Photos Not Uploading to iCloud? (Do THIS First!)

Photos not uploading to iCloud can be alarming as it can potentially lead to the loss of your precious memories.

Fixing “photos not uploading to iCloud” isn’t a cut-and-dried process, though. Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer as to why your photos are not uploading to iCloud. 

If you are experiencing this issue, it could be due to a low storage limit on your iCloud account, a poor internet connection, or that iCloud Photos has been disabled.

It’s a frustrating issue that affects many iPhone users, but fortunately, there’s a fix. In this guide, we’re going to discuss some of the easy solutions to resolve the issue of your iCloud photos not uploading issues.

However, they will be available through iCloud.com. If you face a situation like this, check that iCloud Photos is not down. 

To do this, head to Apple’s System Status page. You should see a green dot next to Photos and iCloud as well, indicating that they’re currently available.

If you see a red dot meaning the service is down, wait for a notification from Apple informing you of the resolution of the issue. After this, iCloud Photos will be up and running. 

• For your iOS device, head to the Settings app. Tap on Photos and enable the iCloud Photos feature.  
• On your macOS device, open the Photos app. On the menu bar, choose Preferences, and then iCloud. Activate iCloud Photos by checking the box right beside the option.  
• For your Windows device, open the iCloud app. Click on the Options button. On the next page, activate iCloud Photos by checking the box right beside it. 

• On your iOS device, go to the Settings app. Tap on Profile to access the email address integrated with our Apple ID. 
• On your macOS device, head to System Preferences (it’s under the Apple Menu). Click on iCloud, and the next page will display your Apple ID and the associated email address. 
• On your Windows device, head to the iCloud app. Check right under the iCloud logo for your Apple ID and associated email address.

Ensure that the Apple ID used on all of these platforms is the same. If you have any cause to sign out of any of these devices, ensure that you create a backup to iCloud to preserve your data on the Apple ID in question.  

This is why it’s important to check and ensure that your iCloud doesn’t run out of storage space.

The standard is 5GB of space. You can check your current usage by heading to the Settings app, tapping your banner name ID, and then selecting iCloud.

The usage of your storage space is right at the top of that page. You can free up some space by deleting unwanted files or upgrading your membership tier to enjoy more iCloud storage space. 

This great guide provides detailed instructions on how to free up iCloud storage space so you don’t have to pay for more storage.

You can check if your phone is connected by browsing some web pages on Safari. If you have a poor connection, change your internet connection source. 

Also, make sure you haven’t enabled Low Data Mode on your iPhone. For Wi-Fi connection, go to Settings, tap Wi-Fi, then tap on the little “i” symbol next to your network. On the next screen, toggle the switch next to Low Data Mode to the off position.

While you’re in the Settings app, you’ll do the same for cellular connections. On the first Settings page, tap Cellular, then Cellular Data Options, and turn off Low Data Mode.

This takes time, and of course, data. Also, before you sign out, it is important to allow your iOS or macOS device to keep your data locally. 

• You can sign in and out of iCloud on your Windows device through the iCloud app. 
• To sign out on your macOS device, head to System Preferences > iCloud > Sign Out.
• To sign out on your iOS device, go to the Settings app and tap on your profile. Sign out by tapping the Sign Out option at the bottom of the page. 

In each case, make sure to restart your device before signing back in. 

Therefore, it is ideal that you perform an update to get on the latest iOS version. To update your iPhone follow the steps below.

Head to the Settings app on your iPhone. Choose General > Software Update. Check if new updates are waiting for installation. If you find any, install and restart your device. 

In the case of macOS and Windows devices, updates can be installed through the Preferences and Apple Software Update Utility interfaces, respectively. Remember to restart your device in both cases. 

If you are using an iPhone X or any newer model, you can restart your device by pressing and holding the Volume Up and Power buttons simultaneously until your device goes off. 

For step-by-step instructions, check our “How to restart an iPhone” guide. Alternatively, you can force restart your iPhone if you have trouble restarting it.

Final Thoughts on Photos Not Uploading to iCloud

Finally, note that you do not have to try out all of these fixes to solve the problem. You should check if the issue has been resolved after applying each fix.

In some cases, you may apply just one or a few of them, and in others, you may need to try all of these fixes. Either way, you can rest assured of fixing any problem preventing your iCloud from syncing photos from your device. 

Let me know if this helped fix the photos not uploading to iCloud problem. If you found success doing something else, leave me a comment down below!