable iCloud Photos: Once the download is complete (or for individual photos/albums, after they’ve downloaded), go to Settings > Photos and toggle iCloud Photos to the Off position.
Choose “Remove from iPhone/iPad” or “Download Photos & Videos”: A pop-up will appear asking if you want to “Remove from iPhone/iPad” (keeping the photos in iCloud) or “Download Photos & Videos“. Choose the option to download.
Confirm Your Decision: You’ll be prompted to confirm your choice. Be absolutely sure you have a local backup before proceeding.

Downloading to Your Mac

Open the Photos App: Launch the Photos app on your Mac.
Enable “Download Originals to This Mac”: Go to Photos > Preferences > iCloud and select “Download Originals to This Mac.”
Wait for Download: As with iPhones and iPads, this process can be lengthy. Ensure your Mac is plugged in and connected to a stable internet connection.
Disable iCloud Photos: Once the download is complete, deselect the “iCloud Photos” checkbox in Photos > Preferences > iCloud.
Confirm Deletion (Optional): A prompt might appear asking if you want to delete photos from your Mac that are only stored in iCloud. If you’ve downloaded all originals, you can safely confirm deletion to free up space. Be cautious with this step!

Downloading to Your PC

Since the Photos app on Windows doesn’t directly integrate with iCloud Photos, you’ll need to use iCloud for Windows:

Download and Install iCloud for Windows: Download iCloud for Windows from the Microsoft Store or Apple’s website (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204283).
Sign In: Sign in with your Apple ID.
Select Photos: In the iCloud for Windows control panel, check the box next to “Photos.”
Change Download Location (Optional): Click the “Options…” button next to Photos to change the default download location.
Apply and Wait: Click “Apply.” Your photos will begin downloading to your PC. The default location is usually Pictures > iCloud Photos > Downloads.
Disable iCloud Photos: To stop future syncing, uncheck the “Photos” box in the iCloud for Windows control panel and click “Apply.”

Downloading from iCloud.com

This method is useful for downloading a few photos or albums:

Go to iCloud.com: Open a web browser and go to iCloud.com.
Sign In: Sign in with your Apple ID.
Open Photos: Click the “Photos” icon.
Select Photos: Select the photos you want to download. You can select multiple photos by holding down the Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) key while clicking.
Download: Click the “Download” icon (a cloud with a downward-pointing arrow). The photos will be downloaded as a zip file.

Important Considerations

Backup: Before making any changes to your iCloud Photos settings, ensure you have a complete backup of your photos. This could be on an external hard drive, another cloud service, or both.
Storage Management: After downloading and disabling iCloud Photos, you might want to delete photos from iCloud to free up storage. Exercise extreme caution! Deleting photos from iCloud permanently removes them from all devices synced with iCloud Photos unless you have local backups.
Wi-Fi: Downloading large photo libraries consumes significant data. Use a Wi-Fi connection to avoid exceeding your cellular data plan.
Time: The download process can take hours or even days, depending on your library size and internet speed. Be patient and allow the process to complete.
Live Photos: When downloading Live Photos, ensure the download includes both the still image and the video component. Sometimes they download separately.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What happens to my photos if I just turn off iCloud Photos without downloading them?

Turning off iCloud Photos without downloading means your photos will no longer be synced with iCloud. They will remain in iCloud, accessible on other devices signed in with the same Apple ID. However, they will be removed from the device where you disabled iCloud Photos, potentially freeing up storage space. This is why downloading before disabling is crucial.

2. Can I download photos from iCloud without using iCloud for Windows on my PC?

While iCloud for Windows is the recommended method for PCs, you can also download photos from iCloud.com through a web browser. This is suitable for downloading smaller batches of photos. You can also explore third-party software that claims to download photos from iCloud, but exercise caution and research these options thoroughly before trusting them with your Apple ID and data.

3. How do I check the progress of the iCloud Photos download?

There isn’t a dedicated progress bar for the entire iCloud Photos download. However, you can observe changes in your device’s available storage space as photos are downloaded. On a Mac, you can monitor the progress in the Photos app; it will typically show a message indicating that it’s downloading originals.

4. Will downloading photos from iCloud affect the quality of the images?

If you choose “Download and Keep Originals” in the Photos settings, the downloaded photos will be the full-resolution versions. However, if you previously had “Optimize iPhone Storage” enabled, some photos on your device might be lower-resolution versions until the original versions are downloaded.

5. How much iCloud storage do I need if I want to keep using iCloud for other things but not photos?

You’ll need enough iCloud storage for your other data (documents, contacts, notes, etc.). Apple offers free 5GB of storage but this is usually not enough. You can calculate your needs by checking the storage usage in Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Storage. Purchase additional storage as needed; otherwise you can use a free cloud storage service like Google Drive, which offers 15 GB of free storage.

6. What’s the difference between “Optimize iPhone Storage” and “Download and Keep Originals”?

“Optimize iPhone Storage” stores smaller, optimized versions of your photos on your device to save space. The full-resolution originals are stored in iCloud. “Download and Keep Originals” stores the full-resolution versions on your device, providing the best image quality but consuming more storage.

7. Can I download only specific albums from iCloud?

Yes, you can selectively download albums. On your iPhone or iPad, open the Photos app, navigate to the album you want to download, and individually open each photo in the album. Ensure “Download and Keep Originals” is enabled, which will download the photos as you open them. This is not the most efficient option for large albums. On iCloud.com you can download entire albums.

8. How do I delete photos from iCloud after downloading them to my computer?

After confirming that you have a backup of your photos on your computer, you can delete them from iCloud. Go to iCloud.com, open Photos, select the photos you want to delete, and click the trash can icon. Empty the “Recently Deleted” album to permanently remove them from iCloud. Again, be absolutely certain you have a backup before deleting!

9. I’m getting an error message when trying to download photos from iCloud. What should I do?

Common causes include insufficient storage, a poor internet connection, or software glitches. Check your storage, ensure a stable Wi-Fi connection, and try restarting your device. If the problem persists, try signing out of your Apple ID and signing back in. As a last resort, contact Apple Support for assistance.

10. Will deleting a photo from my iPhone also delete it from iCloud if iCloud Photos is enabled?

Yes, if iCloud Photos is enabled and syncing, deleting a photo from your iPhone will also delete it from iCloud and all other devices synced with the same Apple ID. This is why disabling iCloud Photos before deleting is so important if you want to preserve your images on one device while removing them from others or iCloud.

11. Is it possible to transfer my iCloud photos to another cloud storage service like Google Photos?

Yes, but it’s not a direct transfer. You’ll first need to download your photos from iCloud to your device or computer. Then, you can upload them to Google Photos or another cloud service.

12. What happens to my shared albums if I disable iCloud Photos?

If you disable iCloud Photos, your shared albums will still exist in iCloud, and others who have access to those albums will still be able to see them and add photos. However, any new photos you take on your device after disabling iCloud Photos won’t be automatically added to those shared albums.