How to Move Photos to iCloud

About iCloud

iCloud is a cloud-based file sharing service from Apple. It is built into every Apple device, like iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV, and is also available on PC via iCloud.com or iCloud for Windows. iCloud allows you to share files like photos, videos, contacts, documents, and more between your iCloud devices that use the same Apple ID and enables you to make a backup of your precious files in the cloud storage.

Thus, it's a good choice to use iCloud to share images and videos across your devices or make a backup of your precious iPhone photos. If that's what you want, learn how to upload photos from your iPhone to iCloud from the steps below.

Part 1. How to Move Photos to iCloud from iPhone, iPad, and iPod

"How to move photos from iPhone to iCloud storage?"

Acturally, this question is quite easy to answer. By turning on iCloud Photos on your device, the pictures will be moved to iCloud automatically under a Wi-Fi connection.

Before you start, you should know that, to store all photos from your iPhone to iCloud successfully, you need to make sure there is enough iCloud storage to save the items. Apple provides 5GB of iCloud space for free. If you need extra storage, you need to pay for it.

To upload photos to iCloud from an iPhone, iPad, or iPod:

Step 1. Go to "Settings" > [your name] > "iCloud".

Step 2. Tap the "Photos" option and enable "iCloud Photos". (Enable "iCloud Photo Library" in earlier iOS versions.)

Step 3. Depending on your need, select "Optimize iPhone Storage" or "Download and Keep Originals".

With iCloud Photos turned on, your iPhone photos will be saved to iCloud automatically under Wi-Fi. Easy? Via a few simple clicks, you can move photos from iPhone to iCloud storage successfully.

However, you should know that the cloud-service will move all photos to iCloud and you can't upload photos selectively from your iOS device. Besides, if you delete photos or videos on your mobile device, the items will disappear in Cloud, too. Because iCloud works by syncing. Thus, if you upload photos to iCloud to free up your iPhone storage, it won't help. 

Part 2. How to Clear iPhone Storage Without iCloud

Then how to free up your iPhone storage without losing your precious photos, videos, or other types of content. One workable way is to transfer these files from your iPhone to computer first and then remove them from your iPhone. By doing so, you can get much more free space on your iPhone without data loss.

To transfer files from iPhone to computer, be it a Mac or PC, you will need iPhone transfer software - EaseUS MobiMover. It allows you to:

• Access and view iPhone files on PC/Mac
• Transfer files between an iPhone/iPad/iPod and a computer
• Transfer files from one iDevice to another

Besides, since it also serves the function of a video downloader, you can apply it to download YouTube videos to iPhone or save Facebook videos to computer.

To transfer photos from iPhone to computer:

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to your computer running Windows 7 and later or Mac OS X 10.7 and later. Launch EaseUS MobiMover, choose "Phone to PC" on the main screen and click the "Next" button to move on. 

Step 2. Select the "Pictures" category as you want to copy from your iPhone to your computer. It's the right choice for you to transfer other supported file types together with photos from your iPhone to the computer to make a backup. 

Step 3. Click the "Transfer" button to start transferring photos from your iPhone to the computer. Depending on the size of the files, it may take seconds or a while to import pictures from your iPhone to your computer. Wait patiently for the process to finish and check the items in the selected folder after that.

After transferring photos from iPhone to computer, you can now delete photos on iPhone to get more storage.

Part 3. Bonus Tips

Uploading photos from iPhone to iCloud is just one of the many things you can do with iCloud. To fully use iCloud, there are some tips you need to command.

Tip 1. How to Upload Photos to iCloud from Mac/PC

As mentioned, you can also upload photos to iCloud from Mac or PC. That is necessary when you want to share photos between your computer and mobile devices.

To upload photos to iCloud from Mac: Go to "System Preferences" > "Apple ID", click "iCloud" in the sidebar, and then select "Photos".

To move photos to iCloud from PC: 

• Using iCloud.com: Go to visit iCloud.com on your PC, sign in, and choose "Photos". Click the "Upload" button, select the items you want to move, and choose "Open" to start uploading photos to iCloud.
• Using iCloud for Windows: Right-click the iCloud icon in the taskbar and choose "Open iCloud Settings". Click "Options" next to "Photos" and enable "iCloud Photo Library". Make sure the option "Upload new photos and videos from my PC" is checked and copy the photos you want to upload to the folder shown under the option.

Tip 2. How to Access iCloud Photos

iCloud Photo Library/iCloud Photos is a part of the Apple iCloud online storage service. You could visit iCloud Photo Library/iCloud Photos via iPhone/iPad, computer, or any other kind of device with App or browser at iCloud.com. 

Tip 3. How to Download iCloud Photos to PC

After you move photos from iPhone to iCloud, you may need to download photos from iCloud to PC, which is one of the methods to transfer photos from iPhone to PC.

If you do, read the guide on how to transfer photos from iCloud to PC for reference.

The Bottom Line

iCloud allows you to transfer photos and videos via an Internet connection. Now you not only know how to move photos to iCloud from various devices but also learn the steps to access and download photos from iCloud. Command these skills and make iCloud your good helper.