I can't select multiple photos in iCloud with my control key or shift key. Has always worked until today. Please help!

rui11 wrote:

I am having the same problem!

Recent issue, never noticed this until today. 😟

Have you found a solution?

Several PC users have posted that you now have to use the ALT key in order to be able to select multiple photos. Hold down on the ALT key, and you should be able to select photos as you did previously using the CTL key.

Best,

GB

Using the Windows Ctrl key to select multiple pictures on icloud.com used to work. The Shift key feature has never worked. Either Apple or Microsoft changed something because now you have to use Alt instead of Ctrl. Using Alt to select multiple files is NOT intuitive to Windows users, but it does work on icloud. Every other Windows app (including File Explorer) uses Ctrl and Shift to select multiple files.

Another option is to install icloud for Windows and let it download pics to your PC. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204283

Hey that seems to be the solution -- the Alt key lets me select multiple photos, etc. Thanks!

Yes! Alt key does it. What a relief.

You can use the Control key to allow you to click on multiple individual photos, and they all will remain selected.

You cannot use the Control or Shift key to click on a photo in one position, and then click on a photo that is 20 photos later, and have all of the photos in between automatically selected.

So, are you indicating that you are having issues with the first method?

What are you attempting to do with the selected photos?

Best,

GB

Have you tried rebooting the PC? Nothing has changed in iCloud that would prevent you from selecting multiple photos individually when your Control key is pressed down.

Best,

GB

The answer is that there currently is no functionality in the Photos app on the iCloud.com website that allows you to select a group of photos using any key or combination of keys. You use the ALT key to select multiple photos (albeit one at a time). That is how it works, and you can let Apple know you don't like it that way by sending them feedback: Feedback - iCloud - Apple

But the easiest way to get the photos to your PC is to use iCloud for Windows: Set up and use iCloud Photo Library on your Windows PC - Apple Support. When you first set it up, all of the photos in the Library are downloaded automatically. And then based on the options you check, you can have new photos also automatically sync.

Best,

GB

jfrommokena wrote:

I, too, am on a Mac and have tried the solution that was posted here. It does NOT work on Macs. No combination of keys seems to work for a Mac. I have 225 photos I want to download to an external drive to make room in my iCloud account. The only way to select multiple photos on the Mac is to hold the command key and select each photo one-by-one, and if you accidentally click outside of a photo, they all become deselected! What a waste of time.I just updated to a paid iCloud account, and as soon as I spend however long it's going to take me to download them to get them out, I am downgrading before I pay a cent. There should be an easy way to select multiple photos, especially on a Mac, an Apple product.

That is exactly the way you select multiple photos on a Mac (select the Command key and select the photos one by one). There is no way to select an entire set of photos at one time on iCloud.com for either a Mac or PC. Let Apple know how you feel about it here: Apple - Feedback

Best,

GB

I can see people suggesting Alt or Options key etc. They all work only when you select multiple images by clicking one photo at a time holding down the Alt/option key. If you click on empty space when you are doing this all the selection will be lost !
[Edited by Host]

msperrey reply is helpful because it points out that apple has not incorporated a basic key-stroke combos that most all regular PC users would automatically default to... one can only conclude from this apparent oversight that in the end we have to/they are pushing us... to install more of their apple product/software (aka link provided above) just to be able to accomplish a most basic thing any computer/software should accomplish in a heartbeat: easily select a bulk of our own photos and put them on our own local drives... but then again, who really owns our photos once we allow them up into the cloud... it's really sad and potentially worse.

Read the thread you just posted to - this is answered dozens and dozens and dozens of times in it - asking the same already answered question is a waste of your time and our time

LN

ALT Key guyss

Use the Alt key instead

Same exact problem. Windows 10 PC. Using iCloud.com. Trying to select multiple photos using the Ctrl and left click. Both adjacent and non-adjacent clicks un-selects the previous click. Been using for years with no problems...