How to select ALL photos in iCloud PC version?

I feel your pain. I have spent THREE HOURS chasing links, instructions, and watching videos that address options we don't have TODAY. And all I can find is that the Windows app does batch download NEW photos to my PC. Just not the OLD ones. The ones I want.

Once you have downloaded the iCloud app for windows. You should have an iCloud icon in the bottom right corner (probably within the ^ section).

Click on this icon once. It will open a small menu.

From there you can select download photos.

Another window appears, and you can select specific years or all photos to be downloaded.

Hope this helps!!

Apologies if I was not clear earlier. The app is running in the background of Windows, just like one drive would be.

It is actually in the windows taskbar. At the bottom right of the task bar (Where start menu is bottom left corner).

That is new and I appreciate it. If you don't mind walking me through it, it might help others, as well.

So, I found the icon, and I click on it and it expands to this. It gives the options of:
1: Open Icloud Drive

2: Go to iCloud.com
3: Open iCloud Settings (which I posted a shot of above, with no download all or by year options - only "NEW" photos)

On which of these options, do you find the location that you stated, "From there you can select download photos.

Another window appears, and you can select specific years or all photos to be downloaded." I tried all three and must be missing it. It sure would save me time from having to select only ONE photo at a time to download.
THANKS!!!

Your icloud is currently initializing. Once it has finished the options you get should change.

As requested a step by step approach First 3 Steps included for completeness:

1. Download iCloud for windows.

2. Sign in following on screen prompts.

3. Then close icloud browser screen.

4. Find iCloud icon in Windows Taskbar

5. Single Left mouse click on the icon. Once it has finished initialising, the screen should look something like this...

(It will take a while for the program to finish initialising).

6. Click on download photos.

7. A pop-up in the centre of the screen should then appear, giving you the option to Download photos by year, or ALL.

n.b. Some photos will be saved as a new file type (.HEIF/.HEIC) This is a new improved compression of images, allowing the same quality, at almost half the disk space. At present, this file format is not supported by Windows 10, but support will be implemented in the near future hopefully.

My first reply didn't show up, so hopefully, this isn't a duplicate. In answer to Gail (and thank you for your time), yes. The 'new' option has been checked and the only things being downloaded are photos taken after checking that option three days ago. Not one single older image has shown up downloaded. Only newly photographed or newly screen captured items are downloaded and it is immediate.

I GIVE UP.

Tomorrow, I am calling our Apple store to make an appointment to go in with a flash drive, and my laptop (in case the later is needed) and have THEM pull all my master photos for me. I wasted a few more hours tonight trying to get my precious photos. I figured out that if I put them in a shared folder from my phone to the iCloud, I can see them on my laptop and save all at once to a harddrive folder. The problem is, Apple in it's infinitely confusing sense of wisdom, reduces the shared master files drastically. If I save it individually from the cloud, the files are several MB's large each. But through the shared folder, they are less than 100KB's each. VERY low resolution.

It shouldn't be this hard for someone to SELECT more than one master image, and download it to their PC. ho t

Thank you to all who tried to help. Now I hope I can get Apple to do it for me.

thee is no select all for iCLoud.com - either select each one using alt click or install iCloud for Windows and use it - Download iCloud for Windows - Apple Support

LN

Can you please provide a screen shot of the screen showing the icon on the bottom right? I am not finding it in the Windows app, windows app photos page, or on the PHOTOS page my iCloud through the browser.

In your Photos Options, where it says "Download New Photos and Videos to My PC", it means download any photos and videos to the location specified that are not already there (or were not uploaded from there). Did you try checking that box, and then waiting a few days or up to a week to see if all of the photos would download to the location specified for that option?

The reason it specifies "New" is to distinguish "new" photos and videos from uploaded ones, just like it says "New" Photos & Videos" from your PC.

Best,

GB

Thank you, that is the most helpful instructions I have seen yet.

I started the Initialization yesterday and left it on all night. It is still showing as Initializing. I suspect the screen saver was disrupting it, so I just unenabled it. I did read (after your post) that initialization can take a day or so for some users.

Again, thank you!!

@matthewfromaddlestone - THANK YOU, A HUNDRED TIMES THANK YOU! It took a day and a half of "Initializing" but the screen popped up as you said it would and ALL my master sized files were downloaded with ONE CLICK!! 🙂

The Red circle highlights where the icon should be.

Here's a pretty comprehensive set of instructions for iCloud for Windows: Set up and use iCloud for Windows - Apple Support

There are a lot of links to additional in-depth information.

Select one photo to highlight it, and then click CTRL + A to select all.