How to upload photos to iCloud quickly and easily
Photos of iPhone cameras are amazing and record precious moments of our lives. To properly save these photos, iCloud provides convenient storage and cross-device synchronization to avoid the concerns of missing photos. Of course, if you prefer manual operations, you can also choose to upload manually or use other tools to manage your photo library.
This guide will cover a variety of ways to upload photos to iCloud, including from iPhone, iPad, and Mac. In addition, we will recommend some practical applications that improve storage efficiency and simplify the upload process. Let's get started!
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How to upload directly to iCloud
Apple users initially get 5GB of free iCloud storage. If you need more space, you can pay to upgrade to 50GB, 200GB or even 2TB. If you want to upload photos manually, just log in to iCloud.com, which is very simple.
Steps to upload photos to iCloud:
- Visit iCloud.com in your web browser.
- Sign in with your Apple account.
- Click Photos on the main panel.
- Click the Upload button at the top of the screen (with the up arrow cloud icon).
- Select the Mac photo you want to upload, or drag and drop the photo directly into the iCloud Photos window.
This method is suitable for occasionally uploading small photos, but may be less efficient for large numbers of photos.
Personal advice: Due to limited storage space for iCloud, uploading unoptimized photos will quickly take up unnecessary space. When iCloud is out of space, you will have to buy more space. To avoid this, it is best to compress the photos. Squash is an excellent compression tool that reduces file size without losing quality, keeping the image perfect. The app is great for preparing images before uploading them to iCloud.
How to upload all photos to iCloud on iPhone
Uploading photos manually can be cumbersome. If you want all images to sync automatically, iCloud photos are the best solution. When enabled, it ensures that every photo taken on your iPhone or iPad is backed up immediately.
How to upload all photos to iCloud on iPhone:
- Go to Settings on your iPhone.
- Click "Apple ID" > "iCloud".
- Click "Photo" > enable "Sync this iPhone".
- Select one of the following two options:
- Optimize iPhone storage: This option saves device space by saving full resolution photos in iCloud, only the lightweight version on your iPhone.
- Download and keep the original image: This option retains full resolution photos in both iPhone and iCloud.
How to upload all photos to iCloud on Mac
If you are using a Mac, follow these steps:
- Click on the Apple menu > System Settings.
- Click "Apple ID" > "iCloud".
- Click "Photo" > enable "Sync this Mac".
Tip: CloudMounter is a great tool if you want to manage all your cloud storage in one place. It allows you to connect directly to services like Dropbox and Google Drive through Finder, so you can transfer files as easily as you move folders on your Mac.
Please read also:
- Transfer photos from Android to Mac
- Sync contacts from iPhone to Mac
- Shared albums in photos
- Download from Google Drive
Additional tip: Delete unnecessary photos before uploading to iCloud
Before uploading photos to iCloud, it is best to delete any duplicate or similar photos to avoid taking up cloud storage space. Gemini can help you do this by scanning your photo library for exact matches and nearly identical images. Gemini's AI-powered recommendations quickly and accurately identify which images to keep, rather than manually filtering thousands of photos.
How to use Gemini:
- Install and open the Gemini app on your Mac.
- Drag and drop the file into the application window.
- Click "Scan Duplicates".
- After the scan is complete, click "View Results" or "Smart Cleanup".
How to upload photos from iPhone to iCloud storage
If iCloud photos are not enabled, you can still upload photos manually. Some people prefer to only back up selected images rather than synchronize the entire photo library. Fortunately, iCloud Drive makes this process simple and gives you complete control over what you want to upload.
How to upload photos from iPhone manually:
- Open the Photos app > select the photo you want to upload.
- Click the "Share" button.
- Select Save to file from the options.
- Select iCloud Drive as the destination location.
- Select or create a folder to store the image.
- Click "Save" to upload.
Also check out how to access iCloud photos (whether using a Mac or not).
Why can't photos on iPhone be uploaded to iCloud?
Even with iCloud photos enabled, images are not always synchronized as expected. We know this is very frustrating, especially if you rely on iCloud to save memories. If your iPhone photos cannot be uploaded to iCloud, there may be several reasons:
- Insufficient storage: You may not have enough iCloud storage space.
- iCloud is off: iCloud photo switch on your Mac or iPhone may not be on.
- No internet connection: iCloud needs to be connected to the internet to sync.
- Log out: Check if you are logged into iCloud on your iPhone or Mac.
How to manage multiple iCloud accounts
If you have multiple iCloud accounts or are processing backups, AnyTrans for iOS can help. It allows you to easily sync all your iCloud accounts, transfer data between them, and even easily access backups. You can batch save files to iCloud, save them directly to your Mac or move content from your library to your Mac or iPhone.
How to manage multiple accounts:
- Install and open AnyTrans for iOS.
- Go to the iCloud tab > Sign in to your account.
- After logging in, you can manage your storage space by transferring files between two iCloud accounts, starting iCloud synchronization, and more.
Easily upload photos to iCloud: Solved
iCloud is good at syncing photos, but you don't have to rely solely on automatic uploads. iCloud Photos handle full library backups, while iCloud Drive lets you control individual files.
If you want everything to be centralized in one place, CloudMounter allows you to connect your drive to Finder, which simplifies photo transfer. AnyTrans for iOS is a great tool for managing multiple iCloud accounts.
Remember that duplicate photos or uncompressed images fill up storage space quickly. Tools like Squash help reduce file size without losing quality, enabling faster synchronization and more space. Gemini is my preferred tool for finding and deleting duplicates. These applications are available through Setapp.
Setapp gives you access to over 250 Mac and iOS apps with just one subscription. You can try it for a free week and check out a number of tools to get your job done, get creative, and more.
The above is the detailed content of How to upload photos to iCloud quickly and easily. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

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