iCloud for Windows Users Complain of Corrupted Videos, Photos From Strangers

Apple's iCloud for Windows software appears to experiencing serious issues for some users, with complaints on the MacRumors forums about corrupted videos and images from strangers appearing in Photo Libraries.

iCloud General Feature
There are a handful of complaints from customers who are running into complications with iPhone 13 Pro and ‌iPhone‌ 14 Pro models. Videos recorded on an ‌iPhone‌ and then synced with ‌iCloud‌ for Windows are turning black with scan lines, rendering the videos unwatchable.

More worryingly, some users are seeing strange photos and videos that do not belong to them appearing in their libraries when they attempt to watch these corrupted videos. MacRumors reader sleeping_ghost explains:

iCloud for Windows is corrupting videos recorded from an iPhone 14 pro max resulting in black videos with scan lines. On rare occasions, it is inserting stills into videos from unknown sources, possibly other's iCloud accounts. I've been shown photos of other people's families I've never seen in my life, soccer games, and other random photos. Obviously, this is extremely concerning and does not exactly make me feel safe using iCloud.

It is not clear if the photos are images from other ‌iCloud‌ users, but it appears possible. From the thread, users have seen random families, children, soccer games, and other similar photo content.

Deleting the ‌iCloud‌ for Windows app does not appear to fix the issue, as it may be server side, and several people have reported it to Apple, so the company may be aware. Windows 11 and Windows 10 both appear to be impacted, and it may only be affecting devices with certain settings like HDR and HEVC enabled.

Popular Stories

iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Thursday January 15, 2026 10:56 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another eight months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models, as of January 2026: The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

These 5 Apple Products Will Reportedly Be Upgraded With OLED Displays

Friday January 16, 2026 7:07 pm PST by
Apple plans to upgrade the iPad mini, MacBook Pro, iPad Air, iMac, and MacBook Air with OLED displays between 2026 and 2028, according to DigiTimes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that the iPad mini and MacBook Pro will receive an OLED display as early as this year, but he does not expect the MacBook Air to adopt the technology until 2028 at the earliest. A new iPad Air is...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, Macs, and More

Thursday January 15, 2026 11:19 am PST by
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the United States, according to the company's website. Most of the values declined slightly, but some of the Mac values increased. iPhone ...
Apple Wallet ID Illinois

Apple Plans to Expand iPhone Driver's Licenses to These 7 U.S. States

Friday January 16, 2026 12:12 pm PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

New Leak Reveals iPhone 18 Pro Display Sizes, Under-Screen Face ID, and More

Wednesday January 14, 2026 7:09 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro models are still around eight months away, a leaker has shared some alleged details about the devices. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo this week, the account Digital Chat Station said the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will have the same 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes as the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Consistent with previous...

Top Rated Comments

idktbh Avatar
41 months ago
Images from strangers appearing in Photo Libraries? are you ****ing kidding me?
Score: 84 Votes (Like | Disagree)
antiprotest Avatar
41 months ago
Apple has done it again. The is alarming and law-suit worthy. But I have come to expect such things from Apple.

By the way, Apple is the one lecturing us about child safety and CSAM? And other users are all like "What do you have to hide"? It's just that some of us know better than to trust Apple.

Edit: Oh, come on, man: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/icloud-for-windows-corrupting-videos-downloading-other-peoples-photos.2370666/?post=31743286#post-31743286
Score: 58 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sirozha Avatar
41 months ago
I love the feature of images from strangers. How do I subscribe to it?
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
0112862 Avatar
41 months ago

I’m going to blame Microsoft Windows for that. Reminds me of Microsoft Vista.
Are you for real!?! This is 100% Apple fault. Apple is backend and Microsoft frontend in this story. On top of this, Apple 1st party and Microsoft 3rd. A third-party frontend accessing unauthorized content from a firstparty backend is a big effing deal. It prove one thing, their architecture is garbage. This should be prevented by design so random bug doesn't trigger this. My feeling, they have a backdoor into iCloud and this bug exploit something around the backdoor.
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wallaby Avatar
41 months ago
They must be trying out the Pied Piper algorithm.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
icanhazmac Avatar
41 months ago
New Apple service? iFap? OnlyAppleFans? New images daily!
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)