Export photos and download videos via the iCloud website

Manually download the highest resolution or unaltered original photos

Those who use iCloud Photos automatically upload all photos and videos to iCloud. These are stored online and possibly synchronized with all other linked devices.

If you no longer have access to these devices, it is good to know that you can download the photos and videos from the iCloud website. Anyone who has a Mac with the Photos application will not easily use this form of export. But iPhone and iPad users benefit from this, because it is more difficult to export media directly via an iPhone or iPad.

Export photos and videos via iCloud.com

  • Log in with you Apple Account on iCloud.com
  • Click on ‘Photos’
  • Select all photos (command⌘ + A or control^ + A)
  • Secondary click (right mouse button) on the selected photos
  • Choose ‘Download’ or ‘more download options’
  • Make a choice
Export photos and download videos via the iCloud website

More download options: original files

In addition to ‘Download’ you can also choose ‘More download options’, which is very interesting if you want to permanently download photos and videos and store them elsewhere. So you can choose to ‘Unaltered originals‘ files to export. These are the photos and videos as captured or imported.

This means that edits and adjustments such as cropping are not exported. Do you want this? Then you can choose ‘Highest resolution‘ this usually contains HEIC or H.265 files including edits.

Most compatible will also export the edited photos and videos in JPG or MP4/H.264 if possible, but in a ‘lower’ resolution.

Click on the download cloud with arrow to download the selected components to your computer. You can then disable iCloud photos on your iPhone, iPad or Mac using the step-by-step plan in the featured article below.

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