10 Ways To Fix Photos Not Uploading to iCloud Issue?

iCloud comes with numerous advantages and one of them is to manage your data like documents, photos, and videos. With iCloud storage, you can safely keep your important data like documents, videos, and photos in it. While the process is generally effortless and easy to do, however, some users experience error uploading photos to iCloud. If you are also unable to upload photos to iCloud, you can follow the workarounds provided below in this guide.

Guide to Fix “Photos not Uploading to iCloud” Error

As there can be different reasons responsible for preventing synchronization of iCloud photos on iPhone, iPad, macOS, and Windows, below are the different workarounds that you can use to fix the issue.

1. Check iCloud.Com

enable icloud photo

There can be different causes that can prevent you from uploading photos present in your iPhone to iCloud. In such a case, the photos will not be synced to your other devices. Hence, it is suggested to overcome this problem before proceeding. To check if your photos are backed up to the iCloud storage, just sign in to your iCloud.com using any desktop web browser, and then select the Photos option.

NOTE:

  • iCloud.com does not work on mobile web browsers, however, you can try loading the website on an iPad with desktop mode enabled.
  • If the photos aren’t present on iCloud.com, then make sure to resolve any issues that could be preventing your photos from being uploaded to iCloud.

If this workaround doesn’t help you overcome the problem, consider following the next step.

2. Check the Status of iCloud

icloud down

If you have found that your photos are accessible via iCloud.com, but they are not appearing within the Photos app of your other iOS and macOS devices or the Photos folder on your PC, in such case, it is suggested to verify that iCloud Photos is not down because of an issue at server-side. The best way to check that is by visiting the system status page of the Apple website.

Once you are on the System Status page of Apple and you see the status next to Photos as Unavailable (denoted as a red dot), you will need to continue to check the System Status page until you see Resolved Issue notification.

3. Check Your Internet Connection

check internet connection

Sometimes the problem with photo uploading can also occur because of weak or no internet connection. Therefore, it is necessary to make sure that your devices have proper access to the internet. If you find the connectivity of your internet breaking frequently, you will either need to restart your Wi-Fi router or connect it to another hotspot.

If you are using an iOS device that is running on the cellular data, your iCloud Photos will not sync photos and videos. This is because your device might be having permission to use mobile bandwidth. To know if this is the reason, you will need to go to the Settings section of your iPhone or iPad. In the Settings, you will need to go to Photos > Cellular. In the Cellular section, you will need to enable the switches next to both Cellular Data and Unlimited Updates.

4. LOW DATA MODE (IPHONE AND IPAD ONLY)

low data usage iphone

If your iOS device is running on iOS 13 or higher version, then you will need to make sure that Low Data Mode is disabled for your Cellular and Wi-Fi connections. For Wi-Fi connections, you will need to go to the Settings app, select Wi-Fi, and then tap on the i-shaped icon located next to the connected network. On the following screen, turn off the switch next to Low Data Mode. Now, for your cellular connection, you will need to go to iPhone Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data options. Next, you will need to enable the switch next to Low Data Mode and you are done.

5. Enable iCloud Photos

enable iCloud photos

 

If you have enabled iCloud Photos across all of your devices, it can also be a reason that might be preventing iCloud Photos from syncing to your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or PC. In such a case, you will need to follow the instructions below to check and enable iCloud Photos (if it is disabled).

Enabling iCloud Photos on iOS

  • On your iPhone or iPad, go to the Settings section.
  • In the Settings section of your iPhone or iPad, you will need to the Photos section.
  • Next, you will need to turn on the switch next to iCloud Photos.

Enabling iCloud Photos on macOS

  • Open the Photos app on your macOS.
  • Next, you will need to click on the Photos (Menu bar) and select the Preferences option.
  • In the Preferences section, you will need to select the check box next to iCloud Photos.

Enabling iCloud Photos on Windows

  • Open the iCloud app on your Windows computer.
  • Next, you will need to click Options located next to Photos option.
  • Then, you will need to select the check box next to the iCloud Photos.

Once you have turned on iCloud Photos for your devices, you may have to wait for some time before the photos would become available locally.

6. Check your Apple ID

check apple id

If you are using a different Apple IDs on your device, this can also be a reason as to why iCloud Photos fails to sync your photos. If you are using different Apple IDs on your devices, it is best to check that and use a common Apple ID to overcome the problem.

Check Apple ID on iOS

  • On your iPhone, go to the applications menu and tap on the Settings app icon.
  • Once you are in the Settings section, you will need to select your profile.
  • You will find the email address related to your Apple ID listed on the following screen.

Check Apple ID on macOS

  • On your Mac, go to the System Preferences section via the Apple menu.
  • In the System Preferences, you will need to click on the iCloud option.
  • Then, you will be able to see the Apple ID and email address listed underneath the profile portrait.

Check Apple ID on Windows

  • On your Windows PC, go to the iCloud application.
  • Below the iCloud logo, you will be able to find the Apple ID and email address listed.

If you find any of your device with a different Apple ID, then it is suggested that you sign out from the Apple ID and sign in back with the Apple ID which you are using for the rest of your devices.

IMPORTANT: Before you sign out of any iOS or macOS device, make sure to perform a backup to iCloud (or through other mediums). This is important as not backing up your data may make you lose all your data with that particular Apple ID.

7. Restart your Device

restart device iphone

If even after following the above-mentioned workarounds, the iCloud Photos is still unable to sync your photos, it is suggested to try restarting your device. In certain cases, simple workarounds like restarting your device can help fix such issues with the device. If you are not familiar with the process to shut down your iPhone X and newer models, you can restart your device by pressing and holding down both the Volume Up and Power buttons. This will turn off your device. Then, you can simply turn on your device by pressing down the power button.

8. Sign in and Sign Out from your iCloud

signout icloud

Another ideal method to fix the photo uploading issue on iCloud is by signing out and in from your iCloud. Sometimes, this workaround can also help you clear the issue. Also, this workaround can re-index or re-download your photos from scratch. This process may take a considerable amount of time.

IMPORTANT: On macOS and iOS, you will need to select the option to keep your data locally (notes, contacts, notes, etc.) when signing out.

Sign In/Sign Out on iOS

  • On your iPhone, go to the Settings app.
  • In the Setting section of your iPhone, you will need to tap on your profile.
  • Then, you will need to tap on the Sign Out option.
  • Once you are logged out, you can restart your iPhone, and then sign in back in.

Sign In/Sign Out on MacOS

  • On the Mac, you will need to click on the System Preferences option in the Apple menu.
  • Next, you will need to click on the iCloud option and then click on the Sign Out option.
  • Then, you can restart your Mac, and sign in back to your account.

Sign In/Sign Out on Windows

  • On Windows, click on the iCloud app and sign out from your account.
  • Once you are logged out of your account, you will need to restart your PC and sign in back to your account.

9. Make Sure your Device is Up to Data

software update iPhone

Using an outdated device can also be a reason for failing synchronization of photos with iCloud. It is, therefore, suggested to make sure that you have updated your device to the latest OS version.

Updating iOS Device

  • On your iPhone, go to the applications menu and tap on the Settings app icon.
  • In the Settings section, you will need to tap on the General option.
  • In the General section, you will need to tap on the Software Update option.
  • If you find any updates available, install them on your device.

Updating macOS Device

  • Open System Preferences on your Mac through the Apple menu.
  • In the System Preferences section, you will need to click on the Software Update option.
  • If you find any updates available, install them on your device.

Updating Windows

  • You don’t have to go through an entire OS update process on your Windows computer.
  • Instead of updating your entire OS, all you need to do is open the Apple Software Update utility through the Start menu, and install any updates available for iCloud.
  • Also, make sure to update any related Apple software programs such as iTunes.

In case, you are using the Windows Store version of iCloud, then you will need to launch the Windows Store application first. Once you have launched this app, you will need to proceed into the Downloads and Updates area to install new updates. Although, you will not have to do this as Windows Store apps get automatically updated by default.

10. Ditch iCloud Photos

alternate storage

In the rarest case, if iCloud Photos still fails to sync your photos, it is best to switch to an alternate cloud storage service. Though it may not look feasible move in most of the cases, however, if it means getting your photos synced between devices until Apple releases a solution to fix the problem, then that’s something you can consider as a solution.

Instead of iCloud, you can consider Google photos as well. Google Photos is an ideal storage program that offers ‘Unlimited’ storage as well as massive cross-platform compatibility. However, you may have to pay for it.

So, these are the different workarounds that you can consider to fix the “photos not uploading to iCloud” problem.

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