Apple has released iCloud for Windows 5 with support for iCloud Photo Library and two-factor authentication for Apple ID accounts. Windows users were previously limited to accessing iCloud Photo Library through the web interface.

windows-icloud-hero-pc-iphone
Apple recommends that iCloud for Windows users have Windows 7, 8 or 10 installed. For email, the software currently supports Outlook 2007 through Outlook 2013, while Outlook 2016 users can access iCloud Mail, Contacts, and Calendars on iCloud.com.

Use iCloud Photo Library on your Windows PC to download all of the photos and videos from your Apple devices to your computer, or upload your Windows Pictures library to iCloud. And when you turn on iCloud Photo Sharing, you can share your captured memories with just the people you choose.

Apple has published a support document for setting up and using iCloud Photo Library on Windows.

Top Rated Comments

Klae17 Avatar
124 months ago
What the hell is Windows 5? .... Is what I thought right away.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Tucom Avatar
124 months ago
At fist read it as iCloud, for Windows 5.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aloshka Avatar
124 months ago
This is stupid. The photo sync is not automatic. You have to click download in icloud app or in explorer which will download to a downloads folder. Changes here are not reflected on icloud. So if you need to delete a photo you have to go to icloud.com and delete it there. Then delete from your downloads folder too. To upload you have to copy and image to upload folder and click upload.

Very smooth . When downloading there is no progress bar and there are delays. So if it stops downloading that doesn't necessarily mean it's done. It could start up later again and download now photos
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ignatius345 Avatar
124 months ago
What the hell is Windows 5? .... Is what I thought right away.
Whoever wrote the headline wasn't thinking -- "iCloud 5 for Windows" makes much more sense
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Crosscreek Avatar
124 months ago
The case is getting stronger for a Windows desktop that fills in the gaps of a headless Mac between the underpowered Mac Mini and the over priced Mac Pro. I can now access all my iCloud files and photos in my Windows 10 Bootcamp and do everything I used my Mac Mini for. My calendars, e-mail and contacts sync with my iPhone and iPad.

Apple better get their desktop act together beside those AIO iMacs or I'll be headed to a Windows machine for my next desktop.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thekeyring Avatar
124 months ago
This is stupid. The photo sync is not automatic. You have to click download in icloud app or in explorer which will download to a downloads folder. Changes here are not reflected on icloud. So if you need to delete a photo you have to go to icloud.com and delete it there. Then delete from your downloads folder too. To upload you have to copy and image to upload folder and click upload.

Very smooth . When downloading there is no progress bar and there are delays. So if it stops downloading that doesn't necessarily mean it's done. It could start up later again and download now photos
Sounds like Apple should just do a Photos app for Windows. Or encourage Windows users to use the web app.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...