Downloading iCloud Photos in Order

daisyfields wrote: … Is there a way I can download them in order?

Download them one at a time.

The thing is, one file download might come from an Apple server in Topeka through routers in Cincinnati, while the next file comes from a server in Cupertino through routers in Tokyo and Omaha. You have no control over any of that, it's just the nature of the internet, so the files don't arrive in the same order as they are sent.

But the picture has metadata stored inside the file that gives the date the picture was taken. (Well this data can be stripped in some kinds of transfers.) So, even though a File Manager like Explorer or Finder may show the time the file arrives, an image viewer will still show the correct date and time. You don't say if you're using a Mac, but you can see the capture date in the Photos App or Preview or pretty much any image program. I suspect the same is true for Windows. There are Exif metadata tools that will show the Exif metadata, as well, and some can transfer the capture date to the file date.