The iCloud Photo Library is a valuable feature for iOS users - a service that safely stores every video or photo you take into iCloud. However, some iOS users today have experienced iCloud Photo Library stuck in uploading photos.

Jan 23, 2019  Name the Smart Album 'Unable to Upload' and set the three pop-up menus to Photo - is - unable to upload to iCloud Photos. Select 'Unable to Upload' in the left sidebar. Press Command-A to select all the photos in the Smart Album, and then choose File Export Export Unmodified Original For (#) Photos. Dec 30, 2019  Go to Settings iCloud Photos, then switch the button next to iCloud Photo Library to your left to disable iCloud Photo Library. Reboot your iDevice, then enable iCloud Photo Library again. Check if iCloud is uploading your photos. Oct 18, 2019  Learn how to use iCloud Photos or My Photo Stream with your Windows PC, upload and download your photos and videos so you can view them on your Apple devices, and delete the ones you don’t want anymore. Apr 08, 2015 Hi all I have just installed the new photos app, imported my 50GB iPhoto library and enabled iCloud Photo Library. The app downloaded just over 100 photos then got around to uploading 12,556 photos, it has not uploaded one yet. It's been 2 hours Has anyone else got a stuck/slow upload. Nov 26, 2018  iCloud Photos uploads new photos and videos from your Windows PC so you can view them in the Photos app on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac, and on iCloud.com.New photos that you take automatically download from iCloud Photos and you can choose to download your entire collection by year. Fix 4: Enable iCloud Photo Library Again. Toggling iCloud Photo Library on/off is another great solution for fixing iPhone photos not uploading to iCloud problem. Follow these simple steps to do it: Step 1: Open the Settings app on your iOS device and then tap on Your Name iCloud Photos or “iCloud Photos” for iOS 10.2 and earlier. Apr 09, 2020  Icloud storage e from an ios device how to pause icloud photo library updates upload photos to icloud on iphone iphone photos not uploading to icloud how to upload photos into icloudHow To Upload Your Photos Into Icloud Photo Library From IosHow To Upload Photos Into Icloud Photo Library From Iphone IpadHow To Use Icloud.

This is not an happy experience and a lot of factors that could cause this problem. Two of these factors include iCloud authentication and bad placeholder allocation in the app and phone. The “preparing your library” message is an indicator that this annoying problem has paid you a visit. How do you fix the problem of iCloud photo library stuck in uploading photos? Here are the solutions.

PhotosIcloud is not uploading photos

Solution 1: Sign out iCloud Account from All Devices

Apple recommends that you sign out of your iCloud account from all your devices before signing in again. This has been proven to be helpful for many users experiencing iCloud uploading stuck problem. Although it might not permanently fix the problem, giving it a try would be ideal. For example, if you want to sign out your iCloud account on Mac, you can go to Apple menu > System Preferences > iCloud and then sign out.

Solution 2: Reconnect The Wi-Fi Network

Since the “sign out and sign in” solution is not a permanent fix, you can try reconnecting your Wi-Fi network. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi > Choose your current Wi-Fi. Next, tap “Forget this Network”, then turn the Wi-Fi off and allow it for a few minutes before you turn it on and reconnect the Wi-Fi network.

  1. Open the “Settings” app and tap on “Wi-Fi”. Locate the network you are connected to and click on the “i” next to it.
  2. At the top of this menu, choose “Forget This Network > Forget”. Tap on the “Wi-Fi” slider to disable all Wi-Fi connections.
  3. After a few minutes, enable Wi-Fi and reconnect to the Wi-Fi network.

Solution 3: Switch Your iCloud Photo Library Option on/off

If your iCloud Photo Library sync is turned on, please switch it off, wait for a few minutes, and then turn it on again. This should solve the uploading stuck photo problem in the photo library of your iPhone.

  1. Go to “Settings > Photos”.
  2. Disable the “iCloud Photo Library” slider.
  3. Wait a few minutes and reenable the slider.

Solution 4: Clean Library after Checking Your iCloud Storage

Disable your iPhone iCloud Photo Library, and then use image capture to delete the remaining photos from your iOS device. This solution cannot delete albums; hence, you can leave them on your phone. When the iCloud Photo Library is disabled, you would see a warning indicator. Click on “Remove from iPhone” since the aim here is to clean the photo library so you can start everything afresh.

  1. Open “Settings > Photos”.
  2. Tap on “Optimize iPhone Storage” and then “Remove from iPhone”.
  3. The majority of your photos will be uploaded to iCloud storage.

Tip: Fix iCloud Photo Library Cannot Download Photos via 3rd Party Tool

Interestingly, iMyFone provides a tool - iMyFone iTransor (its original name is iMyFone D-Port Pro) which is designed to help iOS users. It is a tool that is fully compatible with iOS 12/11 version, iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 plus. Features of iTransor include:

  • It restores iCloud, iTunes, or backup files selectively.
  • WeChat, Whatsapp, Contacts and messages in general are separately backed up.
  • Backs up iPhone without overwriting or duplicating data.
  • Extracts over 18 data types from backup files or iOS device.

In order to download and restore iCloud backup, click “Restore Backup to Device” and select the iCloud backup from the backup list. If you do not find the iCloud backup in the list, you can still download it from your iCloud account. Click the hyperlink “Log in” which is located below the backup list, then follow the instructions you find so you can restore the files. The steps include:

  1. Now there will be two options for you - Restore Full Backup and Restore Partial Backup. Choose 'Restore Full Backup'.
  2. Read the notes on screen and connect your device to computer. Now you can choose to restore directly or restore with previewing.
  3. Once you have downloaded and scanned the backup, the data will be displayed if you choose to preview first.
  4. After previewing the data, click “Restore”. The program will now restore the data of your choice. After some time, you would be able to view and make use of the data on your iOS device.

The above solutions are invaluable in ensuring you do not see any indicators such as “preparing your library”, “Updating Photos” or “Uploading Photos” anytime soon. Have you tried any of these solutions? Have they worked for you? Feel free to let us know in the comment section and we would love to help where possible.

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How it works

iCloud Photos automatically keeps every photo and video you take in iCloud, so you can access your library from any device, anytime you want. Any changes you make to your collection on one device change on your other devices too. Your photos and videos are organized into Years, Months, Days, and All Photos.And all of your Memories and People are updated everywhere. That way you can quickly find the moment, family member, or friend you're looking for.

Your collection uploads to iCloud each time your device connects to Wi-Fi and your battery is charged. When you have iOS 11 or later, your library can update over cellular too. Depending on your Internet speed, the time it takes for you to see your photos and videos on all of your devices and iCloud.com might vary.

Before you begin

  1. Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to the latest iOS or iPadOS, your Mac to the latest macOS, and your Apple TV to the latest tvOS.
  2. Set up iCloud on all of your devices.
  3. Make sure that you’re signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID on all of your devices that you want to use with iCloud Photos.
  4. If you have a Windows PC, update to Windows 7 or later and download iCloud for Windows.

Turn on iCloud Photos

  • On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos, then turn on iCloud Photos.
  • On your Mac, go to System Preferences > Apple ID. Click iCloud in the sidebar, then select Photos. If you have an earlier version of macOS, go to System Preferences > iCloud. Click Options next to Photos, then select iCloud Photos.
  • On Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD, go to Settings > Users and Accounts > iCloud. Then turn on iCloud Photos.
  • On your Windows PC, follow these steps.

In earlier versions of iOS, macOS, tvOS, and iCloud for Windows, iCloud Photos was called iCloud Photo Library.

See your edits on all of your devices

When you make edits in the Photos app on your iOS or iPadOS device or on your Mac, the photo automatically updates across all your devices. So when you crop or enhance a photo from your iPhone, you see the changes when you access your library from your Mac. Your original photos and videos are stored in iCloud and you can go back to them at any time, and revert any changes you made.

The photos and videos that you delete on one device are deleted everywhere that you use iCloud Photos. Photos and videos stay in the Recently Deleted folder for 30 days before they're deleted permanently.

You can make edits on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac, and you’ll see them on your Apple TV automatically. Your entire collection is available on Apple TV, including your Memories and shared albums.

File types that you can use with iCloud Photos

Photos not uploading to icloud photo library from mac to pc

Your photos and videos are stored in iCloud exactly as you took them. All of your images are held in their original formats at full resolution — HEIF, JPEG, RAW, PNG, GIF, TIFF, HEVC, and MP4 — as well as special formats you capture with your iPhone, like slo-mo, time-lapse, 4K videos, and Live Photos.

Back up your photos and videos

When you turn on iCloud Photos, your photos and videos automatically upload to iCloud. They're not duplicated in your iCloud backup, so you should keep backup copies of your library. You can download your photos and videos from iCloud.com to your computer and store them as a separate library, transfer them to another computer with Image Capture or Photos, or store them on a separate drive.

If you're on a device with iOS 11 or later or macOS High Sierra or later, the photos and videos you take are in HEIF and HEVC format. These formats use less storage, with the same quality.

Download your photos and videos

You can download a copy of your original photos or videos on iCloud.com, iOS, iPadOS, or Mac.

  • On iCloud.com, click Photos, then select the photos and videos that you want to download. Click and hold the download button in the upper-right corner of the window. If you want to download your content as it was originally captured or imported, choose Unmodified Original. For JPEG or H.264 format — including edits, and even if it was orginally in HEIF or HEVC format — choose Most Compatible. Click download.

Photos Not Uploading To Icloud Photo Library From Mac To Ipad

  • On iOS and iPadOS, you can use AirDrop: in the Photos app, select some photos or videos. Tap the share button , then select the device that you want to share with. Learn more about using AirDrop.

Photos Not Uploading To Icloud Photo Library From Mac Free

  • On Mac, select one or more photos. Drag the content to your desktop, or right-click and select Share > AirDrop.

Make sure that you have enough storage

The photos and videos that you keep in iCloud Photos use your iCloud storage and your device storage. And as long as you have enough space in iCloud and on your device, you can store as many photos and videos as you like.

When you sign up for iCloud, you automatically get 5GB of free storage. If you need more space, you can buy more iCloud storage. Plans start at 50GB for $0.99 (USD) a month. If you choose 200GB or 2TB plans, you can share your storage with family.

Learn more about plans and prices in your region.

Save space on your device

iCloud Photos keeps all your photos and videos in their original, high-resolution version. You can save space on your device when you turn on Optimize Storage.

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch:

  1. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud.
  2. Tap Photos.
  3. Choose Optimize [device] Storage.

On your Mac:

Photos Mac Not Uploading To Icloud

  1. Open the Photos app and click Photos in the menu bar.
  2. Click Preferences.
  3. Go to the iCloud tab and choose a storage setting.

If you turn on Optimize Storage, iCloud Photos automatically manages the size of your library on your device. Your original photos and videos are stored in iCloud and space-saving versions are kept on your device. Your library is optimized only when you need space, starting with the photos and videos you access least. You can download the original photos and videos over Wi-Fi or cellular when you need them. You can use Optimize Storage on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac.

If you turn on Download Originals, iCloud Photos keeps your original, full-resolution photos and videos in iCloud and on your device.

Pause library uploads to iCloud

Photos Not Uploading To Icloud Photo Library From Mac To Computer

When you turn on iCloud Photos, the time it takes for your photos and videos to upload to iCloud depends on the size of your collection and your Internet speed. If you have a large collection of photos and videos, your upload might take more time than usual. You can see the status and pause the upload for one day.

Photos Not Uploading To Icloud Photo Library From Mac To Pc

  • On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos. You can also open the Photos app, go to the Photos tab, and scroll to the bottom of your screen.
  • On your Mac, open the Photos app. Select Photos in the sidebar, then click All Photos in the list of tabs in the toolbar. Scroll to the bottom of your photos and click Pause.

Photos Not Uploading To Icloud Photo Library From Mac To Windows 10

Learn more

  • Rediscover favorite and forgotten occasions from your photo library with Memories.
  • Find your missing photos or delete the ones that you don't want anymore.