iCloud downloads to external drive

Hi Jonah82,

Thanks for reaching out to support with your question. Check out the steps below which can help:

"If you use iCloud Photos, your photos and videos are automatically uploaded to iCloud at full resolution. 

Download copies of your photos and videos from your device

• On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, tap Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Photos. Then select Download and Keep Originals and import the photos to your computer. 
• On your Mac, open the Photos app. Select the photos and videos you want to copy. Choose File > Export.
• On your PC, make sure that you set up iCloud for Windows and turn on iCloud Photos. Open File Explorer. In the Navigation pane, click iCloud Photos, then select the images you want to keep on your PC. Right-click the selection and choose "Always keep on this device." If you use iCloud for Windows 10 or earlier, learn how to download your photos. After the items download, copy them to another folder on your computer. To do this, press and hold the Ctrl key and drag the items to the folder. Include this folder if you back up your computer.

Download copies of your photos and videos from iCloud.com

If you want to download a few photos or videos, use iCloud.com to download the most recent version of photos and videos.

• On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to iCloud.com, tap Photos, and tap Select. Then select the photos and videos you want to download, and tap More . Select Download, and your photos and videos will download as a .zip file to iCloud Drive. 
• On your Mac or PC, just go to iCloud.com and click Photos. Then select the photos and videos you want to download and click Download . 

"

For additional assistance Contact Apple for support and service

Cheers.