Download Icloud Photos To Mac Hard Drive

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Save Photos to iCloud Drive from Computer. As all your photos and videos on Mac will be.

Are you still confused by how to copy photos from iCloud to external hard drive? Follow this guide you can easily move your favorite photos from iCloud to any external hard drive.

  1. It might also be an idea to try out iCloud Photo Library, a service that automatically uploads your photographs to iCloud, which can be shared to iOS devices and other Mac desktops using the same.
  2. After signing in, you can go to iCloud Drive, and double click Desktop or Documents folder. Then, choose the document files to download and save to your Mac. How to Save Documents from iCloud on iPhone. If you have enabled iCloud drive on your iPhone running iOS 11 or later, it is easy to access and edit document files directly.
  3. Select 'iCloud Drive' from the sidebar. Hold down the 'Option' key while dragging the selected photo file. Drop the photo file into the destination folder into 'iCloud Drive' and release the Option key. You will see the photo file in iCloud Drive with a 'Syncing' indicator located below them. Steps to Copy Photo Files and Folders to iCloud.

iCloud Transfer Tips

Save photos to icloud drive
Transfer Data to iCloud
Export Data from iCloud
Sync iCloud with Other Sources

For most of the iOS users, iCloud is the very choice they choose to backup iPhone data, especially photos. As long as you enable iCloud Photo Library and connect your iDevice to Wi-Fi, you can easily save all your photos to iCloud for preservation.

As time goes by, more and more photos are stored in iCloud. If you want to transfer these photos from iCloud to an external hard drive for further use. How can you do that? Hence in this article, we will introduce two ways to help you easily transfer photos from iCloud to external hard drive. One is to download iCloud photos from the web browser, the other is to take advantage of a third-party tool.

How to Download iCloud Photos to Computer

As iCloud offers storage for users to save content, it also enables users to download it back. This method will introduce the way to export iCloud photos to the computer from the website, please follow the step-by-step guide below to see how to do it.

Step 1. Go to iCloud.com on your computer, log in with your Apple ID.

Step 2. You will see the interface as below when you log in.

Step 3. Choose Photos to start to manage your iCloud Photos.

Step 4. Find the photos you want to save to the external hard drive, click the download button on the upper right corner.

Download Selected Photos to the Computer

When the downloading process is finished, the photos you choose are successfully exported to your computer. Then connect your external hard drive to the computer via a USB cable, copy and paste the downloaded photos to it.

Transfer Photos from iCloud to External Hard Drive with AnyTrans

The Tool You Need – AnyTrans for iOS

To download iCloud photos from the web browser, you can only choose photos one by one. It is pretty inconvenient for users who want to bulk download iCloud photos. Here to solve the problem, we find a third-party tool to help. AnyTrans for iOS is a professional iOS data management tool, which can help you easily manage your iPhone/iPad data like notes, music, photos, etc. Besides managing iOS data, AnyTrans for iOS adds a set of functions of managing iCloud contents to keep your iCloud files and data in the right place, like:

AnyTrans – iCloud Manage Tool

  • Support managing iCloud contents, including Photos, Videos, Contacts.
  • Enable to directly back up iOS files to iCloud from iDevice or computer.
  • Support downloading contents from the iCloud to PC or hard drive.
  • Support deleting multiple or unwanted iOS contents from iCloud at once.

Free Download100% Clean & Safe

Free Download100% Clean & Safe

Mac

Step 1. Download AnyTrans for iOS and launch it on your computer > Click iCloud Manager > Sign in your Apple ID > Connect your external hard drive to the computer.

Download photos from blackberry classic to mac. Transfer iCloud Photos to External Hard Drive with AnyTrans – Step 1

Step 2. Click Photos > click Connect to PC.

Transfer iCloud Photos to External Hard Drive with AnyTrans – Step 2

Step 3. Choose Photos you want to transfer > Click the Select button to change the export path > Select your external hard drive > Choose one Folder > Click “Next” to start transferring iCloud photos to your external hard drive.

Transfer iCloud Photos to External Hard Drive with AnyTrans – Step 3

1. You’ll not be allowed to log in your iCloud account on the third-party software with turning on TWO-STEP VERIFICATION, so please turn it off temporarily.

2. You can also use this method to copy contacts, calendars, notes, etc.

Also read: How to Transfer Photos from iPhone/iPad to USB Flash Drive>

The Bottom Line

In this way, you can easily save iCloud photos to your external hard drive both on PC and Mac. Moreover, AnyTrans for iOS can help you transfer other kinds of iOS data like songs, videos, ringtones, etc. It’s amazing, isn’t it? Download AnyTrans for iOS to start a pleasant transfer tour.

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Keep Apple devices in sync
Enjoy full-way data transfer with AnyTrans for iOS.

There's never too many photos on iPhone, right? Wrong. When it comes to backing up your iOS device, endless photos, messages, and files can suffocate your internal storage on Mac.

The first way to solve the problem is pretty straightforward: Keep your iPhone or iPad clean. It became a bit easier with the release of iOS 13, which allows removing similar shots and clutter from your Photos gallery automatically. If you take your gallery cleanness seriously, you can go further and install a smart duplicate finder like Gemini on your phone. Whether you're an Instagram husband/wife, or simply love good photography — this is a pro-level tool to save your disk space.

iPhone Backup to External Storage

Get the best Mac apps to backup and transfer data from iPhone, iPad, iTunes, iCloud to external drives without any loss.

But what if photos are not the problem? Sometimes it's about text docs, mail attachments — lots of small files that become heavier and heavier as they pile up. It will take hours of work to free up storage space manually. So we suggest you don't. You can solve the problem by changing iPhone backup location instead.

In this guide, we'll tell you everything about where iPhone and iPad backups are stored by default, how to move them to an external drive, and what's the best Mac tool for running direct iOS backups.

How to change iPhone backup location on Mac

There are two Apple ways to backup iOS devices to Mac — using iTunes or iCloud. None of them is very easy. We've prepared detailed instructions on how to locate and move iPhone backup to an external drive both ways. If you follow these, nothing could go wrong.

Locate iOS backups in iTunes/Finder

Here's how you find a list of iOS backups if you use iTunes:

  1. Click on the Spotlight Search button in the menu bar
  2. Type the following command: ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/
  3. Hit Return.

The mechanism is a bit different if you're searching for a specific backup. In this case, go to iTunes > Preferences > Devices. Control-click the selected backup and select Show in Finder from the drop-down menu.

Note that if you're using macOS Catalina or later, you'll have to locate backups via Finder, while newer operating systems don’t have iTunes in its original form:

  1. Open a new Finder window
  2. Select Go > Go to Folder
  3. Type the command ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/
  4. Hit Go.
  5. Access your Backup folder from there.

An important thing to remember is that you shouldn't copy or extract specific files from your Backup folder — this might lead to your files being ruined. What you have to do is to copy and transfer an entire folder.

Locate iOS backups in iCloud

If you use iCloud for iPhone backups, you don't have to suffer from the low storage problem. Once your iPhone or iPad files are backed up, you can simply delete the backups. None of your valuable data will be damaged.

How to remove backups from iPhone or iPad and turn off backup for your device.

  1. Go to Settings > Your Name > iCloud
  2. Click Manage Storage > Backups for iOS 11 and iCloud Storage > Manage Storage for iOS 10.3
  3. Select your device name
  4. Delete Backup > Turn Off and Delete.

On your Mac:

  1. Apple menu > System Preferences > Apple ID > iCloud
  2. Select Manage and click on the Backups
  3. With the backup selected, click Delete to remove the backup. Confirm that you would also like to turn off Backup if needed.

Backup iPhone to external hard drive

For those who backup via iTunes/Finder, the journey isn't finished. Now it's time to backup iPhone to USB drive, an external hard drive that won't affect your storage on Mac. This should be done very carefully. Any attempt to extract files from the backup folder or using the wrong name of a hard drive may end up in a failure.

Also, let us warn you in advance that you shouldn't delete a backup after you move it to the new storage location. Before you do anything to your old iOS backups, make sure you set iTunes to backup from the hard drive. Let's go through it step by step.

How to save iPhone backup to external hard drive:

  1. Connect your external hard drive to Mac and open it.
  2. Select the backup folder from the Finder window or iTunes. Usually, the name of the backup folder consists of random numbers and letters, or it's called 'Backup.'
  3. Drag the entire folder — couldn't emphasize it more — to your external drive.
  4. Type your admin password.
  5. Rename the backup folder to 'iOS_backup' and enter the admin password once again to confirm your action.

Download Photos From Icloud To Flash Drive

Now, the most delicate part. It's not enough to create iPhone external storage, you have to tell iTunes where it is to ensure the backups will be done externally from now on. To make that work, you should create a new path — or a so-called symbolic link — for iTunes/Finder.

Before you dive into it, make sure you allow Full Disk Access for Terminal. You'll have to enable it manually if you use macOS Mojave. In this case, go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy. Unlock by entering your admin password and click Full Disk Access. Add Terminal to the list of apps with full access permission via the plus button.

Now you're ready to work with Terminal. Make sure you pay close attention to every word you type — Terminal commands can be cumbersome. Open Terminal via Spotlight and type the following command (no rush, you might need to customize it):

ln-s/Volumes/External/ios_backup~/Library/ApplicationSupport/MobileSync/Backup/ 4f1234a05e6e7ccbaddfd12345678f1234b123f

In the command above, 'External' is the name of your hard drive. Possibly, your drive has a different name, so you'll have to change it in the command. The last part '4f1234a05e6e7ccbaddfd12345678f1234b123f' is the name of the backup folder. If you're transferring via Finder, it's very common for this folder to be named 'Backup.' Make sure they match or rename accordingly.

Once your command is accurate, hit Return and quit Terminal.

You've done everything right if you can find a newly created symlink file with the name of your backup folder in the MobileSync folder. The file icon should have an arrow in the bottom left corner.

Backing up to external drive: How to check it works?

Now when you've backed up iPhone to portable hard drive, run a test to see whether iTunes is really backing up from the new location:

  1. Connect your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Launch iTunes or find your device via Finder.
  3. Select Back Up Now.
  4. With the backup completed, open the iOS_backup folder on the external drive.
  5. Check the date and time of the last backup — it should coincide with your recent activity.

Only after the test proves successful can you delete your old backups.

How to backup iPhone directly to external drive

There are two big problems with iTunes backups. And we can understand why you say 'nay' to both of them. First of all, if you're backing up with iTunes or iCloud, you never know what files are covered. While you have to move an entire folder to your external drive, there's no way to check what's inside — not to mention selecting specific files for a backup.

Another thing is Terminal commands can go wrong — and they often do. A single mistake can break the whole process, so you'll have to start all over again. The good news is you can actually back up iPhone to external hard drive without iTunes and iCloud. The tool that you need for that is called AnyTrans for iOS.

AnyTrans is a Mac utility that handles connections across iOS, macOS, and Android devices. And by 'connections' we mean lots of useful things that built-in utilities like iTunes can't handle:

  • Transfer media files, including photos, messages, and documents from your iPhone/iPad to Mac.
  • Back up your iOS device to an external drive in seconds.
  • Preview files that you're backing up and select your custom file types if you don't want to back up everything.
  • Preview old iCloud and iTunes backups and transfer files from your old backup directly to an external drive.

As a nice perk, AnyTrans has a built-in media downloader that enables you to download video and audio from 900+ websites, including YouTube and Dailymotion.

The backup process is a four-step deal if you use AnyTrans — instead of complicated Terminal commands. Here's how you back up directly to external drive:

Save Photos To Icloud Drive

  1. Connect your iPhone or iPad to Mac and open AnyTrans.
  2. Click on Backup Manager and view the list of files that can be backed up.
  3. Tick the boxes next to specific file categories or select all.
  4. Choose your external drive as the target save location and click on the Next button to start backing up.

That's it. Everything you've backed up will now appear on your external drive. Also, check out information about what do you do if your iPhone wont turn on at all

Download Icloud Photos To Mac Hard Drive Recovery Software

Let's sum up with a few tips that will help you keep your iPhone data protected:

Double protection

If you're determined to use the built-in tools for your iOS and iPad backups, we recommend to use both iCloud and iTunes/Finder. It's never a waste of time when it comes to ensuring your data security. So in case something goes wrong, you'll have a backup plan. Pun intended.

Move backups across storages

Maybe you have lots of data. Or, you simply prefer cloud storage to storing your files on a local drive. That's understandable. To ensure nothing gets lost in the shuffle, use CloudMounter to mount your cloud drives as local disks and thus, transfer backups across multiple storages flexibly.

There's always a way back

We encourage you to simplify things with AnyTrans. And even if you decide to go with iTunes, note that you can always delete your symlink and try an easier option. To go back to internal backups, type ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup in Spotlight and delete your symlink folder.

Two (or 162) for the price of one

Both AnyTrans and CloudMounter are available with a Setapp subscription. Setapp is a package of curated Mac utilities that solve the majority of jobs on Mac. So if you get the Setapp subscription, you'll be able to handle automatic iOS backups, move backups across storages and do 160+ other things.

Setapp lives on Mac and iOS. Please come back from another device.

Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.

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Download Icloud Photos To Mac Hard Drives