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

Apple seems to have changed the functionality of the CTRL and Shift keys in iCloud.com to the ALT key. So if you click the ALT key to select multiple photos, it works as before when you might have clicked the CTRL or Shift key. Why? Nobody seems to know, they just did it, they didn't tell anyone (that I can see), and caused us to waste a huge amount of time trawling through old answers to similar questions (which are no longer applicable) to find what is a pretty simple answer, which is use the ALT key to select multiple photos in iCloud.

chupstateny wrote:

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.

You seem to be confused. A Mac is not a PC. If you want PC functionality, then you should be using a PC. The link provides you with a simple way to do what it is you want to do. That is how it works. You are the one who has chosen to use the iCloud Photo Library. You don't have to use it at all. You can simply import your photos to your PC directly and not use iCloud at all: IMPORTING PHOTOS - WINDOWS/MAC

However, if you elect to use the iCloud Photo Library feature, and if you want to be able to easily interface that feature with your PC, then you have to install the software to do it.

It is entirely your choice. No one is forcing you to use iCPL.

GB