How to Access iCloud Photo Library on Windows PC. iCloud Media Library - what is it, how to turn it on and off How to open icloud media library on iPhone
And iTunes Match offers the use of iCloud cloud storage to access the entire music collection stored on your Mac from any ten mobile devices. In this article we will talk about possible inconveniences when working with the iCloud music library, about what will happen after disconnecting " iCloud Photo Libraries"and how to disable it.
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Why stop using iCloud Music Library in Apple Music?
In fact, there are several reasons for this issue and all of them can be quite significant:
- you can have more than 25,000 tracks on your computer (this is the limit in the Apple cloud service);
- an advanced collection of a true music lover will have manually filled in metadata and covers, which may be deleted or changed when synchronized with the iCloud library;
- There's no point in transferring tracks from your computer to your iPhone or iPad if you have a 30 million-strong collection on Apple Music.
What could be the consequences after disabling iCloud Music Library in Apple Music?
Disabling iCloud Photo Library on all devices has some nuances that you should know and come to terms with:
- You will no longer be able to play music from your Mac library on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad;
- you won't be able to download songs or playlists from Apple Music to your other devices that don't have online access;
- You can still manually sync your music (Apple Music) from your Mac's iTunes library to your iPhone over Wi-Fi or USB.
Can you turn on iCloud Music Library in Apple Music on some devices, but not all?
Certainly. If you don't want to sync your music library via iCloud with your Mac, but want to download songs for offline listening, like on your iPhone, then turn on iCloud Music Library in Apple Music.
The only downside is that any songs or playlists saved to Apple Music will only be available on devices with iCloud Music Library enabled.
How to enable/disable iCloud Music Library in Apple Music on iPhone, iPod touch or iPad
1 . Open Settings and go to the tab "Music".
2 . Switch the toggle switch to the active (inactive) position opposite iCloud Photo Library.
Hi all! Yes, with exactly this problem - music cannot be recorded on the iPhone via iTunes, as many as 2 acquaintances contacted me in the last day! To be honest, I was a little confused when I first heard about this problem, since until that day no problems had arisen - you take a song from iTunes and drag it to your iPhone or iPad. But as it turned out, after the latest iOS update, something has changed in iGadgets, and now I’ll show you what exactly!
iCloud Music Library
The problem is buried in iCloud, or more precisely in the iCloud Music Library section, which synchronizes all songs on all your devices. What exactly is happening there, in this media library and how it exactly works, I won’t say. And even Apple itself seems to be confused about why they need iTunes Match, iTunes Music Store and iCloud Media Library! I don’t want to puzzle over how iTunes Match and the iCloud Music Library interact with each other, I’ll just say that by turning off the Library in Settings, you can record music to your iPhone/iPod/iPad from your computer via iTunes.
Before turning off the iCloud library, let's go to Music and see what's there:
As you can see, there are several folders and playlists - this is what I currently have on my Mac in iTunes (I deleted the untitled folder from iTunes, but it doesn’t want to disappear from the iPhone):
And in this mode we Can't transfer music to iPhone via iTunes from a computer... We can only listen to music online or download some song or folder to the device if we click on "..." to the right of the folder or song and click on Make available offline, although this does not always work:
How to turn off iCloud Music Library
Now let's figure out how to get rid of this scourge and return to the original, classic look. Go to Settings on your iPhone/iPod/iPad, scroll down to the Music section, and then turn off iCloud Music Library inside!
If for some reason the iPhone complains that it will delete all the music on the device, calmly ignore it and delete it! After this, the Music program on the device will show what it should, that is, nothing. In my case, we see some playlists and music, but this is only what I have already bought for myself in iTMS :)
Now you can safely connect your iPhone to iTunes and record music in any way convenient for you!
By the way, after turning the iCloud media library on and off several times, folders with numbers appear in the playlists - this is most likely an iOS bug and will have to be fixed in the next update... Deleting these folders is very simple - click on “...” on the right and click on Delete.
As a result, I still don’t understand through what mechanism the iCloud media library works - through iTunes Match (taking into account that I don’t subscribe to it) or something else. Again, if iCloud Music Library allows you to listen to all the music from your computer, then why is this Match needed!? Most likely this is somehow related to Apple Music, but again, how? In general, I have more questions than answers. If you know the details, write in the comments, otherwise I’m completely confused!
Also don’t forget to subscribe to my group on social networks -
There are dozens of different ways to transfer photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your Windows computer. But most of them are either completely inconvenient to use or require direct connection of the mobile device to the PC. In this instruction, we talked about how to get direct, and most importantly convenient access to the iCloud media library on a computer running Windows.
Setting up iPhone, iPad or iPod touch
In order to access your iCloud library from a Windows computer, you first need to make sure that the feature is activated on your mobile device. If automatic uploading of your media library to iCloud is turned off, then you need to turn it on.
Step 1. Go to menu " Settings».
Step 2. Select the section " Photo and Camera».
Step 3: Activate the switch " iCloud Photo Library».
Step 1: Download iCloud for Windows from Apple's official website.
Step 2. Install iCloud for Windows and launch the utility.
Step 4. Click on the button Options" next to the item " Photo».
Step 5. Check the box " iCloud Photo Library" and press " Ready».
Step 6: Click " Apply» to save the settings.
Ready! You can now access your iCloud library from your Windows computer. To do this, go to the folder " This computer"("My Computer" in older versions of Windows) → " iCloud Photos" and press " Upload a photo or video" In the window that opens, select media files for which year you want to download to your computer. The selected photos will appear in your Downloads folder.
Please note that all photos and videos created in the future will be downloaded to your computer automatically.
In this article, we will tell you how to work with iCloud Photo Library, view and delete photos and videos located in iCloud, and also answer the most frequently asked questions about this feature.
What is iCloud Photo Library
iCloud Photo Library gives iPhone and iPad owners the ability to store photos and videos in the iCloud cloud service and access them from mobile gadgets or computers (not to be confused with Photo Stream). Any changes to your library on one device are synced with other devices within the same Apple ID account.
New photos and videos are uploaded to iCloud when your device is connected to the Internet (Wi-Fi or cellular). The speed of adding photos and videos to all connected devices depends on the speed of your Internet connection.
After connecting the media library, instead of the “Camera Roll” album, the “All Photos” album will appear with the same functionality. This folder contains all photos and videos, sorted by date added.
It's worth noting that there is also iCloud Photo Library in the Music app settings, which has nothing in common with iCloud Photo Library in iCloud Photos settings.
What devices does iCloud Photo Library work on?
- On iPhone, iPad, iPod touch via the Photos application;
- On Mac computers through the Photos application;
- On the Apple TV console;
- On computers with Windows 7 and above (iCloud app for Windows required);
- On any device with an Internet browser installed via iCloud.com.
What file types does iCloud Photo Library support?
When you copy photos and videos to iCloud Photo Library, all content remains in the original resolution. The service supports the following file types: JPEG, RAW, PNG, GIF, TIFF, HEIF, HEVC, MP4, as well as special formats available when shooting in the Camera app on iPhone: Live Photos, slow-motion or time-lapse video, and 4K video).
By default, all photos and videos are stored in iCloud in the form in which they were taken.
How to enable iCloud Photo Library
Go to Settings -> Apple ID [your name] -> iCloud -> Photos and toggle iCloud Photo Library to On.
On Mac Open the System Preferences app and go to the iCloud section. Click Options next to Photos and check the box next to iCloud Photo Library.
On Apple TV Open the Settings app and go to Accounts -> iCloud -> iCloud Photo Library.
On a Windows computer Install and launch the iCloud for Windows app. Then click the Options button next to Photos and select iCloud Photo Library. Click "Done" and "Apply".
What happens to My Photo Stream after I turn on iCloud Photo Library?
Images from the My Photo Stream album will be added to this album. Photos that are not saved in the library will be deleted, and the folder itself will no longer be displayed. If the My Photo Stream feature is activated on your other device, but the photo library is disabled, all new photos will be displayed in the photo stream.
Is it possible to delete photos and videos from iPhone or iPad but leave them in iCloud Photo Library?
All photos and videos stored in iCloud Photo Library take up space in iCloud storage and on the device itself. Deleting a photo or video on one device will automatically delete it from all devices and on icloud.com.
At the same time, Apple offers to increase storage in iCloud for an additional fee (when registering an Apple ID, the user is given 5 GB of space in the cloud for free). However, keep in mind that increasing your cloud storage only makes sense when your device's storage capacity exceeds your iCloud storage capacity. Otherwise, the device memory will always be full.
For example, if you use an iPhone with a 16 GB drive, a 64 GB iPad and a purchased 50 GB plan in iCloud, 25 GB of which is occupied by photos and videos, then it is not practical to use iCloud Photo Library on your smartphone.
Current prices for iCloud space for Russian users can be found here.
In order to delete photos and videos from an iPhone or iPad, but leave them in iCloud, you can use the iCloud Drive service using the Files application or third-party alternative services, for example, Google Photos or Yandex.Disk.
What does Optimize Storage do in iCloud Photo Library?
To save space on iOS devices and Mac computers, the Optimize Storage feature allows you to compress photos and videos stored on the device, while storing the original (full) versions of the files in iCloud Photo Library.
How to enable Storage Optimization
On iPhone, iPad or iPod touch along the path Settings -> Apple ID [Your name] -> iCloud -> Photos -> Storage optimization.
On a Mac In the Photos app, open Application Settings, go to iCloud, and select Optimize Mac Storage.
The Storage Optimization feature only starts working when there is not enough space on your device. If necessary, you can download your original photos and videos over Wi-Fi or a cellular network.
If the “Download originals” option is selected in the iCloud Photo Library settings, the original photos and videos in full resolution will be stored in the cloud storage and on the device.
How to view and delete photos and videos on iPhone, iPad, and computer using iCloud Photo Library
icloud.com has a Photos web app that lets you view and delete photos and videos stored in iCloud Photo Library.
A file deleted in Photos is also deleted from your media library on your devices and from the iCloud cloud. For 30 days, deleted photos and videos are stored in the Recently Deleted folder, so you can restore them if you wish.
How do you know if files are being uploaded to iCloud Photo Library?
To check whether a photo or video has been sent to the cloud, launch the Photos application, go to the Photos tab and scroll to the very bottom of the page.
What happens if you exceed your iCloud storage capacity?
If there is not enough space in iCloud, photos and videos will not be uploaded to the cloud and synchronized between devices.
You can solve the problem in two ways: either buy more storage, or clean out your storage by deleting files that you don't need to keep on all iOS devices or iCloud.com. Remember that you won't be able to recover deleted photos or videos because they are not saved in the Recently Deleted album.
How do I turn off iCloud Photo Library on just one device?
If you want to disable iCloud Photo Library only on one iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, go to Settings -> Apple ID [username] -> iCloud -> Photos and turn off iCloud Photo Library.
On Mac Enter the System Preferences app and navigate to iCloud -> Photos -> Options. Next, uncheck the “iCloud Photo Library” option.
On Apple TV: Open the Settings app and navigate to Accounts -> iCloud. To disable the media library, click “Select” in the “Photos” section.
When the Optimize Storage option is activated, not all original photos and videos may be saved on your device. To download original files to your iOS device, go to “Settings” -> Apple ID [username] -> iCloud -> “Photos” -> “Save originals”. On a Mac, follow these steps: Open the Photos app -> Photos -> Settings -> Get Originals on This Mac.
How to delete all photos and videos from iCloud Photo Library and all from devices?
On iPhone, iPad or iPod touch: Go to Settings -> Apple ID [username] -> iCloud -> iCloud Storage -> Manage Storage -> Photos -> Disconnect and Delete.
On Mac:“System Preferences” -> iCloud -> “Manage” -> “Media Library” -> “Disable and Delete”. 
Best Alternatives to iCloud Photo Library
Currently, there are many cloud services with similar functionality, but the most popular are: Google Photos (we highly recommend), Yandex.Disk and Dropbox.
Based on materials from yablyk
Imagine that you are a representative of that small segment of iTunes users who keeps their media library in perfect condition. Each album is necessarily assigned a cover, all tags are meticulously written, thousands of songs are rated, and the number of hand-selected playlists has exceeded the second ten. For you, music is more than just a collection of bytes. You accumulate your media library over the years, buying albums in the iTunes Store or looking for rare recordings on torrents. And the files themselves are stored not in the corners of the hard drive, but in an automatically generated iTunes file library - arranged in folders and always at hand.
And then one fine morning you notice that your wonderful media library is sick. Yes, she is so sick that with every moment the desire to shoot her (so as not to suffer) only increases. After all, some real nightmare is happening before your eyes. Several duplicates of the same album appear, the covers are completely confused, the playlists are filled with completely arbitrary songs. Moreover, when playing songs, their content is completely at odds with the metadata! “No, no, this is Bob Dylan, not Cage the Elephant!” is spinning in your head, but you can’t help it.
This is exactly what happened to me. The only difference is that my catastrophe was not spontaneous. It did not arise on its own. It comes after iTunes updated to the long-awaited version 12.2, which brought us Apple Music and iCloud Music Library. If I and hundreds (if not thousands) of other iTunes users knew in advance what awaited them, we would not have made any sudden movements. However, the “Enable iCloud Photo Library” button seemed harmless enough at first glance.
For some reason iCloud could not cope with uploading the library to the cloud, and near each songs put a warning that, supposedly, this composition has already been uploaded to iCloud. My first suspicion was my iTunes Match subscription, which I canceled at the end of last year. Perhaps due to some error, the files were still left on the server, and Apple Music's actions caused some kind of conflict. Multiple comments on the Apple forums support my theory that it was former iTunes Match subscribers who faced similar horrors.
However, purely outwardly it seemed that all the confusion was caused solely by a malfunction in the program itself - supposedly, an attempt to enable iCloud Media Library caused a “linear shift” of metadata. Moreover, the records that were among the first to be added to iTunes were “distributed” - which also looked a little strange. Quite quickly, in the depths of the file system, backup copies of the iTunes library itself were found in .itl format - iTunes prudently makes a save before each software update. (backups are located at C:\Users\\Music\iTunes\Previous iTunes Libraries)
By “substituting” the last found .itl instead of the current library, we were able to return iTunes to the state it was in before the update. Unfortunately, this was just the beginning of my torment. It turned out that taking advantage of its permissiveness within the iTunes Media catalog, iTunes replaced the metadata not only in its database, but also directly in files. Moreover, he scattered the “corrected” files inside his directory as desired. Naturally, the previous version of the database was discouraged by this turn. It turned out that when I tried to play some songs, I got an error saying “File not found.”
The following paragraphs describe the process of “curing” the media library in fairly small technical detail. If you are not interested, you can scroll through the article until the next similar warning.
And how could he even be found? There were several hundred broken songs; searching for them all manually and moving them to their original location (also manually correcting the metadata along the way) was not an option. Using the golden rule “no one will help you but yourself,” I decided to use the Python programming language, which is extremely convenient for writing such scripts. The main task was the same - to delve into the organization of the iTunes library database file and find a way to determine the “past life” of the damaged file in order to then return it to its place.
A similar loophole was found quite quickly. iTunes, after launching with a new .itl file, automatically generates an XML document in which it stores information about its media library. In the XML file you can find information about each individual composition - title, album, artist, genre, and so on. The most interesting field turned out to be “Persistent ID” - this is a code set of letters and numbers that is assigned to a file when it is added to the media library and does not change no matter what happens to him. It was from this field that it was possible to determine what kind of song was actually in front of us. And given that the information about the song also included its location, the task finally became completely understandable and tangible.
That is, it was necessary to compare two XML files - with the correct information and with the incorrect information. If songs with the same Persistent ID have different file locations, you just need to move it, simultaneously clearing it of metadata - iTunes itself will then “pull” them from its library.
I admit that my Python development skills are quite mediocre, so I had to suffer quite a bit to implement this simple algorithm. When writing the program, the built-in library plistlib (which turns plist-XML into a conveniently formatted “dict”) and the external library mutagen (for working with ID3 tags and more) were used. In the end, development and debugging took me a little over eight hours, but the resulting script did exactly what I expected from it.
I will not make the script publicly available, since its functioning requires special conditions and I cannot guarantee its performance in each individual case. However, if you, like me, are faced with the problem described above, be sure to contact me - I will provide the code and tell you how to use it. You will always find current contacts in my.
At this point the technical details end and the thoughts continue that “Apple is no longer the same”
After my music was almost completely disinfected, I made another attempt to connect iCloud Music Library - this time by clearing it first. Did not help. Another warning about “duplicates”, another metadata disaster. True, the second time it didn’t cause so much horror - literally in two clicks everything returned to its original state. However, after that, I finally decided that Apple Music is not for me, and until it is fixed, it is simply impossible to use it.
