How to Sync Photos to iCloud on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and PC

Clara Prescott Published on December 19, 2025Transfer Data3-min reading

Considering the limited storage, Apple had released cloud storage for users to expand memory. In other words, you can sync photos to iCloud on your Apple product and access them across your devices. Thus, you can free up space while keeping your photos without quality loss. In this article, you can learn the process and what you can do if you encounter issues when syncing photos on your device.

Part 1: How to Sync Photos to iCloud on iPhone

Once you create an Apple account, you will be assigned 5GB of free iCloud storage. That allows you to sync photos with iCloud on your iPhone or iPad wirelessly. If the storage is not enough, you can purchase iCloud+. The 50GB plan costs $0.99, the 200GB plan costs $2.99, the 2TB plan costs $6TB, 12TB plan costs $59.99.

Note: If you want to stop syncing photos to iCloud, turn off Sync this iPhone on the iCloud Photos screen.

Part 2: How to Sync Photos to iCloud on Mac

If you are using macOS, you can back up photos to iCloud, too. Then, any changes, like photo editing, photo deletion, and photo adding, will be synced to all your devices through an internet connection.

Part 3: How to Sync Photos to iCloud on PC

While iCloud is Apple's cloud service, it is available on PC. If you set up iCloud on your PC, you can move photos to iCloud on your computer with a Wi-Fi network. Then, these photos are accessible on all your Apple devices.

Part 4: How to Fix Photos Not Syncing to iCloud

How long does it take to sync photos to iCloud? The answer depends on your internet condition and the number of your photos. Sometimes, it may take days or syncing to iCloud is paused. The reasons why my photos are not syncing to iCloud are complicated, but you can fix this problem by following the solutions below:

Solution 1: Check Your Internet Connection

To save photos to iCloud, you need a stable internet connection. If your network is poor, the process may be slow or freeze. The solution is simple: check your internet connection and use a good one.

On an iPhone or iPad, you can use either a Wi-Fi network or cellular data, depending on your situation. For a computer, you'd better use a fixed network instead of Wi-Fi.

Solution 2: Force Sync iCloud Photos

Sometimes, transferring photos to iCloud is paused because your device is trying to conserve battery life or waiting for a stable Wi-Fi connection. You can force sync your photos to iCloud on iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

For iPhone/iPad

For Mac

Solution 3: Turn off iCloud Photos and Turn It on

When sending photos to iCloud on your iPhone, it may stop due to software glitches, such as iCloud Photos getting stuck. You can turn off this feature and turn it back on to resolve this issue on your iPhone or iPad.

Solution 4: Free up iCloud Storage

Exporting photos from an iPhone to iCloud requires storage space. If you have lots of files and backups in your iCloud account, iCloud Photos may stop due to a lack of storage. You can delete iCloud backups and free up space.

Part 5: How to Sync iPhone Photos Without iCloud

If you cannot fix iCloud photo sharing stops, try an alternative solution, such as imyPass iPhone Transfer. It enables you to sync photos between iPhone and computer, between iPhone and iPhone/iPad, or between iPhone and Android.

How to Sync Photos on iPhone Without iCloud

Conclusion

This guide shared how to synchronize photos to iCloud from iPhone, iPad, Mac, and PC. You can follow our steps to upload your photos to your iCloud account. Plus, you should understand what to do if iCloud Photos stops syncing. imyPass iPhone Transfer can help you transfer photos and other data between an iPhone and other devices.