What You Should Do When iCloud Doesn't Sync Photos

Clara Prescott Published on December 26, 2025Transfer Data3-min reading

"I have enabled iCloud Photos on my iPhone, but my photos don't go to the cloud storage. How to fix iCloud Photos not syncing?" iCloud Photos is a convenient way to back up your photos and videos, as well as access your photos across digital devices. However, users often encounter synchronization issues that disrupt smooth experiences. Here you can learn the solutions to get rid of the problem and sync photos to iCloud.

Part 1: Why iCloud Photos Not Syncing

iCloud Photos is a cloud-based service. It requires a stable internet connection to complete syncing iCloud Photos. The main reasons why photos are not syncing to iCloud on iPhone includes:

1. Your internet connection is poor.

2. Your iCloud storage is insufficient.

3. Something is wrong with iCloud Photos.

4. Your device gets stuck.

5. Apple servers are down.

6. Software glitches.

Part 2: How to Fix iCloud Photos Not Syncing

Solution 1: Force iCloud Photos Sync

If iCloud photos syncing is paused, you can manually sync your new photos to iCloud. That is the first thing you should do when you encounter issues syncing iCloud Photos on your iOS device.

Solution 2: Check Your Internet Connection

As mentioned previously, iCloud Photos requires a good internet connection to sync your pictures. If iCloud stopped syncing photos, you'd better check your internet connectivity. Make sure to use a stable Wi-Fi with a strong signal. If it is poor, switch to cellular data.

Solution 3: Turn off iCloud Photos and Turn It Back on

Another solution is re-enabling iCloud Photos when iCloud is not syncing photos on your iPhone or iPad. Of course, you must turn on iCloud Photos on your device to bring your photos to your cloud storage.

Solution 4: Restart Your iPhone

While restarting the iPhone is simple, that can resolve a wide range of software issues, including iCloud stopped syncing photos. This solution closes all apps in the background and removes caches.

For iPhone X and later

Long-press either Volume button and the Side button.

When the power-off screen appears, release the button combination.

Move the slider to the right side.

After your screen completely becomes black, hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo.

For iPhone 8 or earlier

Press and hold the Side, Top, or Sleep/Wake button to trigger the power-off screen.

Move the slider to shut down your device.

Then, hold the Side, Top, or Sleep/Wake button until the Apple logo appears.

Solution 5: Free up iCloud Storage

iCloud Photos take up your iCloud storage. Apple only gives each account 5GB of free storage. If your storage is insufficient, iCloud Photos syncing will pause. To resolve it, you have to free up your iCloud storage.

Solution 6: Check Apple Server Status

When syncing iCloud Photos, your photos are stored on Apple's servers. If something is wrong on the relevant Apple servers, iCloud Photos doesn't sync to Mac or PC. You can go to https://www.apple.com/support/systemstatus/ in a browser and check the status of Apple servers. If relevant items are marked with yellow or red icons, wait for them to work again and sync your photos.

Solution 7: Update Software

Another common solution to fix photos not syncing to iCloud on your iPhone is updating the software. It is well known that outdated software can lead to various glitches. Therefore, you'd better keep your iOS up to date.

Part 3: One-stop Solution to Fix iCloud Photos Not Syncing

If the common solutions cannot fix iCloud photos not syncing to PC or Mac, you'd better look for an alternative tool, like imyPass iPhone Transfer. It allows you to sync photos and other data between your iPhone and computer or between your iPhone and another mobile device.

Conclusion

This tutorial shared multiple solutions to fix iCloud not syncing photos on your iPhone or iPad. We first discussed the main causes. Plus, you can follow our solutions one by one to let your photos sync to iCloud again. Even if the solutions are unavailable, you can try imyPass iPhone Transfer. It is the alternative solution to sync photos, videos, music, files, documents, and more from your iPhone to a computer or another mobile device.