I cannot download photos from icloud to my laptop.

Hi Xanderway,

I see that you are having an issue with your Photo Stream in iCloud on your PC. I have an article with some troubleshooting steps you may wish to take in order to resolve this issue, and it can be found here:

Get help using My Photo Stream - Apple Support

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203511

I added some photos to My Photo Stream on my Windows PC, but they don't appear in the Recently Added album or My Photo Stream album on any of my devices.

1. To see if your computer and other devices are online, try to view www.apple.com. If you can't connect to the Internet, iCloud Photos can't send or receive updates from My Photo Stream. You might need to troubleshoot your Internet connection on your PC, Mac, or iOS devices.
2. On your computer, open iCloud for Windows 4.0 (or iCloud Control Panel) and make sure that you're signed in to the same iCloud account that you're using on your other supported devices.
   • In Windows 8.1, go to the Start screen, click the down arrow in the lower-left corner, then click the iCloud app.
   • In Windows 8, go to the Start screen, and click the iCloud tile.
   • In Windows 7, choose Start menu > All Programs > iCloud > iCloud.
3. Click the Options button and make sure that My Photo Stream is turned on.
4. Close and reopen iCloud for Windows 4.0 (or iCloud Control Panel).
5. Restart your computer.

Make sure that you used one of the methods below to add photos to My Photo Stream with iCloud for Windows 4.0 (or iCloud Control Panel) on your Windows PC.

Add the photos using the Add Photos button in iCloud Photos:

1. Open a File Explorer window (Windows 8 or 8.1) or Windows Explorer window (Windows 7).
2. Under the Favorites menu, click iCloud Photos.
3. Double-click My Photo Stream.
4. Click Add photos.
5. Select the photos that you'd like to add and click OK.

Or you can copy photos from a folder to the iCloud Photos Uploads folder:

1. Confirm the location of your Uploads folder.
2. Open iCloud for Windows 4.0 (or iCloud Control Panel).
   • In Windows 8.1, go to the Start screen, click the down arrow in the lower-left corner, then click the iCloud app.
   • In Windows 8, go to the Start screen, then click the iCloud tile.
   • In Windows 7, choose Start menu > All Programs > iCloud > iCloud.
3. Click the Options button next to iCloud Photos.
4. Open a File Explorer window (Windows 8 or 8.1) or Windows Explorer window (Windows 7).
5. Go to the iCloud Photos folder location listed in iCloud for Windows 4.0 (or iCloud Control Panel).
6. Open the Uploads folder.
7. Open the folder that contains the photos that you want to add to My Photo Stream.
8. Copy them into the Uploads folder.

Thanks for coming to the Apple Support Communities!

Cheers,

Braden

Hi again Xanderway,

From the information in your response, it seems like you may have activated iCloud Photo Library beta, is that correct? If so, you can view your photos that are now located in iCloud through iCloud.com and they can be downloaded from there:

Where do I view photos and videos in iCloud Photo Library?

On your iOS device with iOS 8.1 or later, open the Photos app and tap the Photos tab. Photos and videos are organized by date, and listed by Moments, Collections, and Years. In iOS 8.1, you can also view your photos and videos by the date they were added from the All Photos album. Your entire library is also available on the beta Photos app on iCloud.com.

iCloud Photo Library beta FAQ - Apple Support

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204264

Download photos

1. Go to Photos on iCloud.com.

   If you don’t see the Photos app on iCloud.com, you need to turn on iCloud Photo Library beta on your iOS 8.1 device.

2. Do one of the following:

   • Click Moments to see your photos or videos grouped by time and location.

   • Click Albums, then click an album to view its contents.

3. Click Select Photos.

4. Select the photos or videos you want to download, then click Download.

   The photos or videos are downloaded to your Downloads folder.

iCloud: Use the beta Photos app on iCloud.com

https://support.apple.com/kb/PH19452

You can find further information about the iCloud Photo Library beta here:

iCloud: iCloud Photo Library beta overview

https://support.apple.com/kb/PH19449

Thanks for being a part of the Apple Support Communities!

Cheers,

Braden

Hi again Xanderway,

Thank you for using the Apple Support Community. Due to the nature of your issue or question you may find more information by using another one of Apple's support resources - https://getsupport.apple.com/GetproductgroupList.action.

Cheers,

Braden