How do you access your Photo Library, and all your pictures and videos, from anywhere? With iCloud on the web!
Updated March, 2017: Updated with How to hide your sidebar in your iCloud Photo library, How to upload Photos to your iCloud Photo library, How to share a photo or video in your iCloud Photo library, How to download a photo or video in your iCloud Photo library, and How to delete a photo from your iCloud Photo library.
The Photos apps for iOS and Mac are fast, convenient, and pack a lot of punch with their convenient features, but there might come a time when you don’t have either device — or their photo libraries — available to you.
If you use Apple’s iCloud Photo Library service, however, you can access every image or video you’ve stored on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad — either from another device of yours logged in to iCloud or straight from any web browser.
On the web, you can organize and arrange photos in great detail – just like you would in Photos on your desktop. All you need is a connection, your Apple ID, and iCloud.com! Pretty simple, ain’t it?
How to access and view photos in iCloud Photo Library on the web
- Launch any web browser and go to iCloud.com and sign in.
- Click on the Photos icon from the main menu.
Note: The first time you load iCloud Photo Library on the web, it might take some time. If you see Preparing Library…, be patient and come back a bit later once Apple has finished processing your photos. Once you’ve opened your Photos library for the first time, you can leave iCloud.com and your library will continue to populate to the web, so don’t worry. Once it’s done, your entire photo library will appear and subsequent load times will be much, much faster!
How to hide your sidebar in your iCloud Photo library
- Launch any web browser and go to iCloud.com.
- Click on the Photos icon from the main menu.
- Click the sidebar icon in the upper left corner.
- Click it again to make it re-appear.
How to upload Photos to your iCloud Photo library
- Launch any web browser and go to iCloud.com.
- Click on the Photos icon from the main menu.
- Click the Upload Photos icon in the upper right corner. It looks like a cloud with an arrow in it.
- Click on the photos or videos you would like to upload and then tap open.
How to add a photo or a video to an album in your iCloud Photo library
- Launch any web browser and go to iCloud.com.
- Click on the Photos icon from the main menu.
- Click the Add to an Album icon in the upper right corner. It looks like a plus sign.
- Click on the album you would like to add your photos or videos to.
How to share a photo or video in your iCloud Photo library
- Launch any web browser and go to iCloud.com.
- Click on the Photos icon from the main menu.
- Click the Share icon in the upper right corner. It looks like a box with an arrow coming out the top of it.
- Click the platform you would like it shared with, ie Facebook, mail, etc.
How to download a photo or video in your iCloud Photo library
- Launch any web browser and go to iCloud.com.
- Click on the Photos icon from the main menu.
- Click the Download selected item icon in the upper right corner.
- The photo or video will begin downloading automatically.
How to delete a photo from your iCloud Photo library
- Launch any web browser and go to iCloud.com.
- Click on the Photos icon from the main menu.
- Click the Delete icon in the upper right corner. It looks like a trash can.
- A prompt will appear on screen – click remove.
Any iCloud Photo Library questions?
With recent updates, the iCloud Photo Library has become even more user-friendly and similar to your desktop Photos app, but that doesn’t mean that everyone will want to use it.